THE TOTALISATOR IN OTHER LANDS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 977, 26 November 1908, Page 5

THE TOTALISATOR IN OTHER LANDS.

In Japan some months ago it was proposed to prevent people investing on the totalisator unless they were credited with possessing a fair knowledge of the respective merits of the horses competing. It sounded what ridiculous, but a similar situation has arisen in Belgium, where, recently, the following. Ministerial circular was received by the managements of the various racecourses, as well as the bookmakers’: “Wagers made on horse-racing are assimilated to games of chance and hazard when those making them have not the spe-

cial knowledge which permits them to weigh the different chances of the horses engaged. The conditions are precisely the same for list betting, and for the mutual betting, whether taking place on or off the racecourse. The fact that the organisation of the mutual betting has been permitted by the local authorities under the Cap. 7 of the Law of December 31, 1851, in exchange for a percentage in favour of some charitable purpose, will not preclude a criminal prosecution under clause 305 of the Penal Code, as the law of 1851 respecting the authorisation of lotteries was not applicable to betting on races, which came under the heading of games of chance and hazard.”

If the patrons of racing in Belgium at all resemble those who follow the sport in Australia (comments a Sydney writer), the authorities will have some difficulty in discriminating between the possessors and non-posses-sors of “ special knowledge.” The position is an awkward one, and the idea of a bookmaker declining to take a would-be client’s money because the horse he wished to back “ has no chance” is decidedly humorous. Then if that horse should win, and the would-be backer complained, there might be a possibility of the authorities requesting the bookmaker to retire from business on the score of his inability to assess horses’ chances. In France there has been a fallingoff in the totalisator receipts this year, and when interviewed with regard to this as well as the decisions of the Courts of Appeal which have permitted bets to be made among owners according to the Penal Code, M. Ruau, the Minister for Agriculture, said that the decrease was more apparent than real, might correctly be attributed to the very bad weather which prevailed during the early part of the season, and proved disastrous to all outdoor sports, and also to the decrease of the number of horses running in crosscountry events. He added that although the takings at the Government machines had decreased some fifteen millions of francs, compared with the figures of last year, he had every hope that the average of three hundred to three hundred and five millions of francs obtained during the past six years would be reached. Referring to the betting going on, by means other than the totalisator, at different racecourses, he said that in deference to the ideas expressed by owners a certain tolerance had been shown.