OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
**GROVER SCLLCRS**  ATTGINSV

**GENERAL**

Eonorabla 

### Alfredb. **Clyde** 

### Criaim~lDlatrlotAttormy Fort tiorth,

Tezaa
opinionNo. 0-6653 Re: bgmy 

### 0r underArt. 65 publfoationr

.A. P. C. Your request for an opinion of this de as 

### r0uor8;
opinion,an individualor **oor** 

### liehor and aells Wo

the others o tlon a8 to he odda

**are** 

### certainpub1ioatim.e

### or ata about rariout~

harm moea traok,a,tho**atartingtim66** 

### for ea pertloipati~, name OS owner8 

### Oeition~, bOttin&J



### odda, **and** 

### pasta s;oh sotim 

### 0t th6 inromation appars in the 

### aa would ooamand 

### the attentionoi here regardleesof their intereator laok

We 

### would not be so naive as to say thqt **some** 

### or tha othermatter submittedie not or nia]r not be **used** 

### In oonneotionwith the laying bets on horse raoes. PtWli?lpfiIionorable 

### Alrred k. Clyde - page 2

somewere even publlehedprimarilyto aid 

### or assist one interested 

### in horse raoa gambling. However, we swat measure 

### our answer In thdr opinionto the feats givenwithout **lndulg** 

### lng In speoulatlonor presumption.

Art. 

### 65&, V. 

### A. P. C., reade a8 follows: "Seotlon1. Any personwho takes 

### or aooapts or plaoea for another a bet or wager of money 

### or anything of 

### value on a horse raoe, dog 

### raoe, automobile MUJO, 

### motoroyole.race

or any other raoe of any kindwhatsoever, footballgame, baa&all game, athleticooutest 

### or sports event of whatsoeverkind 

### or oharaoter;or any personwho offera to take or 

### aooept or plaoo for ar.other

any such bet 

### or wager; or any pereon who as 

### an agent, aervantor employeeor otherwise,aide or 

### encouragesanother to take or aooept or plaoe any such bet or wager; 

### or any personwho direotly 

### or indirectlyauthorizes,aide or 

### enoourages any acent, 

### servantor employeeor other personto take or 

### aooept or 

### place or tranamltany auoh bet 

### olr wager shall be 

### guilty of book 

### makingand upon oonvlotlonbe 

### punished by 

### oonflneumntin the State Penltentlaryfor any term 

### 0r year6not less than one (1.) nor more than flvo (5) or by oonflnementin the oounty tan (10)days nor more than on0 1) year and by a tins i 

### all Sor not less than

or not less than One Bundred ($100.00)Dollarenor more.thanOne Thousand ($l,OOO,OO) Dollars." Pe:tingon a horse raoe it3 

### the gist or the 

### orrense denounced with referanoeto this pBrtiOularsport. 12.0 S. W. (Zd) 

### 1061. Ylmmonsv. State,

None of the publloatlonssubaltredlnvite or offer to take or plaoe a 

### horae raoe bat. Ho infor

### e.atl;n

is containedthereinOonOernInga 

### plaoewhere, tb 

### manner Inwhloh, or the person or 

### pamone 

### with whom, suoh a bet 

### may be 

### plaoed.

Your 

### request doea 

### not reveal that a partioular bet was ever aotually nude, taken, 

### placed for another,or offered by 

### mans or and 

### through the uae and aid of any of the publication8 submitted.

## 247

Honorable Alfred b..Clyde - page 3

The sole question presented is whether the pubiioation of such racing information In itself and standing alone, violates the provisions of Art. 05Za, 

### V. A. E. C. It Is to I;r: noted that bets on footbau and other games and ruces are included within the prohlbltion of the 

### statute inquired 

### about. Are newspapers and sports writers who fill their pm-gaLe oUtions with the na566, 

### numbers and weights of the players, the condition of their health, the new formtions and team strata&e&, to b; proseouted because some fana use this 

### inforaationin aid OS’ Lhe illegal enterprise of betting upon the football game? :rre oolumnists and publishers of progralca for sporting events to be placed In fear of legal retribution where they have expertiy analyzed the abilities and reoords of op~osihg teams and mde prognostloatlons based t&oreon - plaoed in fear lest so!;egunbler seize upon and use his data as a predicate for his bet: .de do not think that auoh is the case. The publloatlon and diss&s&nation of sporting lnrormatlon, statlstlos, and data is not in itself a violation 

### 0s our statutea. To so hoid, we think, would 

### violatea guaranty that is snored to every tierioan - freedom 0s the press. Such wound not he the oase of course if raots were developed showing that a given publioation was made and distributed for the purpose of **and** 

### in furtnerance and aid of a epeoiflo illegal gambling enterprise or transaotioh.

iilthoutattempting to render hers an opinion on the legality of such publications if oolilblned with other fao~s or ciroumatanoes whloh are not presented in your request, it is our opinion that the bare publication and dlssemlnation of such lnformation oonstitutes no viol.ation 

### 0s Art. 652a, V. 

### A. r:. C.

/J Pugene Alvis Assietaht