New-York tribune., 1876-10-28
SPECULATION IN SPORTS.


THE METHODS OF GAMBLING BY POOLS
PARIS MUTUALs" AND " COMBINATION MUTUALs"-
EXPLANATION OF THE sYsTEMs-How cHEATINt
Is ALLEGED TO BE DONE.
New-YOrk contains many gambling-hOuses
but in the past they have not obtrGded themselves "a
public attention. Recently, however, one form OF gam
bling has become bold and conspicuous, and at ths
present time there at least six establishments in tin
city whose proprietors openly invite speculation any
event In the sporting calendars through auction pools
"Pari5 mutuals," and " combination mutuas" The
"Pars muuals" and combination mutuals" recent
Inventions Joseph Oler Of Paris, well known for many
years the French racecOurses, introduced them 70
tee and amassed great wealth by the percentage
commission" OF 10 per cent which he charged On them
The Paris muuals require two operators, an indicator
a crowd OF spectators, and event which may be do
cdcd in any one OF several ways. II may be boat
race, or a ball match, ii may be a race OF dozen
horses IN which any OF them may come under tha
wire first The system is best explained by an ustra.
ton Suppose six horses named respectively A, b. c. d,
r. and are entered for The operators set upa
black tin box with round blank spaces ike staring eyes
cut in the lid. Of which is placed card in.
scribed a, or b, c, etc. A specuatOr approaches
hands to the operator 50, and says, Give me O." He
receives particolored ticket with num-
Der printed it, and simultaneously the operator
gives the Indicator turn, click" goes the machinery
'
Of the human race the figure appears therein, and the
young man remarks IN philosophical monotone, "Ono
c." Another speculator pays hs money and by eye and
ear spectator il informed that he has gone 20 on
four c." At length the bell for starting the horses
sounds when the pools close should close the entire
number OF sold being indicated at the top Of the
machine while a glance the space under the name of
each horse reveals the particulars of the pool Suppose
that pools have sold rs follows at s. q ticket: 100
tickets on A. so o. b. 90 c. 40 D. 20 on L, and 10
OIL f. total Of 80 tickets representing $3.50. First
the operator takes his percentage, the amount
of whicn varies At first Oler charged 10 per
cent, but competition in this country has Re-
duced it 20 5 and g. Making the calcula-
ton on the 10 per basis s15 So less 81 50, leaves
Sl3 % divided among the holders OF tickets on tho
winning horse. If wins each ticket pays Sl3 %; nB
WINS each ticket pays 81 A.; ; II wins, each ticket
pays S13 % if wins, each ticket pays S34 81 If
wins each ticket pays 500 IS, and If wins each ticket
pays $l39 30. The is one Of the horses has
won, h's hackers receive the returns from their In
vestmeuts Few notice how much the operator has
pockcted. but yet il viii be from the above calula
ton that his percentage more than the amount paid
on tine most valuable ticket and that too, in pool espe
cay favorable 20 buyers such as hardly occurs once in
ffty races.
The combination mutlals" are Celebrations OF the
original paris mutlals" Tho speculator names The
winners three races and 3 Of the three events must
fudn his prophecy entite him 10 the pool He has 10
contcnd against ncndous odds, and even he proves
successful he receives only the amount IL the pool which
may De very small and which never by any possibility
equals his Investment multiplied by the number OF
chances against success.
Tie first Paris mutual" Indicator AZ Jerome Park was
set up during the Spring meeting Of 1s72 Il has been
said that vi Unknown Wall-st. specuiaor initiated the
pubic into s mysteries, and even manipulated t' ma
chine himself Later John Chamh' 'rlaln imported more
indicators and since that time they have appeared 1t
TI.-vs ken
Branch a. the time OF the swimming match between
johnson ana Trautz in 1s7i they have been carried
into cellar in New-st, I'm the attempt 10 bring stock
speculation within the reach of - capitalists they nave
attended upon Ic college bOItiaccs until men are de-
clng That tie evils accompanying such contests over
balance e benefits of the athletic training; they have
uopuiiriled gambling uuucr the gli,e oI far dealing,
ard they have got hcir tolls about the i~nE gent1tou
Night ana morning IN the pool rooms OF this city, oo''
in thr ,ess,nof 81 an attempt made by the Leg
stature Of Nrw-Jcrsey TO suppress pooIselng at Mon
troIfl Park which lies within their jurisdiction. The
only argument against the proposed bi was advanced
yih b ma innocence by the two members Tor Monmouth
C,unty who declared that the then existing cuaclmcns
a-aiust gambling were sufficient To cover the erolhl
without the ld OF any special tapln forged TO destroy
uon-,.lmg 90 tie Park AT "A critical moment the cmri
promoter of the bill vas absent aud to isday lnhiua'
u NcW-Icr-.y have been undi'turped Oy me aut.ors
M The question of the LEGALITY Of the >ysiem has
put tne Police department but no answer has as
The chan es of winning at this spec of ambng are
not REGARDED especially promising al me Dest o ID
- experienced persons by the knowledge that & we
ur9itnr na, always tleOp9Ornity and not nitcIlruty
ti. inclination 10 dHtud the winners IN the following
manner: one OF the employees keeps sharp "alsh
upJu inc race, and when an outsrIer comes up tho
h,ues;rrlsh am t-lsy wncran event not Of very rare
1crurreucc-he qucky changes the record o. the
indicator taxing 10 or - trOm the number OF uchets
sold ON the fayOrte, and adding a like number To the
rcts on the winner The total In thc pools appears
10 bee unchanged, hut the value OF tue winning
t ts decreased in direct proportion 10 the nulDtf
rrluduleutIy added. Investors find treir returns
eat down, while the operators pocket the dlnlreh'e,
Take for instance, the mentioned where tlefe arc
II 39j to be led among those holding winning ueA-
cts Ten tickets have been sold On l. ana 70 Ae surprise
of an wTts. The operator may take lom lne hD'
brr recorded for and add them 10 those ,0Iu on y,
Fire are now 10 tickets f. each apparently WORTH
So. The ten hOldcrs OF genuine tickets receive etcA
.sg3 and the balance OF $500 is appropriated bl iuo
op.ratnr John r. Wlshar Of New-IOIk published lct-
ter an Wiike,'s spirit of the Times May 10, 1870 N
which he mentioned an instance where mutuals were
sold on the Nashville races ana tickets on NcrGlsis
liod as spun rs he had the race. Complaints nave
been made also OF the management az jerome IIA
IN fhe race between VI. I~}. and Shyock, which vas
run during Fail meeting OF 1873, just before J0hn
ClpuDcllIu ceased 10 cUutrO' the mutuas on that
course since that time John MOrisscy has obtained
The franchise but the complaints have not ceasfd On
the tnd day of the Spring meeting Lloyds colt Won
aud tickets him paid T25 each. IL Is alleged thai ii
were added TO record his tickets the indicator
by one operators. On the fourth day OF be same
meeting the colt Algerne won and tickets paid SOL
each IL Is alleged that ID added after the pool
had been closed. IL Is predicted that II these my ster"s
InaupulutOus OF the indicator become more frequent
aud nOi0rOus, this branch OF gambling Will lose IT'S pres
ent popularity