The San Francisco call., 1908-05-17
By J. e. Jefery

Dy u. X. JGHcFy
That the days Of the book maker on
the American turf are numbered is the
firm conviction OF discerning observers
Of the trend of AFFAIRS throughout the
country. The successful substitution
of the pari mutuel form OF betting Tor
book making on the Kentucky tracks
during the present month is generaly
construed as foreshadowing the even
tuai elimination of the book maker from
the racing game. That the modus
operandi of turf speculation through
out the country in the no distant
future will be exclusively by some
such machine method as is now being
successfully employed at Churchill
Downs seems extremely probable.
Two factors will play a potent part
in this return to frst principles in the
method OF turf speculation. One of
these will be in the force OF public
sentiment that is~naturally hostile TO the
book maker and which is bound to as
sert itself as the advantages of the
mutual form of betting are demon
strated The other is natural desire
upon the part of those in charge of the
direction of the affairs OF the various
racing associations to fall in line with
any movement tending to conserve the
interests of the sport especially when
there is probability that the revenues
Of the track Will be thereby increased
rather than diminished.
BOOK MAKER DISLIKED
Turfmen who have given the matter
serious consideration believe that tho
substitution OF the mutual form of
betting for the book making system will
tend to ailay great deal, II not all, of
the public opposition that has cur
& A. -.
its continued existence during the past
few years. The book maker and his
methods are generally held responsible
to great extent for the anti-racing
crusade which has recently swept the
east to the detriment of the sport.
This crusade may turn out TO have
been a blessing in disguise il It re-
suits In the bringing about of reforms
that VIII tend to promote the welfare
of racing, the greatest of all outdoor
sports.
While the writer does not share in
the widely prevalent belief that there
is a great deal of crookedness' on the
turf for which the book maker is chiefly
responsible, 1t must be admitted that in
stances have occasionally been brought
to light in which owners of horses and
Jockeys have been tampered with in
the interest Of dishonest book makers.
1t is these isolated instances of dis
honest practices that have led the pub
lie to harbor suspicion that is generally
unwarranted. That nine out Of ten
book makers who lay odds on the
American turf are thoroughly honest
and would refuse to have anything to
do with questionable proposition In
the plying of their vocation may be
accepted as a conservative statement.
but 1t Is the black sheep who now and
then break into the game, just as
happens in other walks of life, who is
to blame for the disrepute in which
book making is held In some quarters.
Eliminate the book maker and virtually
all incentive for dishonest practices
have to deal with the owner who may
attempt to run qualifying races for
the purpose of obtaining long odds
against his horse, and this is such a
comparatively easy matter to handle
that there is no need of discussing IT..
POPULAR IN OLD DAYS
To race goers Of the present genera
tion the pari mutuel system of betting
is a novelty, although we'll understood
and popular score of years ago. It is
the method of betting in vogue on
horse races in France, Austria and
Italy and is conceded to be the fairest
mode OF wagering ever devised to en-
able any number OF persons to wager
oyer the outcome OF any event of
common interest. AS a matter OF fact,
II and the auction pooling that is an
adjunct OF the system at the Louisville
meeting are the only forms of wager
ing that are absolutely just to all bet
tors alike. Auction pooling is purely
American institution and is the present
prevailing system of the trotting turf.
the pari mutuel system, as the term
indicates, is an equal or reciprocal par
ticipation by all alike.
The paris mutuels have many ad-
tages over the book making method OF
speculation, the most important of
which, aside from the elimination of
the incentive to owners and jockeys
TO resort to dishonest practices, is the
saving to the public in the matter of
percentages, which ordinarily range
from 10 to 80 per cent in the books.
according to the volume of play and
local conditions. In the mutuals only
per cent is charged against the bet
tor; in the books the percentage Is sell
dom less than IL and sometimes as
high as 40. With the mutuals in oper-
alton there is no book maker to get
his big percentage, aideH by the ad-
vantages which he enjoys in the way
or stable Information, expert handicap
pih5, his KnOWledBe OF nOrSeS ana Lne
men who control them. 1t Is the pub
lic--that is the bettors as whole and
not the book makers-who make the
odds the entire amount of money that
is received in all of the pari mutuel
machines going into general pool,
from which the winning tickets are
paid.
RACING MEN FAVOR 1T
The test to which the pari mutuel
system has been subjected at Louis
vile during the last two weeks has
been convincing and conclusive. Rae
ing men are practically a unit in de-