The San Francisco call., 1908-05-25
BeHing in MutuaIs
Very Popular
Hope Is Expressed That Boob
Makers IN California Will Be
Retired for Machine System
BY J. K. Jefery

Patrons of the California turf are
evfncing a lively interest in the parf
mutuel system of betting recently put
into operation at Churchill Downs, the
historic race course of the famous blue
grass region in Kentucky where love of
the thoroughbred and keen appreciation
of racing as sport rather than as
means to money getting prevails to a
degree approached nowhere else In
America. The Ascent publication of an
exhaustive article on the subject in The
Call. wherein the manifest advantages
of the mutual form of betting over the
pook making mode of wagering were
set forth, struck popular chord and
from many quarters have come express
sions of the hope that the day is not
Abe abolished on the California turf and
the mutual method of being substi-
fated.s There is absolutely no ques,,
mutuel system as compared with book
making. Why. them 1t is pertinent to
ask, should not California patrons OF
racing be permitted to enjoy the ad-
been Afforded as result of the far see
ing wisdom of those in control of the
sport in that section of the country?
The experiment of installing the pari
mutuel machines at Churchill Downs
has demonstrated that the revenues OF
the jockey clubs will not suffer be-
SduSc Ol the Change.
FINANCIALLY A SUCCESS
Racing Form has just published a
statement in detail; which is doubtless
correct, showing that, the income of the
Louisville Jockey club from commits
sions on the pari mutuel betting trans
actions during the first IL days OF the
Churchill Downs meeting amounted to
$29,92S,46, In addition to revenue OF
$7,078.40 from the auction pools per-
centages. making total receipts from
$2S,500 received from book makers for
the privilege of laying odds during the
sens a 1907 o5 tns as he gns
ceipts from the book makers showed
decided falling off during the latter
part OF the Churchill Downs meeting
last spring, and the volume of specula-
tion under the mutual system is con-
stantly increasing as the public be-
comes familiar with its operations and
realizes its advantages. 1t is reason
the entire meeting will be even more
favorable to the new method of betting,
SO far as returns. to the. track may be
concerned, than the results of the first
IL days Indicate.
Exclusive of the field book privileges
the revenue derived by the New Cali
fornia jockey club from the book MAX
ers that have laid odds In the Emery
Vile ring during the season has av-
eraged about $4,000 daily. 1t is esti-
mated that the volume of play here
amounts to at least $150,000 daily. On
this basis the New California jockey
club would derive almost twice as
much revenue from the speculation as
under the book making method, should
the pari mutuel system be adopted
here, providing that the same per-
centages be charged against betting
transactions as at Louisville and La
tonia. 1t probably would be found
feasible, altar the system became well
established, to reduce the percentage
and still leave the track a greater net
revenue than now derived from the
books. The volume of play in the
Downs aggregated s740.13S during the
first IL days of the meeting, which
represented daily average OF about
$3.50
ADVANTAGES OF SYSTEM
The advantages of the pari mutuel
forth to such an extent in the article
recently published in The Call that
there seems to be no occasion for their
repetition. One of the strongest ar
guments in favor of the general sub
stitution of the mutual form of bet
ting for book making is to be found
in the declaration of handbook pro-
prietors in the large cities of the east
at mutual odds. The latter are so
much better than the prices which the
handbookmen are willing to lay that
the result probably will be that hand
minimum wherever mutual odds are
obtainable. desideratufl1 to be de-
voutly hoped for. A striking feature
of the mutual system, as exefnplifed
in it's operations at louisville. is the
disproportion between straight, place
and show odds as compared with book
making. Instances have been numer-
Gus in which bettors have obtained
about twice as much for place and
show on horses as they would have
on horses quoted in book at the
same odds at which these horses won.
A correspondents who declares that
article recently published In The Call
anent the paris mutuels writes that "the
arguments were full of sense and truth
and 1t is really a wonder that tho ex-
listing book making system should
have been in vogue 50 long as it has
DISPARITY OF PERCENTAGE
IAN explanation" he writes, will ac-
count for the apparent disparity in the
percentage deducted on the French
tracks as compared with that charged
at Louisville. To begin with, the per-
centage deducted on the French tracks
by the government is Z per cent and
not per cent as has been generally
believed in this country. This per
as on the Kentucky tracks, but is de-
Quoted only from the money bet ON
losing horses. For example: Suppos-
ing that In certain race 10000 is bet.
OF which amount $4,000 was on the
winning horse On the French tracks
It would be- figured this way:
$20,a00
5000
1