Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-14
PLEA FOR CHILDREN RACE TRACK NEWS
Congress Urged to Increase Bill Restricting Telegraph
Playground Appropriation. Transmission Favored.
ADDRESS TO MEMBERS PUBLIC HEARING HELD
Both Houses Signed Former Bookmaker Tells About
by the Association. Handbooks
|ONLY $1,000 ALLOWED HOW THE WIRE USED
Prohibition
Transmission Of Bets and
mittee Increa Racing Odds Supported.
Proposed Prohibition of Interstate
Transmission Of Bets and
Racing Odds Supported.

Betting in poolrooms and through hand
| book men on horse races was denounced
| in the course of a public hearing before
subcommittee OF the Senate committee
on judiciary this morning. and some in
| teresting sidelights were thrown on the
methods used.
Such gambling ii was designated
| by the speakers before the committee
is made possible by the teiegraphing
| from race tracks race results and odds.
| and the hearing was to discuss the ad-
Visibility OF the passage of law BY Con
gress prohibiting the telegraphing of
such information.
The specific bill under consideration was
one introduced at the special session of
Congress last spr ng by Senator Burkett.
TO prevent the notification of state anti
| gambling laws by International or inter-
state transmission OF recognizing bets
| or of racing Odds The penalty for
violation of the proposed law is imprison-
| ment of not more than two years or by
| fine Of not more than 81 $50, or both.
| for the first offense. and by such imprison-
ment only for second or subsequent Of
| lenses
! The hearing room was filled with the
delegates to the reformers conclaye.
which is being held in Washington now.
and which took recess this morning TO
allow its delegates to attend the hearing
at the Capitol They represent, IL was
explained by Senator Burkett, a score or
more of reform organizations, such as the
Y. NJ c. \. and the w. c. T. L.
Former Bookmaker Heard.
| The most striking figure at the hearing
was Henry Brolaski, who has been
bookmaker at race tracks for many years.
but who has now gone over to the side
of the reformers.
! II have never been to a horse race in
my life. and am ignorant of these mat
ters.'' declared Senator Nelson early in
the hearing. after hearing .bookmaker,
Handbook ''poolrooms' used freely by
the first speaker Il should like TO hear
of the modus opersndi of this race track
| betting.
| In answering. Mr.. Brolaski spent an
| hour In showing how the bets are made
at the race tracks. how they are sent
( from the tracks to poolrooms and TO
handbook men all over the country and
how the handbook men and their solie-
itors work in the stores and Office build
ings Of many large cities.
| In the course OF his talk Mr.. Brolaski
| read long list of racing tracks which
| have been put out of business by legis-
lation within recent years He then gave,
! In a short list. the tracks were horse
racing and betting are still going on.
Then he indicated the extent to which
the news of tracks is telegraphed to pool
rooms all over the country. including
! Washington in the list of cities which re-
| cefve the Information and use II.
| What Is the proportion of gambling
done away from the race tracks. on the
! basis of the telegraphed information, to
| that done at the tracks," asked Senator
Rurkett, who directed the hearing.
Gambling Away From Tracks.
| There is a thousand times more gam
| bling away from the race tracks than at
them.' replied the former bookmaker
Then if it is important for the states
to stop the gambling at the race tracks"
| began Senator Bur'-ett
| 1T is 1900 time more important TO
stop the gambling away from Them" said
Mr. Brolaski. finishing the sentence.
| What proportion of the poor fellows
who bet in these places VIM" asked
| Senator Nelson.
| Fifteen per eent-no. that is too much
3 per cent of the bettors win,'' was the
reply.
,he Burkett bill was then urged as the
means for putting stop to the gambling
away from the race tracks.
| When the ex-bookmaker began, he gave
detailed descriptions Of the operations of
them.
How does bookmaker get his
money!" asked Senator Nelson.
I'm various ways" was the reply.
track. The bookmakers have all the
knowledge and all of the tricks of which
the public knows nothing
The great evil of the poolroom and the
handbook business. which the Burkett bill
is designed TO prevent. explained Mr.. Bro
laski, is the employment of solicitors who
go into the Office buildings and depart
ment stores and take the money from the
clerks. In New York city, lie estima ed
there are fifty poolrooms and five hundred
handbooks, and connected with them are
700 solicitors. In the metropolis. 1t was
estimated, there are 10000 players in
| pOolroolns and handbooks
Dishonest Tricks.
One of the methods of horse owners
to touch the public was described at
| legth by Mr.. Brolaski. A horse owner
| enters his horse in race in which the
purse is $500. He then goes to book
maker and tells him to bet $1,000 that
the horse will not win. The bookmaker
puts down the $1,000 for the horse owner
and puts down several thousand dollars
! for himself The horse, Of course. does
/ not win. The public loses and the Lorse
| owner and bookmaker are big winners.
| The ex-bookmaher also presented a de-
! tailed statement of the receipts and eX-
| penditures at race track. and this
! showed, Tor an average track. a net
profit to the operators Of the tracks Of
| Sc, 600 a day
| Senator Burkett, who spoke briefly at
the opening OF the hearing. declared that
| the bill he has introduced Is designed to
| protect the states that have anti-gam-
hling laws Through the telegraphing OF
| race track matter into states which have
| closed I'M the tracks within ffc