Arizona republican., 1909-12-15
HE TELLS OF p00LRO0Ms
Where Billiards Are Some
 times Not Played-Infor- nation Desired Concern
 ing Bill to Prevent Dis semination of Race News.

Washington. Dec 14-With a supporting cast of performers galore. both men and women. Henry Brolaski of Monrovia. Cal, who professed to be a reformed race-track gambler. was the star feature of the hearing today before the senate judiciary committee in support of the Burkeu bill to prohibit the transmission or race-track betting odds over tele- graph or telephone lines. He told how the public is mulcted by book makers at race tracks. by pool rooms and by handbooks.
 BruIaski. in the most candid and picturesque fashion. gave the details of the gamblers life and showed the poor chance of returns for money in vested which is given to the gambling public He was one of the owners of the Mexican track that was re- garded as Q basis of gambling oper- ations in the United States. and was put out of business at the instance of the state department. through coop eration with the Mexican government
 Broiaski IS now seeking to have tracks in which he has no interest treated in like manner. Introducing himself as having been a gambler and pool room proprietor. bookmaker upon race tracks and a handbook maker, Brolaski said he had worked in his line in St. Louis, Chicago. Fort Worth. Robey, Atlanta, Charleston (S- O. New Orleans, San Francisco, Oakland. Los Angeles. LatOnia, Louis vile and Bennirgs and had had twen- ty-one years experience. He roughly estimated that there were now in the United States between sixty and sev- enty pool rooms, and that fifty of these are in New York City He cal culated that there were in the United States nearly 1.5O0 handbOoks. which. he declared. are the incentive that make the unsophisticated gamble on horses.
 Play that is handled by handbooks and pool rooms" said Brolaski. 'is usually from a class of people that can ill afford to lose. and their bets average from 50 cents up. A man of family will take a chance and lose his rent money: clerk will take a chance and lose his board money: girl will take a chance and use the money she should spend on herself. It is the greed for more money and the gambling fever that becomes in ocuIated into their systems and it is growing all the time"
 BroIaski condemned the ticker ser vice of the Western Union Telegraph Company or its sub-leased lines as a great evil that should be stopped.
 Tt is service giving results and prices as they finish he said.
 Pointing out the poor chance given a bettor for the return of any part of his wager. the witness said that the pool room percentage against a player would run from 25 to 100 and 15O per cent. and in handbooks the percentage was from to 15 per cent. Players had that much the worst of it to start with. Brolaski said, and there was no possible chance to beat the game.
 Senator Nelson. who had never seen a race and knew nothing. of race bet ting. said: Il am still in the dark about these matters. l thought pool room was place where you played a game of billiards Now. want to know just what the operation is in laying a bet as you call it" He addressed this question to Brolaski, saying: You are bookmaker and am a player. What do I do?"
 Everybody laughed, but Brolaski instanced q possible play. taking d race m which there were eight horses
 Now. suppose you want to bet on King Barleycorn. priced at to l. You give me 8 and I give you a ticket which reads 10 to 3. If the horse wins you get s1O and your s in addition making sl5 in all-
 But what if King Barleycorn does not win?'' asked Senator Nelson; then what do I get?" You get" re- piled Brolaski, your ticket as a sou Venir''