Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-09
REVIVE RACING
ON NEW LINES
ELIMINATION OF B00KMAKING
is POPULAR
ORAL BETTING SYSTEM PROVING
MORE SATISFACTORY
New Order of Things Taken to Mean
Assurance of Sports Future by
Experts-Emeryville Is Exper-
mental Station in West
BY JAY DAVIDSON

the oral betting system at Oakland
for the last forty days, Thomas II.
Williams, promoter In chief of racing
in the west, has solved the problem
of how to revive racing without the
handicap of bookmaking, and patrons
of the sport may rest assured thaL
Los Angeles will be a racing center
once more, barring the accidental in
tervention of freakish legislation that
will prohibit thinking by free-Dofn
Americans. The season at Oakland,
now in progress, has been far beyond
any hopes of the promoters than they
had any right to expect, and II oral
betting stands the test of the courts
in California, as it has survived IN
New York, racing will be resumed in
California next winter on the same
splendid scale that has characterized
it ever since it was established here as
a snort. This good news is brought
south by Jake Hoffman, premier start
er of horses, and Jack MacManus, one
of the leading bookmakers of the
country.
MacManus, who resides in Los An
geles. and for several years has been
accounted one of the most extensive
operators in the New York and Los
Angeles rings, in addition to being the
owner of a high-class string of horses,
is corroborated in his optimistic views
by Jake Hoffman, who arrived yestef-
day from Emeryville to pass three
weeks with his father-in-law at Al
hambra. Both were in a joyful frame
of mind Yesterday when they met and
discussed the prospects of the future
of racing in California, particularly,
and in the United States generally.
Owing to his long career as a book
maker MacManus was not expected TO
saw much in favor Of the oral betting
system, which has supplanted the OBJ
seIete system of hoolzmaking, but he
probably is one of the strongest sup
porters of the new order of things
"The oral betting system is here 10
STAY" said MacManus, land the pub
lie will approve of it more strongly
than any other substitute that could
be devised to supplant bookmaklng:
1t has it's advantages over the mutuel
system in that the bettor can know
lust what odds he will get Tor ms
money, whereas the mutuel system IS
uncertain in it's operations, for the
reason that one never knows until the
race is run whether he will get 100 TO
or 1 to 100. It also is quite an ad-
vantage to the public because 1T takes
the betting end of the game out OF the
racing end and there is no conflict or
cause for criticism by the public that
usually attaches to bookmaking when
a favorite fails to win.
Will Elevate Sport
Another distinct difference between
oral betting and bookmaking is found
in the fact that only those who are
able to lose a bet can make one on
race under the oral system. Only
those who can establish line Of credit
with the odds-layer as retail mer-
chant does with the wholesaler, can
bet under the oral system. This does
away with the possibility that the
small wage-earner will bet away MS
earnings and cause the game to get in
disrepute thereby. In way, II may
be said the substitution of the oral
betting system for bool1making will
tend largely to putting the sport back
on the basis of being the sport of
kings, in that it will be elevated in
tone and quality and the betting end
will be merely an incident to the sport
ITO my way of thinking, bookmak-
ing is q thing of the past and even IN
states where booknalling now is per-
mitted the oral system will supplant
it lust like a modern invention will do
away with the cruder and more anti
ouated devices that it improves. Gen
tIemen may visit the races and if they
are worthy of credit they can make
bet regardless of the fact that they do
not carry the money with them. IL
they do not want to bet they can en-
ioy the sport the same as now. In
other words, racing in the future will
be a sport, purely and SIMPLY ana II
will find favor with the public for this
very reason. Instead of being support
ed by the betting end of the game 1T
will exist because Of popular approval
and patronage. Racing never will be
killed in red-blooded America"
Experiment Is Successful
Hoffman is even more optimistic than
McManus regarding the future of rae
ing in America. He says the fact that
Fmeryville is running in the face of
stiff opposition and under conditions
that are considered fatal to the sport,
President Tom Williams believes the
season will show very little, il any, loss.
Considering the fact that the change
from bookmaking to the oral betting
system was so sudden and the patrons
of the sport We're asked to support a
game they knew nothing of, the attend
ance at EmeryVille has been some-
thing remarkable.
'gThe attendance has been growing
steadily every day." said Hoffman. "At
first Mr. williams hardly knew whether
the public would support the sport
without bookmaking, but he gamely
went ahead with his plans and is be-
ing rewarded with an increasing at
tendance, and the sport is booming in
q way that nobody would have suspect
ed six months ago. OF course, the sport
is being run very close to the profit and
loss line Just now, but 1t is growing
better so fast that there no longer is
any doubt regarding the future popu-
larity of the system and the perma-
nency of the sport in this state
''Horsemen are so pleased with the
eyidezees of prosperity in racing cir
cles and the probability of a new and
permanent basis for the sport that they
are asking Mr.. Williams to extend the
Emeryville season after the expiration
Of the original allotment of sixty days,
which expires February H.. 1 do not
know whether the extension will be
granted or refused, but I do know that
Mr.. williams is much pleased with
what we may call a successful season.
when it is considered that racing is
being conducted there under entirely
new conditions, to which the people
hardly have had chance as yet to
become accustomed. I would not ven
ture an opinion as to the extension,
but nobody need be surprised if it is
granted. I think Los Angeles will get
back on the racing map next winter II