Omaha daily bee., 1921-07-19
France Plans to
Open Booths for
Betting at Races
Pari.Mutuel System Operates
Uneasily in Competation
With Willy "Brookies;''
IL Per Cent Tax Debt.
By WILL COOK,


International News Service Staff Corre-
spOndent.
Jaris, July 18.-June and July,
thanks to horse racing and the big
races run in these months, are fruit
full periods for the French govern
ment's Golfers, for it is during this
period that the largest sums of the
year are played on horses. The state
draws II per cent of the money play
ed in the pari-mutuel booths or the
official betting stalls established on
all tracks. 1t is estimated that on
ordinary week days as much as
100000 francs is played at the
races.
On days when there are impor-
tant races to be decided this amount
runs<very much bigger, as for in
stance on Grand Prix day when AGO.
600 people gather at Longchamps to
watch the biggest race in France.
Last year 100000 francs were
played on this race alone and the
days takings amounted to more THAI
100000 francs.
But apart from these official
booths there are secret means OF
playing races without going on the
tracks. Such bets are taken by So
called bookmakers all over France
and in some towns such as Paris,
Lyons, Bordeaux and Marseilles, the
money played in this clandestine way
is said to greatly excel the money
played on the tracks. Naturally the
government cannot collect ii per
cent on these bets. Numerous at
tcmpts have been made to run these
"bookies" to earth, but with little
success for the simple reason that IN
most cases bets are made on mu-
tual understanding of confidence be-
tween the player and the "bookie.
No traces of bets are to be found
except those made in the smaller and
popular bars of the capital, where
slips are exchanged.
Has First Lien.
Bookmaking was abolished in
France in 1905 in favor of the Of
fetal pari-mutual booths: With these
booths no odds are given out on
horses prior to. the race and the re-
turns are only known after the race
and after the deduction of the
states II per cent. The horse who
carries the most money in bets pays
cut the least if he wins. The bar
type OF "bookie" pays out the same
sums as the official returns, whereas
the old type "bookie" who still
operates on the tracks despite police
supervision continues to give odds
before the race.
The latter will only deal with per-
sons known to him. He will often
give odds of three-to-one against a
horse whereas the. pari-mutuel re-
turns will show odds of three to one
on the same horse.
The bar "bookie" will sometimes
take in large shops and offices as
we'll as bars and if he has prosper
Gus quarter to work in he usually
has a large staff Of bookkeepers
who, at night when the results are
known, check up his slips. He will
start in the morning atzabout 8 and
20 around to factories or shops and
there take the bets of the employees
and sometimes the employers as
we'll. Then he will drift into hair
dressers' shops and collect slips and
money from them. From there he
will visit all "his" cafes and bars
and collect more. slips and money.
He will take any amount from one
france, Is centimes (25 cents nor
mally) to 1000 or 5000 francs.
Bookies Usually Profit.
At the pari-mutuel booth there is
no maximum limit to betting, but
nothing less than. S francs can be
played. The bookie generally re-
fuses to take any tips after l:3O-
racing begins at 2:00-and in the
case Of outsiders winning he will not
paw out more than $50 francs for ev-
ery five invested. Sometimes he will
go to the races and by playing HIM
self try to protect his own money,
but in most cases bookies are usually |
satisfied to wait till the night to see
how they have come out 1t is rare
that they lose and they more Otter!
finish the day with a net gain of
3, 900 to 10000 francs than otherwise.
Such clandestine bets have so
much worried the government that
special laws were passed to deal with
both bookies and players, but they
have yielded little results and the
now are contemplating
the opening of official pari-mutuel
booths in all large cities where one
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