South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-06-22
|FRENCH PLAN TO
OPEN NUMEROUS
BETTING BOOTHS
Bookies" Causing Govern
ment to Lose Income
From Winning Tax.

PARIS. June 21-June and July.
thanks 20 horse racing and the big
races run in these months are fruit
I'll periods for the French govern
meut's Golfers. for 50 is during this
|. period that the largest sums ~ the
year are played on horses. The state
draws I percent OF tho money play
ed IN the pari-mutuei booths or the
official betting stalls established on
AL TRACKS. II IS estimated that on
Il ordinary week days as much as g.
y 10000 francs IS played a. the races.
On days when there are important
races 20 be decided this amount runs
very much bigger. as for instance on
Xrand Pr!x day when some 4oo.-
% people gather AT Longchamps 20
atch the biggest race in France.
Kast year 100000 francs were
Dlsyed on this race alone and the
- days takings amounted 90 more than
10000, 900 Traces.
But apart from these officia
!. booths there are secret means OF
4 playing races without golng on the
. tracks such bets are taken BY
= so-called book makers all over
France and IN some towns such as
Paris. Lyons. Bordeaux and Mar
settles. the money played IN this
J clandestine way is said 70 greatly ex-
\ eel the money played on the tracks.
= Naturasy The government cannot
collect II percent on these bets.
Numerous attempts have been made
20 run these "bOOkies' 20 earth
but with little success for the simple
reason that in most cases bets are
made on a mutual understanding OF
/. confidence between the player and
the "bookie" No traces OF bets are
20 be found except those made in the
smaller and popular bars OF the capt.
tai. where slips are exchanged.
Has First Lien.
Bookmaklng was abolished in
France In 1905 in favor OF the Off
clal parimutuel booths With these
|. booths no odds are given out on
! horses prior 90 the race and the re-
turns are only known after the race
and after the deduction OF the states
II percent. The horse who carries
49, most money in bets pays out the
4 least Il he wins The bar type or
4 "bookIe" pays our the same sums as
the Official returns. whereas the old
type "book.c" who still operates on
the tracks despite police supervision
continues 20 give odds before the
race.
The latter viii only deal with per
sons known 20 him He will often
give odds Of three-to- against
horse whereas the pari-mutuel re-
turns Will show odds Of three 20 one
on the same horse.
The bar "bookIe" Will sometimes
take in large shops and offices as
well as bars and II he has prosper
Gus quarter % work I'm he usually
49, large staff Of bookkeepers who
night when the results are known
eek IN his slips He Will start IN
a morning at ABOUT S and go
round 20 factories or shops and
where take the bets Of the employees
and sometimes the employers as
we'll Then he viii 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.
~wiu take any amount from one
franc % confines C25 cents normal
iy) TO two or three thousand francs
BOol1ics Usually Profit
At the pari-mutual booth there
on maximum limit 20 betting but
nothing less than five francs can be
played. The bookie generally re-
fuses 10 take any tips after one
thirty-racing begins at two-snd in
the case OF outsiders winning he will
not paw out more than one hundred
and fifty francs for every five in
rested Sometimes he will go 10 the
q aces and by playing himself try 70
protect his own money but I'm most
cases boOkies are usually satisfied 10
wait til the night 10 see how they
have come out. II is rare that they
lose and they more often finish the
day with a net gain OF eight 20 ten
thousand francs than otherwise.
Such clandestine bets have so
much worried the government that
special laws were passed 20 deal
2uth both bookies and players. but
2hey have yielded little results and
pthe authorities now are contemplat-
ing the opening OF Official pari-
mutual booths in all large cities
= where one might play fancied horses
and where the government could