Evening star., 1922-08-20


tion of the law by the courts.
The New York reader may recall
the storm and fury that swept the
state when. under Gov. Hughes, a set
of legislative acts was passed which
purported to forbid race track bet
ting. 1t was represented, by the re-
form element through whose influence
this legislation was enacted, that race
track gambling was running young
men. turning honest men into thieves.
driving others to suicide and absorb
ing the money that should be spent
supporting wives and children. Cases
OF embezzlement and forgery were
Traced to the poolrooms, and innu-
merable other crimes to the touts and
hangers-on of the tracks. Abolish
racing, said the reformers, and these
evils will disappear. But there was
compromise. Racing was allowed to
go on, though betting was forbidden
under heavy penalties. That was
more than ten years ago.
Today New York is one of the four
states in the Union where running
races are permitted to operate. the
others being Kentucky, Maryland and
Louisiana. In the three latter states
betting is permitted. but it has been
regulated and partly paternalized by
the introduction of the parimutuel
machines and the more or less strict
suppression of betting away from the
tracks. In Maryland, to draw con-
trast, every track must pay the state
$4,000 for every day of racing in ad-
dition to the states percentage from
the pari-mutuels. In New York the
state derives no revenue whatsoever
from the tracks and there is no regu-
lation of the play. Gambling exists
by evasion, by court Interpretation of
the law.
This article must not be interpreted
as denunciation or even criticism of
racing as conducted in New York. /
am told that the sport itself Is care
fully governor and controlled. The
subject here is gambling.
Here are a few facts:
There is more betting in New York
city today than in the palmiest days
of the open tracks.
Five times as many bookmakers are
operating in the city than ever before
in it's history.
More money is being lost than ever
before.
And, besides. men, women and chill |
dren now are betting on the races.
and classes of citizens whom the old
time poolrooms never affected are
being tempted.
THE ponies have replaced policy |
and the innumerable forms of lot
o-l
in spite of police and protest. The
craze for easy money. suppressed in
SO many directions, has broken out
in a flood due to the accessibility of
the handbook man in every neighbor-
hood. All the gambling funds of the
town are flowing to the bookmakers.
MO matter what part Of the city OF
~ New York you inhabit there Is a |
handbook at your door. Step out OF
your house tomorrow morning, go to |
a nearby cigar store, barber shop, or |
newsstand, or go to many a drug |
store, grocer's shop, bootblack stand. |
bakery or restaurant, and you will |
find some one there ready to take |
on the horse races to be run In the |
afternoon.
At the subway or elevated entrance |
an agent also handles racing form and |
dope sheets, and. what Is worse, the |
circular letters of ttpsters which he
will sell you for small price. He |
pays rs per cent of this price to the
tipster: the balance is his commits
sion. The same man will take your |
bet. This he passes over to the hand |
book man, who allows him 10 per |
cent commission. Such a man Is called |
a commissioner. Any one may act In
this capacity, II he knows a layer |
of odds who conducts a handbook.
Perhaps the janitor Of your apart
ment house takes commissions, or the
hallboys and telephone operators.
taxicab drivers, subway guards, office
boys, walters, stenographers and
what not?
little while before the first race
the commissioners get in touch with
runners for the handbook keepers, or
telephone to the bookmakers and re-
port the bets they have taken. If
you have laid one of these bets and
happen to win the bookmaker or his
runner delivers your money to the
commissioner on the following day
and you are paid. At the same time
you may lay fresh bets If You like.
Certain of the business buildings
downtown and in the theatrical dis
trict are honeycombed with the Offices
of handbook men and professional
tipsters. who are reaping large harv-
ests from the gambling mad public.
This thing goes on all the year
round If the horses are not running |
at Jamaica or Belmont Park or EN-
pire City or Saratago. they are start
ing at Pimlico, Havre de Grace.
Bowie. Latonia. Churchill Downs.
New Orleans, Tia Juana, Havana or
Juarex. The New York handbook |
man plays them all and his public is
with him ffty-two weeks Of the year.
If you will 80 to any of tho race
tracks near New York city in their .
seasons you will be struck by the
great number of women attending |
these events and betting as freely as |,
men. And il you know handbook |
man or commissioner in your neigh |
borhood he will tell you women are |
rambling as never in the past, both |
in number and in the size of their |
warers Even children are at it. Re-
Gently in one Of the upper west side |
parks I saw three boys under four |