The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-07-19
RACE TRACK LAYER
HAS BEST SCHEME
TO GATHER RICHES
BY FRANf< G. ,tENKE

The most successful "get-rich-auick'
system of today is to become layer
on the race tracks of New York.
AS time fits, the men who make and
then lay the odds on the bangtails arc
Tightening up the odds and it's so nov
that none but miracle worker can
beat the horses which gallop around
the Empire state tracks.
The night before each race day the
king pin bookies gather unto them
selves with the checkers and begin to
arrive at conclusions. Eventually they
create a scale of figures. Then, after
looking them over carefully to see that
not a single one could be called lib
eral they cut them in half.
And the next day they serve them
up to the sucker public.
Horses which legitimately should be
6 to 1 shots never are quoted at bet
ter than 215 to 1. The ordinary 21a
to shot becomes to 5 proposition
when the layers" quote the public.
| And the fair and honest to 5 horse
is quoted at about to 5.
Quotation on Favorite
Not so long ago in a race with Is
or IA starters, the favorite was quoted
! at 5 to 5, second choice at to I, third
| choice IL to and fourth choice at 21s
| to 1. The best price against any other
| horses in the field was % to l.
| 1t was a race with figures so arrang-
/ ed that the books couldn't lose. IT
the favorite won the intake on the sec
and, third and fourth choices, plus the
| play on the longshots Offset the losses
/ three times over. And so it was all
| down the line. 1t made no difference
| which horse romped home ahead-the
books were sure to take in double OF
! triple what they would be forced to
pay out.
In another race which embraced
| something like IL starters-and every
| one a maiden the layers simply
slaughtered the public with the prices.
Not one horse was a standout in thai
contest. Anything was likely to hap
pen. in such a huge field And the
highest sort of price that fairly could
have been doled out against a favori!e
was to l, with 6 to / as tho next
lowest.
Clean Up Handsomely.
Yet the books opened up with three
horses under 21a to l. with 30 to as
the top price against the long shots
of the race. The favorite won-ye;
the layers cleaned up handsomely
They would have done the same thing
no matter which horse was victor
The layers do more numbering with
. their place and show quotations IN
. der fair conditions when a field has
about eight starters without any one
horse being too outstanding, 8 to
shot should normally be 2 to / fol
place and even money to show. Blu
e not on the tracks of New York.
Usually they quote to 1, 8 to 5, anG
3 to 5. 1t doesn't make so much diff
E ference to the So bettor. But whel
q one remembers that probably 1000
= 600 is bet daily, of which about 5000
8 900 is show money, that Is or 2-5 cliJ
off the honest prices means mulctin:
? the public of thousands of dollar
daily.
1t is conservatively estimated tina
the clique of layers" operating on tn
: race tracks of New York fleece tn
public annually of at least 100000
by the simple process of short prices
g Must Accept Prices.
. And there is nothing for the publ
; to do but accept those prices-or sta
3 off betting.
n 1naSmuch as there's no real fun 70
a race enthusiast unless he has
: little money riding on his particula
< equine yet, he bets. And about 5
q cents of every dollar he places in tn
: layers" hands is gone before tn
2 race is run.
Il The fleece condition prevails in Ne
York simply because wagering is ne
y legalized and must be done unde
| semi-cover. Several big operators col
troll the bulk of the books" and the
J are the men who make the prices
"a Under the old public betting systel
q most of the "bookies" were rivals. 7
h get business, each would quote price
not only fair but very often extremel
liberal. And the public, as a result
n got square break.
id But now all is changed. The ia
N ers' are waxing rich and ever richer
d and the public just to the contrar
re It'll continue so until such time {
,v pari mutuels come to New York,
until wagering again is legitimate ar
competitive instead of monopolist
\ conditions prevail
L. (Copyrighf 1921 BY TxinS Features
| Syndicate, Inc.l
Japan has an avenue of trees fit