The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-06-10
CROOKED BOOKIESl
CLEAN UP IN BIG
SUMS FROM DERBY
Bookmakers Vanish After
Getting Many Victims
Money At Race

NEW YORK, June o. Vanished
like the CLEAN OF a frightened min
now are the dreams of trusting opti-
mists who laid their ten-spots on the
winter books" of the Kentucky Der
by when the odds were longer than
muddy mile to a push cart. Vanished
are the ten-spots and gone are the
bookmakers, too, back to the asy
lums of sport.
For those who bet with the win
ter books" there will be no consola-
ton in reading that Mrs. Nellie Ford
of Yorkshire village, won $780, 900
for 30-shlling ticket in one of the
pools of the British Derby and got
of what might have been if American
books had paid off-remind the man
who pasted 500 on Zev in March
that someone has $500 belonging to
him, which his fingers never Will
caress.
Welching is not an unknown prac-
tice among British gamblers, for
there are winners at every Derby at
EPSON Downs who go prowling with
their tickets after the race and when
darkness falls have nothing but
these memoranda to charge against
experience. There was once a Lon
don reporter who bet seven pounds,
shot.
The bookie had nice kind face,
but the reporter couldn't find him
anywhere when he struggled through
the tumult and the shouting to get
his $3.50. But in England the whole
sale defalcation of which American
bookmakers were guilty a few weeks
ago would have resulted in the hunt
ing down Of the frauds, whereas the
recent victims Of low dealing In high
finance at Churchill Downs have hope
of neither retribution nor restitution,
Thousands Won.
The winter books" on the Ken
lucky Derby took In thousands Of
dollars at long odds on the names of
many horses which didn't even run.
They took in further thousands on
horses which didn't win a place. Be-
fore the 3-vear-olds began to give
some definite notion of their respec-
tive powers in the spring meetings
the name Of Zev meant no moro to the
customers than the names of Chick
vale, Messenger, Rialto or many
other nominations on the whole long
list Of possible starters and probable
losers. And this meant that the
bookmakers received dozens of bets
on losing or scratched horses to be
applied to the pay-off of every wager
on Zev.
To man who CANDLES on the
races, the loss Of bet which has
truly won 10 a worse misfortune
than the honest loss of twice as
much on a lolloping hay-bag that
comes in last. To lose even the prin-
tress. and that Is what happened at
Churchill Downs.
No Law Protection.
The law authorities in New Yorl,
have no sympathy for the victims of
the welcher because gambling on the
races is outside the law. In Ken
lucky and Maryland those who pat
ronize the libraries do so at their
own risk because Iron Mike is pres
ent and he always pays off. District
attorneys recommend Mike. He pays
a tax into the state treasury.
Gambling with bookmakers is al
ways fraught with high risks be-
cause bookmakers everywhere in
this country are bootleggers of fl
nance and can be trusted to pay off
only as long as they can outguess
the majority of players or depress
the odds by agreement with one an
ether to a level which is unfair to
the clientele. Price fixing is sys-
tematlzed at the New York tracks
and the longest odds offered on the
remotest outsider in the betting are
always clOSe-hauled FOR SAFETY
sake. whereas the steeds actual
chances Justify grand liberalty IN
the price.
Long Shots.
The winner of a Preakness. Ken
lucky Derby or Belmont all $4,000
stakes of the American turf, is al
ways very long shot in the early
betting because many are named to
run which never hear the bugle. The
impartiality of the crowd in backing
many horses makes 1t possible for
that fantastic hypothesis. that con-
of terms. the honest book
maker. to meet all losses.
Racing has become again one of
major obsessions and
wherever the results can be carried
there Is betting. The horse owners,
track employees and the little sprin-
king of people who go to watch the
running are only splintered frac-
ton Of the horde who try to out
guess the future. With no RESPONSE
hility under the law. bookmakers
everywhere are invited to encourage
this interest in the guessing and 70 /
go informally bankrupt when 1t hurts
to pay Off.