Evening star., 1933-01-15
Controversy on Race
Betting Stirs England
BY A. G. GARDINER.

LONDON, January l4.-PuDuCaLiOn
this week Of the interim report Of q
royal commission on the totalisator
has reused a fierce controversy and
divided the country into two hostile
camps
The report follows ON the recent de-
cision of high court that the use Of
the totalisator, while legal on horse
race courses. Is illegal at dog race
meetings and elsewhere. The commits
sion's recommendations, advocating the
abolition of the totalisator everywhere
except at horse race meetings, are the
result Of prolonged inquiry on sub
ject which profoundly agitates the pub
lie mind.
Gambling in recent years has as
sumed vast and unprecedented proper
tions. This is due in some measure to
the disturbed condition of the post
war world, but its main causes are two.
First, the Irish sweepstakes have swept
the country like a plague and all ef-
forts Of the police and the government
have failed to secure observance of the
law. Like the prohibition law in
America, the lottery law here is so
completely repudiated by the vast body
of public opinion that 1t is practically
obsolete.
y
The second cause of the increase in
betting is the development of dog rae
ing. This is much more serious, for
while the Irish sweepstakes occur only
thrice yearly, dog racing has become
the daily preoccupation of millions.
There is no parallel to the astonishing
conquest that this medium Of gambling
has made Of the country. Greyhound
racing tracks have sprung up all over
the land by the hundreds and every
night Of the week vast crowds assem-
BILE In every large town TO witness the
sport. The competition of the new
amusement even threatens foot ball
with bankruptcy, owing to the diver
sion Of the public to the tracks.
The popularity Of dog racing was
greatly enhanced by the adoption of the
totalisator machine, which the govern
ment legalized five years ago, having in
mind only the regulation Of betting at
horse race meetings. which were hith-
erto in the hands of bookmakers. The
idea was not to increase the facilities
for betting, but to limit them to the
race course and bring them under con-
troll.
The effect was startlingly different
from the intention. Equipped with the
totalisator, greyhound racing submerged
the country with a frenzy of betting.
The situation was aggravated by the
new device. During recent months to-
tallsator clubs have sprung UP by the
scores and hundreds and gambling has
been organized as a vast industry. On
payment of a trivial sum, any one Is
enrolled as a member of q club which,
while providing drink and recreation
facilities, is primarily @ gambling club
where multitudes of men and women
assemble.
Faced with the unforeseen develop
ment of the totalisator, the government
was compelled to take action and the
royal commission was the result. In
the meantime the decision of the high
court that the totalisator was illegal
on greyhound tracks created q panic
among the promoters Of these enter
prises, who claim their millions were
invested under sanction of the law and
are entitled to protection. The COM
missions emphatic verdict now COM
pels the government to take action.
Parliament already has on the anvil
bill to prevent the indiscriminate
establishment of greyhound tracks. At
present any urban district Is liable to
have a track dumped in its midst
without regard to the requirements or
wishes of the neighborhood The bill
provides that local authorities be en-
powered to sanction or refuse the es-
tablishment of tracks.
The problem of the totalisator In
more difflcult It Is agreed that the
totahsator clubs run for private profit
must be suppressed, but the question of
the use of the totalisator al the grey
hound tracks is the subject of a bitter
controversy. On the one side 1t is ar
gued that abolition of the totalisator
will not mean abolition of betting, but
the transfer of betting 10 the hands OF
the bookmakers. On the other hand.
it is maintained that the totalisator
has given vast stimulus to the betting
evil and covered 1t with the sanction OF
the state.
Whether the totalisator is abolished
or not, drastic reforms are inevitable
including the abolition Of private profit
from the totalisator and the ruthless
wedding out and control OF tracks.
(copHisht. 1881