Imperial Valley press., 1937-12-01
SpO RTS
PARADE
BY HENRY McLEMORE

This is the hoss players paradise.
It is his Elysian Field, his VAL
halla, his seventh, eighth and ninth
heavens.
In other cities the hoss player
must consume precious energy to
lose his money. He must GO to the
race track or walk way-way over
block or two to find a secretivc
bookie.
But not in Los Angeles. Here in
this city of the Four Square Gospel
betting on horses makes rolling off
that celebrated log an arduous task
in comparison. Bookmakers' shops
are as numerous here as jewelry
shops on the Ponte Vecchio in
Florence and bookstalls along the
Seine in Paris.
They are of all shapes and sizes.
Some are small and dignified and
look like the old-time speakeasy.
Others are large ard gaudy and
resemble the homes Of movie stars.
The more frequently, however, are
the ones built on the Gothic lines
of hamburger and barbecue stand.
situated on corners, they feature
free parking and curb service All
a bettor has to do is drive in, honk
his horn, and out comes a waiter"
with all the odds, from the morning
line down.
From there on the procedure is
exactly the same as if the tram
saction involved a sandwich. The
waiter says:
"What1l it he?'
The bettor then names his horse
and hands over the amount of his
wager If the bettor wants to he
may wait and hear a "call" of the
race, as all the betting booths sub
scribe to service which gives them
running description of all races.
At the finish of race the bettor,
if he wins, is paid the figures post
ed on the mutuel board at Tanforan,
Bay Meadows or whatever Cali
fornia track is operating at the
time
Out here they tell the story of
the old gentleman, with a fine set
of whiskerS, who, mistaking a
bookie shop for a quick lunch en-
porium, drove in and ordered:
Ham on rye, please"
What tracks Ham on Rye run
ming on, and in what race?" asked
the waiter.
1t is estimated that the bookie
shops number in the neighborhood
of $50, and that they are taking
between S500000 and $1,000, 600 a
day out of Los Angeles. They are a
recent innovation, being the bright
idea of a young man who, after
studying the state laws, could see
no reason why bettors couldn't be
accommodated just as efficiently as
purchasers of neckties, garters, and
handkerchiefs. The first shop was
established here during the recent
Bay Meadows meeting near San
Francisco-in grocery market.
The attorney general ruled the
business is legal one.
How long it will remain legal is
matter of conjecture. 1t is legal,
according to the attorney general;
only so long as the bookies take
the money given them and, by
wire or telephone, bet it through
the mutuel machines at the track.
1t is no secret that all the bookies
don't do this. Some of them prefer
to handle the bets themselves, be-
ing unwilling to take only the small
brokerage" fee of ten cents on each
dollar wagered.
The real test will come when
Santa Anita opens. Santa Anita is
near here and depends on the Los
Angeles bettors. When a bettor
goes to Santa Anita he must figure
on paying out the following money
before he can make bet.
Transportation-$l.00
Grandstand (clubhuose is $3.50
s1.65.
Program-15c.
That makes a total of $3.50. It
is not unlikely that many players
will stay in Los Angeles and use
the money saved to make an addi-
tional wager.