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Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 558, 17 January 1891, Page 2

RACING AND BETTING. In a late number of the Times there is an interesting controversy on the question of the increase or decrease of bettingThe Church dignitaries, great and small, have been thundering away at the dreadful increase in betting, and of course deriving therefrom the moral befitting such a mania. The ministerial charges were for a long time allowed to go by default, and no answer being forthcoming it was assumed that there was a safe ground of facts to work upon. But then a sporting man named Mr John Corleit entered the lists, and immediately struck out right and left, He began by claiming a more intimate acquaintance with the betting world than any dignitary of the Church, however versed in the frailties of his flock, can boast of, and then he goes on to make a broadside of denials. From his rich store of information on such subjects he adduced facts and figures which seemed to fully justify the stand he had taken up. He asserted that betting was going out of the fashion, and that the heroic wagers of past years were now not thought of. Asan instanced the “good old days” he gives a reminder that in 1856 the late Mr Davis laid Mr Clark ,£lOO,OOO to £lOOO on each of the three horses that he had in the Derby ; indeed he remembers eight or ten men who regularly staked fiom ten thousand to fifty thousand pounds apiece upon the race. Thirty years ago a quarter of a million would have already been staked upon the forthcoming Derby, whereas at the time of writing not £lO,OOO had been laid on. He goes on to show that all the other leading races have “shamefully fallen away " ftom the days of their glory. The increase in betting clubs, Mr Corlett explains, is compensated for by the diminished number of betting publichouses, and the increase of sporting papers he accounts for by the assertion that their patrons are more interested in ths information that is given concerning cycling, football, and cricket, than in racehorses and wagers. The “ bishops or deans” challenged Mr Corlett prudently remained silent, it being obvious that their knowledge on such matters could only be that of amateurs. But though left tn undisputed possession of the field for some days, Mr Corlett suddenly found an opponent who could meet him on equal terms, over the signature of “A Racing Man,” That correspondent admits all that has been said about the principal races, but still holds that betting IS “alarmingly increasing”: it has oniy taken a new form. The falling off in regard to the historic races is accounted for by the spreading of be'-ting over a larger area. The number of races, he says, has immensely increased, and the development q'f sport on the Continent ofters an entirely new field of speculation. “ Racing Man" admits that there has been a diminution of betting among the “classes," but that is where the worst feature comes in, for among the “ masses 11 the practice has grown until all orders are influenced by the passion. The correspondent, who holds that he is a lover of racing for its own sake, goes oh to lament the mania among those who cannot afford to bet. He condemns the npwly-dis. covered system backing horses at *' starting prices," though fie dogs flat object to anyone having a little money on a race when they see It run. The Times points put that few men have the strength of mind to apeppt their first defeats ; they cannot resist ths fatal instinct to try and retrieve their luck; swiftly they find themselves more and more deeply inyolved, apd to poor and desperate, men in confidential positions thp temptation to dishonesty is almost Irresistible. In the colonies, of Course, the point of this Controversy has not a direct applisa(ion. The love of racing is wide-spread, and never has been confined to a special class, if it can be said there are genuine 11 class " distinctions in the colonies, The totplisatpr is certainly a distinct improvement'upop the old system Of things. It has done much to popularise racing by doing away with ,! welshers” and other harpies, and giving the public the best odds obtainable, while they have absolute

guarantee that they will not be cheated. There is a great outcry now and again because of the large amount put through the machine, but while offering no defence of the fashion we would point out that there is much want of reason in discussing the matter. Evading a discussion of the question from its higher standpoint, and accepting totalisator betting as an established institution, it may be pointed out that there is a comnlete mi-.concept ion in many minds concerning the machine. Over £12,000 was put through during the several race-days, but that does not mean that the amount was anything like that in cash, as the same money would go through over and over again, especially when the dividends are not large and a greater distribution is made. The Times says that it is the losers who have to battle with the temptation to take further risks, but in the colonies the winners are the most liable in that respect—that is, with the totalisator. If they win a little they are almost sure to follow up their fortune with heavy investments, but the man who loses from the outset is never likely to be much out of pocket. The working of the totalisator gives people facilities to keep the same cash going for a long time, the racing club of course reaping the profits. It is vastly superior to the old system, though owners of horses are not able to get the same chances of backing their animals at advantageous odds. The main evil of the totalisator is that it encourages betting just as undesirable associations make people wary. From a business point of view the totalisator would act as a circulating agent during the last few weeks. There were probably few, if any, losers of amounts exceeding £2O, and much money was invested that otherwise would have gone in ways less desirable, as in the case of many Maoris who attended the various meetings. If betting is allowable, the totalisator is certainly the best medium.