97

257. The doubles totalizator was instituted by some racing clubs prior to 1907, and that system of betting was steadily growing in popularity when the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1907 was passed. Just why section 32 of that Act prohibited the use of the doubles totalizator it is difficult to conceive, for there was nothing in the Act prohibiting bookmakers from betting on doubles when operating under licence on racecourses. The result has been that for the past forty years bookmakers have enjoyed a monopoly of this form of betting. 258. In order to secure the diversion to the totalizator of as large a proportion as possible of the moneys now wagered in doubles betting with bookmakers, we recommend that section 31 of the Gaming Act, 1908, which re-enacted section 32 of the Amendment Act of 1907, be repealed and that the establishment of doubles totalizators be allowed. 259. The form of doubles betting in operation illegally to-day "is the same as it has always been in the past. Bookmakers issue charts quoting odds against the various combinations of each horse in one race (the first leg) with each horse in another race (the second leg). The odds against the various combinations differ according to the bookmaker's estimate of the chances of success of the horses concerned. A comparatively recent development of this system has been the institution of what are known as concession doubles. When a bettor stipulates that his bet is to be a " concession " bet it means that if the horses he selects win, he gets only 70 per cent, of the quoted odds. As compensation for this reduction in the odds, however, he gets the advantage of winning 20 per cent, of the quoted odds if the first of his selected horses wins and the other runs second, or 10 per cent, of those odds if he, having picked the winner of the first race, the horse selected by him for the second race runs third. One form of doubles betting is by way of fixed odds in small amounts, say, £5 to one shilling, or £2O to five shillings. These small doubles are not frequently laid by full-time bookmakers; they are chiefly laid by part-time practitioners. The practice is, however, widespread, and it is unlikely that the reintroduction of the doubles totalizator on racecourses will lead to their complete abolition. They are, however, a very minor evil, and active suppression may minimize the practice considerably. 260. Outside New Zealand where the doubles totalizator is operated legally on racecourses a different system has come into existence alongside the system outlined above. In this other system the totalizator is opened on the first of the two races forming the double and investors place their bets as if for that race alone.. When the race is run, however, no dividend is declared, but those who have purchased tickets on the winning horse, and no others, become entitled, on presentation of their tickets when the totalizator is opened on the second race, to obtain tickets on the starter they select. If an investor purchases, say, three