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been experienced in either England or Australia in expeditiously operating the totalizator on the smaller unit. Even at dog-races, where the turnovers run into huge sums, no difficulty seems to be experienced. No doubt this is due in some measure to the fact that electric totalizators in those countries are all wired for the small unit. 271. To insist on all clubs in New Zealand changing over to the ss. unit would be utterly impracticable under present conditions ; nor do we consider such a course either necessary or desirable. At the same time, racing clubs, as holders of a statutory monopoly of the only lawful means of betting, must always have in mind their obligation to meet a reasonable public demand for further totalizator facilities. There are many people, and by no means women alone, who would welcome the provision of ss. betting, particularly since the spread of the win and place system. It would enable them to back their own fancies instead of making up a 10s. or £1 ticket with others on, as often as not, a compromise choice. There can be no doubt, too, that the absence of a lower unit than 10s. is the cause of a considerable amount of silver betting with bookmakers, even the biggest of whom is not averse to handling small sums. 272. We feel that the ss. unit might well be given a fresh trial on an experimental scale by some of the major clubs, both racing and trotting, through the medium of a separate manual totalizator. This would leave their existing installations available to cope with the betting on the 10s. unit, which will probably constitute the main volume. We do not recommend that for the present there should be any element of compulsion, but if, as we have elsewhere recommended in this report, a Race-course Advisory Board is set up, this is a question on which it might, in the light of experimental experience or in the light of further knowledge, report to the Minister. The governing factor must always be not the expense to the club, but the right of the public to have their reasonable requirements met. 273. If and when provision for ss. betting is made, it will be necessary to amend the proviso to section 35 (!) of the Gaming Act, 1908, to provide that dividends shall be paid to 3d. instead of 6d. SECTION 11.—LIMIT OF THREE ON NUMBER OF TOTALIZATORS 274. By section 50 (c) of the Gaming Act, 1908, no more than three totalizators can be used-by a club at one time, and none can be used outside the race-grounds within the control or management of the club. This provision originally appeared in the Act of 1881, and the reason for it can only be conjectured. Possibly it may have been a desire to bring under more adequate control the small and crude machines of that day. We cannot see any sufficient reason for the continuance of the limitation as to number, in view of present-day conditions.

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