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what is worse, there would be an additional inducement for amateur and not too reputable professional bookmakers to operate on the •courses. 343. Nevertheless, Mr. Heenan and Mr. Freeman regard the system now current as a flagrant evasion of the law regarding sweepstakes, an •evasion which can neither be condoned nor looked on with complacency. They point out that it is a clear breach of the Race Meetings Act, 1909, so far as the clubs are concerned. The remedy, they think, is a strict •enforcement of the law as set out in section 45 of the Gaming Act, 1908, .so that deductions by clubs or other promoters will be effectively prevented. Enforcement will also prevent any division of the pool between the first and second horses. 344. The Chairman regards the practice as, in itself, innocuous and -necessary to promote the greater enjoyment of the sport by those attending the meeting. In the absence of other provision it is also necessary, he thinks, as a means of providing the humble prizes for which the contests are held. Having regard, however, to their necessity as a means of enjoyment alone, he would amend section 45 to make the present practice legal. SECTION 3.—FINANCIAL HELP FOR NON-TOTALIZATOR CLUBS 345. If that course is not adopted, then we are agreed that some •other means of providing prizes must be found, for the elimination of the picnic meetings which would result if the clubs were deprived of necessary income would deprive many people of pleasure, the circumstances of whose occupations preclude them from much in the way •of communal pleasure. The difficulty can be met, and, whatever is •done concerning sweepstakes, we recommend that it be met by each Conference being authorized to make an annual levy upon the totalizator clubs under its jurisdiction of such an aggregate amount as is equal to the aggregate prize-money paid out by the non-totalizator •clubs under its control during the year 1946. 346. The aggregate amount thus annually made available could then he distributed to the picnic clubs so that each would receive a sum -equal to the sum which it paid in prizes during 1946. The levy should "be made in the proportions which the fractions retained by each totalizator club in each year bears to the total sum retained by all clubs ■during the year as fractions. These fractions amounted during the 1946-47 season to a total sum of £91,500. They have never since the 1918-19 season been less than £22,316, and that was in 1931-32, when totalizator turnovers were abnormally low. Normally they seem to "vary between £35,000 and £45,000.