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DECLINE OF RACING
IN SOUTH-EAST
"Lack of Betting Facilities
Keeps Victorians Away"
The standard of racing and the attendances at race
meetings in the South-East had steadily declined because
Victorians would not come to South Australia unless there
were facilities for bookmaking, and on account of the
presence of unregistered bookmakers in the towns, a wit
ness told the Betting Commission today.
The clubs wanted licensed bookmakers, because they
realised that bookmakers attracted better horses, that .
better horses attracted a bigger public, and that a bigger
public provided larger stakes and a greater expenditure on
employment.
Members of the commission present
wereMessrs. W. V. Ray, S.M. (chairman),
Hannaford, M.L.C., McArthur, Critchley,
and Laffer, M.P's.
The witness was William Ewart Pyne,
a solicitor and a committeeman of the
Mount Gambier Racing Club. .He spoke
also for, the Mount Gambier Hunt Club,
of which he is president.
S"We want the peopve at the course," he
said. "and we feel that the people will
follow the men they bet with.' There are
between 30 and 40 bookmakers operating
illegally at Mount Gambier. Most.of them
are agents for the big bookmakers.
"At one of our meetings in 1929 about
£5,000 went through the hands of Vie
torion bookmakers who came over, and
unregistered bookmakers. Only two or
three local suspects were put off the course.
Not one Victorian bookmaker' was de
tected."
Racing in the south-east and the wes
tern district of. Victoria was inter-con
nected, said Mr. Pyne. South-eastern
owners raced in the western district.
Victorians had suported the south
eastern meetings, but, they were almost a
negligible cuantity now.
DIFFICULT TO CARRY ON
The Victorians would not come to South
Australia unless there were facilities for
betting. As a result the standard of rmc
inp and the attendances at the club's meet
inns had steadily declined. and the com
mittee found it difficult to carry on.
They realised that the bookmaker at
tracted better horses, better horses at
tracted a bigger public, and a bigger pub
lic provided larger stakes and more legi
timate earnings for the club, and a con
sequent areater expenditure on employ
ment.
Because of the decline, the Millicent
Club was not racing this year. and other
clubs were feeling the pinch. The Mount
Gambier Club had to continue to run
small meetings with small stakes as a
means of keepinit the stables-intact.
The falling off in racing was due to the
absence of Victorian horses and the pre
sence of the unreristered bookmakers,
who did their business in the town. He
did not think the licensing of book
makers would reduce the totalisator re
turns, as bookmakers would put some of
their takings into the machine.
South-eastern horses went to Hamilton,
Victoria; where the stakes were one-fifth
of those offered at Mount Gambier. The
attraction was the bookmaker.
If the unregistered bookmaker were sent
out of the hotels he would go to his home
or use the telephone. The big book
makers were never captured. In Mount
Glambier they led the police on one track.
while betting was going on in another
place.
The betting men moved from one hotel
to another, and it was impossible for the
police to catch them. There had been
only five or six convictions of bookmakers
there in the past 10 or 11 years.
MR. W. E. PYNE, a committeeman of the Mount Gambier Racing Club. Help
MR. W. E. PYNE, a committeeman
of the Mount Gambier Racing Club.
Under the present system there was de
ceit everywhere.
If bookmakers were licensed it would
clear the atmosphere, improve racing.
and give the stewards a better chance to
control the sport.
South Australia stood by the totalisa
tor. It was the only State to do so, and
was the weakest in the Commonweelth
from the point of view of type of horses,
stakemoney, and attendance. It did not
provide Kny incentive for owners to race.
(Continued on Page 7.)

Betting Commission
- (Continued from Page I)
MEMBERSHIP OF
CLUBS FALL
How Owners Win
Big Money
Membership was necessary to a racing
club, said .Mr. Pyne, yet the Mount
Gambier Club had dropped from a mem
bership of 250 to to 115. and the Hunt
-lub was endevaoring to keep, at 56 a
memberiship which used to be nearly 200.
A wet racing day might mean the bank
ruatey of the club.
Mr. Pyne gave an instance of a south
eastern owner who raced a horse f6r a
£50f stake at Casterton and backed it
from 12 to 1 to 8 to 1.. He stood to
win £1,075. His horse ran second and
he lost. Had he invested his money
- £100k-in the' totalisator on his horse at
a similar meeting in Mount Gambier, the
machine would not have returned him
even .money for a win. . For thit reason
leading owners and trainers went to Vic
toria to race. Racing stables were busi
ness propositions.
Replying to Mr.. Ray witness said that
he did not see how the police could con
trol' illicit betting. He did not see any
objection to totalisator facilities being
provided for. people outside a radius of 75
miles of a racecourse on race day.
There were nine hotels in Mount Gaim
bier, and the "nitkeeper" wa, unknown.
He knew one hotelkeeper who drove the
bookmakers out: of his hotel, but they still
operated there. He found it' impossible
to keep them out.
He felt that, as heavy fines had not
put down illegal betting, possibly im
prisonment would have a better effect.
To Mr. Laffer witness said that he did
not see anything wrong with betting, and
he did not think a man should have to
go to some hole and coi-ner to have a bet.
He knew that the card was called openly
at Mount Gambier prior' to 1928, and that
it was called in an Adelaide hotel on
Saturday. while the 'oookmaker was out
side on the footpath.
The commission adjourned.

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