The Totalisator No one could have thought that gambling would
spread appreciably under a Labour Government, yet this seems to be happening. Probably the Government have no direct responsibility ; the fact seems rather to be that a loophole has been discovered in the Act of Parliament which set up the Totalisator. When the Totalisator Bill was being debated in the House of Commons, Major Glyn and others guaranteed that the Totalisator would be used only for ready-money betting on the race-courses. So far so good, for there can be no doubt that the Totali- sator has made betting on race-courses more seemly as well as much fairer. But now the officials of the Totalisator are receiving money through the post for the placing, of bets. Such a thing was never foreseen, and if there is to be no check upon it this new form of betting may become a tremendous business. Perhaps there can be no check before a legal ruling is sought upon the subject. Those who are using the Totalisator in this new way argue that they are merely posting their money, not to an ordinary bookmaker who keeps on the right side of the law only by confining himself to credit betting, but to an organization whose ready-money transactions are admittedly legal.
* * * *
Previous page
