BETTING TIPS IN VICTORIA AND NEW SOUTH WALES.
lye THE EDITOR 01 TEE " SPECTATOR:1
Ent,—As a long subscriber of the Spectator, I have been very much interested in your articles with regard to the well- known incentive tobetting and gambling consequent on the publication by newspapers of betting tips. You allude to the wisdom of prohibiting " tips " in connexion with racing by legislation, and I thought it might be of interest to you to know that in the Lotteries, Gaming, and Betting Act passed by the Parliament of the State of Victoria in 1906 special provisions were made prohibiting
"any newspaper publishing the betting odds on any race or giving any information or advice directly or indirectly as to the probable result of any intended horse race or pony race or trotting race in any part of the Commonwealth of Australia., or as to the betting odds on any such race or whereby any information or advice is given or purported to be given relating to the probable result of any such race or as to the betting thereon or as to the totalisators, &c."
No person is allowed to "print, write, publish, sell, circulate, distribute, give away, or post up," &c., any information with reference to these matters. After the Act was passed one of our papers tried to test the validity of the Act by giving
" tips " and " betting tips," and was immediately prosecuted by the Government. The Government Act was upheld, and the law is now universally observed in this State and in New
South Wales, where the same provisions are law. In a great sporting community such as Australia, where betting is common, the action of the Government undoubtedly has greatly curtailed the facilities to bet, and with such restriction the benefit is universally recognised. I send you a copy of the Act, which may be of interest to you.—I am, Sir, &c., GEORGE SWINBURNR,
- Late Minister of Water Supply and Agriculture. State Parliament House, Melbourne.
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