On Friday came the Private Member's opportunity to introduce the
Bill to legalize the Totalisator on race- courses. Other nations may be surprised at the Mother of Parliaments solemnly spending a day in the discussion of a gambling machine, but to the House and to the readers of the debate it all had a pleasant air of novelty and interest. The Bill recognizes betting on horse- racing where the sport is conducted under the Jockey Club and National Hunt Committee. Instead of a nominally itinerant human being there will be, for us to bet with, a machine standing solidly in a " place," which was illegal within the meaning of the Act of 1858. , Betting by this pari mutuel system is more like a sweep- stake than betting with a bookmaker, and 8 per cent. of the takings (we do not know whether this is an estimate of the bookmaker's profit on his turnover) will be deducted and devoted to the tax; to increasing stakes or decreasing. entrance fees, to other racing purposes and to charity.
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