90 Betting : the Theory and Practice explained. 



10 per cent, from all winnings to cover expenses. The office 

 itself consists of a movable booth, strongly resembling a tempo- 

 rary railwaj'^ ticket office. There is the usual opening protected 

 by wires through which you can make your wants known to the 

 clerk inside, with a little ledge underneath it for receiving the 

 coin. The resemblance to the railway system is enhanced by 

 the tickets being similar, only with the name of a horse instead 

 of that of a station. The price of the tickets is generally one 

 pound, but can be fixed at any sum, provided it is properly 

 notified to prevent subsequent disputes and mistakes. Above 

 the clerk's desk, say eight feet from the ground exposed to 

 public view, are places for large placards to hold the name of 

 each horse on which betting can be effected, and underneath 

 that is a sort of revolving disc to shew exactly the number of 

 tickets which have been already purchased for that horse, be- 

 sides, one to show the grand total of tickets disposed of. Please 

 note this fact carefully, as herein lies the chief advantage of the 

 Totalizator over the pari mutnel. As explained already, the 

 great disadvantage of the latter is, that you cannot tell what 

 odds you are receiving, and may, therefore, stand to win noth- 

 ing, but to lose the whole of your investment if you name the 

 wrong horse, or 5 per cent, of it if you name the right one, and 

 no other persons have backed the remaining horses in the race ! 

 If this were the only advantage, it would be sufficient to estab- 

 lish the superiority of the Totalisator, but it has others as well. 

 For instance, all transactions are strictly cash : you must pay 

 for the tickets as you take them, and if one of your's be that of 

 the winning horse, you will be paid the minute the numbers 

 are hoisted before the next race is run. Of course, if you do 

 not hold a ticket for the winner, these subsequent proceedings 

 have no interest for you ; you are, however, saved the bother 

 of attending to pay up your losings, which is customary in India, 

 where most transactions are on the credit principle. The win- 

 ners are saved the mortification of hearing that their just dues 

 cannot be satisfied in consequence of defaulting losers. 



It is the duty of the clerk to change the outer discs according 

 to each sale of a ticket. The purchaser should ascertain by an 

 upward glance that this has been done correctly as regards 

 his tickets, both for the horse selected and also for the number 

 representing the grand total, as mistakes will arise in the best 

 regulated establishments and the clerk has no sinecure. Of 

 course a dishonest clerk has the power, after putting on a num- 

 ber, to take it off again with a view to pocketing the difference; 

 but instant detection would probably be inevitable, as so many 

 eyes are fixed on the numbers to see how the odds are going 

 with the view to a little plunging when the state of the market 

 becomes suitable. 



