BETTING. 



The method of throwing away money which is 

 known as backing horses appears to be rather 

 on the increase than otherwise, a circumstance 

 which very distinctly proves that the world does 

 not grow wiser as it grows older. Bookmakers 

 spring from nothing, and thrive ; there is 

 scarcely a case on record of one of these per- 

 sonages who started with a little money and did 

 not make it into a great deal ; while, on the other 

 hand, there are numerous cases of men who 

 have started with a fortune and left it all — with 

 possibly a few unpaid accounts — in the ring. 

 In most things professionals beat amateurs, and 

 this is particularly the case in gambling on the 

 Turf, where one side is guided by a little know- 

 ledge and a large proportion of chance, while 

 the other side has probably equal knowledge — 

 for what it is worth — and a mathematical cer- 

 tainty. The fascination of the game is extreme, 

 or so many men who should know better would 

 not continue to play it. 



