SERVICES OF THE GENUINE BOOKMAKER. 245 
CHAPTER XXIV 
BETTING AS IT IS. 
Hints on betting—Value of the genuine bookmaker—His counterfeit and the 
amateur backer—Worthlessness of ‘tips ”—The only safe grounds for backing 
a horse—Proneness to wagering ; the De Goncourt fraud—Making a backing- 
book—A race-course incident : fidelity of Inspector R ; changed career 
of two boon companions—The commissioner: evils of employing him; how 
commissions are worked ; his dishonesty, plausibility, and easy gains ; authentic 
personal experiences in illustration; PAarsalus and the Metropolitan, Promised 
Land and the Two Thousand, disappointment in the Goodwood Stakes; the 
result examined. 
I HAVE shown, I think conclusively, that racing properly 
carried out, is very far from the ruinous business it is 
popularly supposed to be. I have also pointed out that 
.o bet in reason, and on the proper occasions, is a legitimate 
and, as a rule, advantageous course on the part of the 
owner of racehorses. In this chapter I propose to give a 
few hints on betting to amateur backers generally, which 
may prove of service; if not to teach them how to find the 
best horses to back, at least to know with whom they 
may safely bet. 
Bookmakers pursue a legitimate and lucrative trade by 
laying against all horses as they appear in the market at a 
certain price, and are indeed an important part of the turf, 
second only to owners of horses, and could as ill be spared. 
And of these, there are many men of standing and good 
