THEIR HISTORY, RISE AND PROGRESS. 363 



18 Geo. 2, c. 34, was passed, whicli was " An Act to explain, 

 amend and make more effectual the laws in being to prevent 

 excessive and deceitful gaming ; and to restrain and prevent 

 the excessive increase of horse races." It appears that a 

 game called roulet or rolypoly was then very much played, 

 and though many had been ruined by it, the law was found 

 insufficient to prevent it. This statute therefore enacted, 

 that any person keeping a place for playing roulet or other 

 games with cards or dice, or himself playing at any of these 

 games, should be liable to the several penalties of 12 Geo. 2, 

 c. 28 (e). The privilege of parliament was taken away from 

 persons against whom proceedings had been commenced 

 either for keeping a common gaming-house, or for playing at 

 unlawful games (/). And any person winning or losing by 

 play or by betting the value of 10^. at one time, or 201. 

 within twenty-four hours, might be indicted and fined five 

 times the value so won or lost(^). 



It appears that the circumstance of thirteen Royal Plates 

 of one hundred guineas each being annually given to be run 

 for, and the high prices which were constantly paid for 

 horses of strength and size, was considered a sufficient 

 encouragement to breeders to raise their cattle to the 

 utmost possible size and strength ; and, therefore, some of 

 the restrictions which had been thought favourable to the 

 breed of horses were removed, and it was made lawful 

 for a person to run any match, or to start and run for 

 any plate worth 50^. or upwards, at any weights, and at 

 any place, without being liable to the penalties of 13 Geo. 

 2, c. 19, relating to weights (h), and in the same manner 

 as if that Act had not been made. And it was held that 

 this sum might be made up by two parties staking 251. 

 a-side («). 



In the reign of George the Third, a.d. 1774, it haying Keign of 

 been found by experience that making insurances on lives 'j^j^^^^^ 

 or other events in which the assured had no interest, had 

 introduced a mischievous kind of gambling, an Act was 

 passed " for regulating insurances upon lives, and for 

 prohibiting all such insurances, except in cases where the 

 persons insuring shall have an interest in the life or death 

 of the person insured" (/i;). In the same reign, a.d. 



(«) 18 Geo. 2, c. 34, ss. 1, 2, 

 repealed by 8 & 9 Vict. c. 109, s. 

 15. 



(A) Ibid. s. 11. 



(j) Bidmead Y. Gale, i Burr. 

 2432. 



(/) Ibid. B. 7. (k) 14 Geo. 3, c. 48. 



In) Ibid. s. 8. 



