472 



GAMING HOUSES. 



Presumption 

 of knowledge 

 of infancy. 



Person 

 charged a 

 competent 

 witness. 



or to both imprisonment and fine, and if convicted on 

 summary conviction, to imprisonment, with or without hard 

 labour, for a term not exceeding one month, or to a fine 

 not exceeding 20/., or to both imprisonment and fine. 

 (2) If any such circular, notice, advertisement, letter, tele- 

 gram or other document as in this section mentioned, names 

 or refers to any one as a person to whom any payment may 

 be made, or from whom information may be obtained, for 

 the purpose of or in relation to betting or wagering, the 

 person so named or referred to shall be deemed to have 

 sent or caused to be sent such document as aforesaid, unless 

 he proves that he had not consented to be so named, and 

 that he was not in any way a party to, and was wholly 

 ignorant of, the sending of such document." 



By section 3, if any such circular, notice, advertisement, 

 letter, telegram, or other document as in section 1 men- 

 tioned, is sent to any person at any university, college, 

 school, or other place of education, and such person is an 

 infant, the person sending or causing the same to be sent 

 shall be deemed to have known that such person was an 

 infant, unless he proves that he had reasonable ground for 

 believing such person to be of full age. 



And by section 6 : "In any proceeding against any 

 person for an offence under this Act such person and his 

 wife or husband, as the case may be, may, if such person 

 thinks fit, be called, sworn, examined, and cross-examined 

 as an ordinary witness in the case." 



A common 

 gaming house. 



Indictment 

 for keeping 

 one. 



Gaming Houses. 



All common gaming houses are nuisances in the eye of 

 the law, not only because they are great temptations to 

 idleness, but because they are apt to draw together great 

 numbers of disorderly persons ; they promote cheating and 

 other corrupt practices, and incite to idleness and avaricious 

 ways of gaining property {k). 



The keeper of a common gaming house is indictable and 

 punishable as for a misdemeanor with fine or imprisonment, 

 or both ; and his wife may be joined with him, or they may 

 be indicted severally (k). 



{k) Hawk. c. 32, tit. Common B. &C. 272; 2 D. & R. 431. See 



Nuisances, 66 ; Sex v. Dixon, 10 also Jenks v. Turpiii, 13 Q. B. D. 



Mod. 336 ; Hex v. Mason, Leach, 505. 

 C. C 548; Sex v. Sogier, 1 



