Today in History

1911 Bookies banned from NZ racecourses

An amendment to the Gaming Act at the end of 1910 banned bookmakers from racecourses in New Zealand. Bookies were officially farewelled at the now defunct Takapuna racecourse.

Bookies had faced increasing pressure in the closing decades of the 19th century when totalisators began operating on New Zealand racecourses.

The totalisator system involved totalling the amounts bet on all of the individual horses in a race, deducting a commission or fee, and distributing what was left to the winners in proportion to the amount of each bet. It was considered an attractive alternative to fix-odds betting with a bookmaker, as the gambler didn’t have to worry about being offered poor odds or the need to ‘shop around’ for the best deal. Critics complained that compared to the bookmaker’s fixed odds the gambler had no understanding of the return to expect from a bet. Supporters of the totalisator addressed this by displaying, as the betting was taking place, the number of bets made on each horse and the grand total of all bets made for the race.

In reality bookmakers did not disappear and many illegal operators continued to make a profitable living. One flaw with the totalisator was that bets could not be placed by telephone or telegraph, mediums readily used by bookies. By the end of the Second World War it was estimated that the turnover from illegal bookmaking exceeded £24 million.

The popular expression ‘rugby, racing and beer’ highlights the prominence of gambling in New Zealand society. Most New Zealanders are familiar with the letters TAB – the Totalisator Agency Board that was established in 1949. Telephone betting remains popular, while the internet has replaced the telegraph for many who are keen to have a flutter on the nags.

Image: betting on horses, 1912 (Te Ara) 

1954 Queen farewells New Zealand

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh left Bluff at the conclusion of the first tour of New Zealand by a reigning monarch.