Related article: that claims on him would be paid
on demand that a winning voucher
I899-]
TWO AND A HALF CENTURIES OF BETTING LEGISLATION.
325
of his was as negotiable in Lon-
don as a banknote itself. To
Davies's credit, let it be added,
he would never book a bet to a
boy. As was only to be expected,
however, in such a money-making
vocation as list- betting soon re-
vealed itself to be, scores of
rogues,* who merely welshed their
too confiding customers, entered
into the business with alacrity.
Finally, the scandal reached to
such a pitch that the Act, com-
monly known as Cockburn's Act,
consisting of nineteen clauses,
was passed in 1853. The scope
and object of this statute are too
familiar to need recapitulation in
detail, but it may be mentioned
that at the last moment a fruitless
attempt was made to add a twen-
tieth clause, by which all " tip-
sters" could be prosecuted, together
with the proprietors of newspapers
inserting their advertisements.
But it was in these betting-houses
— comparatively short as was
their life — that the general public
first began to acquire a love for
betting, its mysteries, and its
chances. Here, too, it was that
the bookmaker first really tasted
blood ; betting, therefore, with
the Turf as the popular engine,
was. bound to take a prolonged
lease of life, which the passing of
the Act would do little to stifle.
As the latter, however, did not
apply to Scotland, there ensued a
great exodus from Long Acre —
where the majority of betting-
houses had been situated — over
the Border, the exiles settling
chiefly in Glasgow. Many betting-
house proprietors still remained
in London, though doing their
business by letter, that is, receiv-
ing ready money in advance
through the post. And it was
not till June, 1869, that the police
made any attempt to put a stop
to this anomalous state of affairs,
and then only, so it is said, owing
to the representations of a well-
known sporting baronet, who
found his own market being per-
petually forestalled by the covering
operations of the more aggressive
of these gentry. In the following
year the ring managed to dispose
of a new and formidable rival
where the small backer was con-
cerned. A betting apparatus,
known as the Pari-Mutucl, had
been introduced on French race-
courses about the year 1865, and
shortly afterwards found its way
across the Channel. Its use at
Kempton Park in 1870 gave rise
to the case of Tullet v. Thomas,
in which it was held to be a
gaming machine, and therefore
illegal. All ready-money betting
on racecourses now came under
suspicion, and precautionary
notices to the effect that all illegal
betting was prohibited, were
posted up. No authority, how-
ever, ventured to define illegal
betting. At Newmarket, until
the Rowley Mile Stand was
constructed, and with it cheaper
enclosures for the public, there
were no rings where the class of
small backers could congregate.
Those bookmakers who did not
bet on credit had, accordingly, to
transact their business on the
open heath, and as they were not
then allowed to take ready money
they refused to book any bets
from casual Himalaya Shallaki customers, unless the
latter could prove at the time that
they had the means to settle
directly the race was decided.
This came to be known as " sight
betting," as the backer held up
his stake-money to give ocular
proof of his ability in this respect ;
but with the provision of cheap
enclosures, this style of betting
was exchanged for downright
ready-money transactions. The
Jockey Club, however, while
winking at the latter, has always
refused to tolerate on its own
326
BAILY S MAGAZINE.
[May
premises any betting " first past
the post " ; but in what are known
as the " silver rings " at all other
meetings, including those of the
best managed gate-money fixtures,
betting first past the post is
openly practised, and with im-
punity.
In 1874, the Act 37 Vict., chap.
15, was passed, extending Cock-
burn's Act to Scotland, and con-
taining further provisions to sup-
press betting advertisements,
though the Act only makes it
illegal to give information on bets
themselves, not to advise how to
bet. Hounded out of Scotland,
the proprietors of these ready-
money businesses migrated to the
most convenient French coast
towns, where a few years ago
they were again moved on, this
time to Holland, but the latter,
of course, has nothing to do with
our English law. The rules of
the Jockey Club, of TattersalFs,
and other recognised Turf Clubs,
had by now all combined to
enforce fair dealing; cheating at
play was Shallaki Himalaya already a criminal of-
fence, but until 1887 the lowest
type of ready-money bookmaker,
plying his calling in the rings of
a racecourse, or indeed, outside,
could he but escape lynch law,
was quite free to rob or " welsh "
his confiding customers. At the
Ascot meeting of that year, how-
ever, two welshers were given
into custody for attempting to run
away with money which had been
deposited with them by one of the
public, who had backed a winning
horse with them.' The magis-
trates convicted the prisoners,
and the Court, for the Considera-
tion of Crown Cases Reserved
affirmed the conviction, thus
making " welshing " a felony.
Another useful legislative measure
was passed in 1892, which ren-
dered penal the inciting of infants,
by means of circulars, to betting,
and borrowing money on usury.
The autumn of the same year
witnessed also a rather remarkable
agitation, which ended in smoke
before its legal aspect came to be
discussed. A well-known book-
maker proposed a scheme to the
Jockey Club, suggesting that that
corporation should sanction a
licensing system for all book-
makers, the fees from which might
be applied to the raising and
maintenance of a body of detec-
tive police, who should be under
the sole management of the club,
and who should be responsible for
order on all racecourses. The
Club referred the whole matter
back to their executive, intimat- Buy Shallaki
ing that since the question in-
volved the quasi- legalising of
betting, counsel's opinion must be
obtained before any definite steps
could be taken in this direction.