A

BILL

ΤΟ

Amend the Betting Act, 1853.

E it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, 5 as follows:

A.D. 1928.

racecourses.

1. Nothing contained in the Betting Act, 1853, Betting Act, shall apply to any ground used for the purpose of a 1853, not to racecourse for racing with horses or any adjacent ground apply to under the same control or any act done on such ground 16 & 17 Vict. 10 or adjacent ground on the days on which races held c. 119. under the rules of the Jockey Club or of the National Hunt Committee or of both such bodies take place.

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2.-(1) This Act may be cited as the Racecourse Short title Betting Act, 1928.

(2) This Act shall not extend to Northern Ireland.

and extent.

Ordered, by The House of Commons, to be Printed, 10 February 1928.

[Bill 5]

[Price 1d. Net.]

A

BILL

[AS AMENDED BY STANDING COMMITTEE A]

ΤΟ

Amend the Betting Act, 1853, to legalise the use A.D. 1928. of totalisators on certain racecourses, and to make further provision with regard to betting thereon.

BE

E it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, 5 as follows:

1.-(1) Nothing contained in the Betting Act, 1853, shall apply to any approved racecourse or any act done thereon on the days on which races take place thereon. (2) Notwithstanding any rule of law or enactment 10 to the contrary, it shall be lawful on any approved racecourse, and whether in a building or not,–

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(a) for the Racecourse Betting Control Board and
any person authorised by them to set up and
keep a totalisator;

(b) for the Board and any person authorised by
them to operate, in accordance with the pro-
visions of this Act, a totalisator on days when
horse races take place on the racecourse;

(c) for any person to effect betting transactions by
means of a totalisator lawfully operated.

Betting Act, 1853, not to apply to

racecourses.

16 & 17 Vict.

c. 119.

A.D. 1928.

Establishment of authority.

(3) For the purposes of this Act-
(a) the expression "totalisator

means the contrivance for betting known as the totalisator or pari-mutuel, or any other machine or instrument of betting of a like nature, whether 5 mechanically operated or not; (b) the expression "approved racecourse means any ground used for the purpose of a racecourse for racing exclusively with horses, and any ground adjacent thereto, in respect of 10 which ground, or adjacent ground, there is in force a certificate of certificate of approval issued under this Act.

2. (1) For the purposes of this Act there shall be established a Racecourse Betting Control Board (in this 15 Act referred to as the Board) which shall consist of a chairman and eleven other members.

(2) The Board shall be a body corporate and shall have perpetual succession and a common seal, and may acquire, hold, sell, and dispose of land and other property 20 for the purposes of its powers.

(3) The chairman shall be appointed by the Secretary

of State for the Home Department.

(4) The other members of the Board shall be appointed as follows:

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(5) Any member of the Board may be removed at 35 any time from the Board by the body or person by whom he was appointed.

(6) The Board may pay to the chairman such salary as they may determine.

(7) The Board may appoint officers, servants, or agents, 40 and prescribe their duties and fix their remuneration.

(8) The Board may regulate their own procedure and A.D. 1928. make standing orders governing the conduct of their business whether by themselves or committees of their number.

(9) The first meeting of the Board shall be convened by the chairman.

3. The Racecourse Betting Control Board

Powers and

(1) may for the purposes of this Act issue (subject duties of
to such conditions as they may impose) and Board.
at any time revoke certificates of approval
in respect of racecourses and ground adjacent
thereto;

(2) shall make it a condition of the grant of a certi-
cate of approval of any racecourse that the
owners of such racecourse shall provide a
place, whether in a building or not, where
bookmakers may carry on their business and
to which the public may resort for the
purpose of betting, and that the charge to
a bookmaker for admission to an enclosure
on an approved racecourse for the purpose
of betting therein shall not exceed ten times
the highest charge made to members of the
public for admission to such enclosure. In
this section the expression "bookmaker"
shall not include a bookmaker's assistant
accompanying a bookmaker;

(3) shall establish a fund known as the totalisator
fund, into which shall be paid all moneys
derived from the operation of totalisators on
any approved racecourse;

(4) may borrow money upon the security of such
fund or otherwise, and may lend money to
persons authorised by the Board to operate
totalisators;

(5) shall (subject to the payment out of the
totalisator fund of all taxes, rates, charges,
and working expenses, and to the retention
of such sums as they think fit to meet
contingencies, and to the payment out of
the said fund of such sums as they think fit