THE COMING OF THE TOTALISATOR
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sin,—Having read the letters' in the Spectator of June 4th on the " Coming of the Totalisator" it has occurred to me that a few lines from one who has had personal experience in working the totalisator might be useful. For eight years
I was in charge of the totalisator at the Khedivial Sporting Club, Cairo. ' •
With regard to the fact, as stated by a correspondent in your issue of June 4th, that sometimes the backers do not get all their money back even when their horse wins, it should be made clear that' this is most exceptional. The most backers can lose, in the event of their horse winning, is the 5 per cent: Or 10 per cent. of their stakes charged to the fund.
(1) The apparatus as used in Australia, France, India, &c., can be very • expensive and on large courses should be— on the other hand, as an instance, we had cause to renew our apparatus in Cairo, and I put up a perfectly satisfactory one for about £150 to £200. This was, of course, of the rough and ready type, but quite safe and serviceable. There is, presumably, a middle course. As a staff we had two head clerks and twenty Armenians who were certainly good and quick at figures ; provided the head clerks in charge were quick and trustworthy, any tampering with the figures or swindling was practically impossible. The machinery is not necessarily so complicated as implied in your correspondent Minden's letter.
(2) It would be perfectly possible financially, in my opinion, to install safe-working Pari-Mutuel apparatus on the small courses.
(3) Fair odds. —The introduction of the totalisator does not prevent a backer backing his fancy with the bookmakers at any time.
(4) The statement that the backer never knows how he stands is rather wide of the mark ; by noting the number of tickets sold on each horse he can get a general idea of the odds and if he is quick at figures calculate exactly.
It would certainly be advisable to have a staff appointed by the Jockey Club to travel about to the various big meetings— and possibly another staff for the smaller meetings.—I am,
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