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ORAL BETTING STANDING THE TEST. System Is Working Satisfactorily on the New York Tracks— Little Welching. New York. June 11. — Under the rulings of the courts oral betting at the New York race tracks has received a pretty thorough test. While the system has taults which may be rectified in the course of lime, it is generally regarded as fairly successful. To conform to rules and conditions, speculators are necessarily slow. To establish a far reaching credit system, such as prevails on the English race tracks, will require some time. P.ut for the present, oral belting tills the requirements. Barring holiday and Saturday crowds. Including hundreds of visitors who enjoy the races without belting, the attendance nowadays averages between 4. OOP and 5.000 regulars. Among these steady patrons of the sport honor is paramount. A mans word is his bead, his stock in trade, without which he has no standing and cannot make a wager. That is the fundamental principle of oral betting, and so far, it can be said, there have been very few cases of welching. But so far as that angle of the game goes, not a single "layer" has failed to make good his obligations, for the reason that those who are accepting wagers from friends are well known for square dealings and integrity. Persons who have made oral wagers and have refused to settle them have received a black mark in each instance which deprives them ot the privilege of doing business with any reputable "layer." It stands lo reason that a man who wishes to attend the races regularly and back his opinion will take good care to keep up his credit, if only as a matter of business. All of which would seem to indicate that the present speculation, while limited, is comparatively clean. The faults to be found with the oral system may be summed up briefly. It is u difficult matter to keep track of wagers accepted without making written records of tlieni. while it is also a task to secure a line on the general market prices, and a positive hardship to accept the quotations ottered in some instances. It is. furthermore, confusing to hunt up persons who are willing to accept wagers on the lawn, where the old organization methods of the betting ring no longer prevail. But all things considered, oral betting is not half bad and is serving its purpose.
