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BETTING BILLS AMENDED PROPOSED HEW YORK MEASURES ALTERED WITH CONSENT OF GOVERNOR HUGHES Provision Prohibiting Individual Wagering Stricken StrickenOut Out by Senator and Assemblyman Who Have HaveUndertaken Undertaken to Father Hughes Legislation Now York March IS Assemblyman Harry C Porting of Bin hamton has luul Iiis new anli hetting bills covering oral betting to meet decisions of the Court of AiK iIs amended and recommitted to the codes committee Mr Perkins has amended his bill to eliminate the restrictions in the hill ovcring oral betting regarding individual betting at the rape track The bill in Its original shape provided that any person who engages In pool selling or bookmaking orally or otherwise at any time or in any oilier way conducts aids or pro inotfs gambling in connection with or based MiKiri horse races actually or ostensibly was guilty of violating the law lawMr Mr Perkins has auiended his bill to eliminate the words or in any other way conducts aids or promotes gambling in connection with or based upon horse races actually or ostensibly so as not to prohibit any individual from making an inde ¬ pendent bet with a friend while attending the races Mr Perkins feels that there would be less opposi ¬ tion from the public generally to this bill were the fact understood thoroughly that it is the desire of the promoters of this antirace track legislation to get after only the professional bookmakers and not the individual who says he lias got to make a bet at the races or he loses much of the pleasure of seeing the horses run runWhat What we are aiming at specifically said Air Perkins is the bookmaker and the poolseller but not at the individual bettor I myself aui not an extremist I feel that if a person at the race track wants to make a friendly wager he or she ought to be at liberty to do so without fear of violating any statute If this bill becomes a law oral betting will not be illegal on the part of in ¬ dividuals who see lit to make an oral bet with one niioUier but it will be illegal for men who make ti business of it to accept such oral wagers This is a distinction that will appeal to the element which has insisted that it is unreasonable to make Illegal the betting of a box of candy or a pair of gloves and all these other acts which might techni ¬ cally be characterized as gambling We are not after the technical gamblers it is the professional lhat the law seeks to check checkIt It is understood that Governor Hughes favors the amendments as proposed by Mr Perkins who has consulted with several authorities interested in the nntirace track legislation including Assistant Dis ¬ trict Attorney Elder of Kings Mr Perkins ideas have also been adopted by Senator Agnew and have been incorporated in the hitters oral betting bills recently introduced In the Senate Mr Perkins in ¬ sists that this is the most sensible solution of the race track betting agitation and that when the public realizes that the professional bookmakers are finally swept off the track individuals will feel free to bet among friends and enjoy the sport of so doing in a nonprofessional way Governor Hughes friends say that the governor was never opposed to Sndividuals betting on the races The governor is 4 f the opinion It is understood that any man or woman should be permitted to make a friendly wager if it would add to his or her pleasure at the track but objects to the wholesale collection of bets by bookmakers and poolsellers
