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RACING LEGISLATION Senator Denvir Introduces Bill to Restore Sport in Illinois Measure Provides for a Racing RacingCommission Commission PariMutuels and andLimited Limited Meetings SPRINGFIELD 111 February 7 Senator John T Denvir of Chicago introduced in the senate today a bill which if it becomes a law will restore racing in Illinois and legal ¬ ize the use of parimutuels parimutuelsThe The new Denvir bill would create a state racing commission of three to be appointed by the governor for threeyear terms and to be composed of one of the presidents of the racing associations licensed under this act one of the presidents of the incorporated fairs of this state and one of the presidentn of the thoroughbred horse breeders associa ¬ tions of this state stateMeetings Meetings are limited to thirty days between May 1 and September 30 No Sunday racing is permitted Only one racing association may be licensed for every 2000000 and for an additional 500000 That would give Illi ¬ nois with its population four months of racing racingSection Section 5 of the bill covers the betting regulations and reads as follows When a racing association has received a licenso to conduct a racing meeting it shall be per ¬ mitted to install automatic registering ma chinces in the care of the necessary compe ¬ tent attendants who shall act as tempo ¬ rary custodians of moneys deposited by per ¬ sons and all moneys so deposited shall bo subjected to reasonable rules and regula ¬ tions made and passed by said racing com ¬ mission No other method shall be permitted Such association shall never retain moro than 3 per cent from such sums deposited depositedSection Section 7 of the bill forbids any other form of betting with the exception of friendly wagers between individuals It reads as fol ¬ lows It shall be unlawful for any persosi to solicit ask make induce or attempt to induce any other person to wager money security or anything of value on a horse or horse race anywhere inside or upon any part of the property or grounds of any licensed racing association It shall be unlawful for any person to act as commissioner for the purpose of soliciting money security or thing of value from persons anywhere on the prem ¬ ises or grounds of said association associationThe The offense is fixed as a misdemeanor It is then provided that no provision of tha act or any act now or hereinafter to be in force or effect shall be so construed as to prohibit friendly wagers between individ ¬ uals ualsThere There is a local option feature attached to this provision for betting on the races which is tied up with a referendum It be ¬ comes legal in any county of the state only after the voters of that county have ratified it A majority of those voting on the propo ¬ sition is required The plan can be placed on the ballot by a petition signed by one half of 1 per cent of the legal voters in any county countyAn An unusual provision is found in the last paragraph of the bill which makes it ex ¬ tremely difficult to repeal or change once the people of any county have adopted section 5 The bill was referred to the agricultural committee of the senate
