would do well to follow it.
I am getting an old man, and have been a betting
man and bookmaker all my life, so to speak. My
parents were poor people, but respectable. I had
a National School education. When I was about
twelve years of age I was turned out in the world
as an errand-boy at Is. 6d. a week in a general
warehouse. I stayed there for a number of years,
until at nineteen years of age I was a full-blown
warehouseman earning Ā£1 per week ! I was a
sharp, intelligent young fellow, kept my eyes and
ears open, which, I can tell you, I have done all my
life (you need to as a bookie, I can tell), and I soon
made up my mind that the quid a week in a stuffy
warehouse, long hours, hard work, and little prospect
of " going ahead," would not suit me. A lot of my
chums used to " horse-race," " put a bit on," " get up
sweepstakes," and go to a race meeting now and
again. In this way I was first introduced to a
race-course, and was successful in winning a bit now
and then, but as sure as faith losing it again, and
more too. My first impression of a race meeting
was a very bad one, for I could see that it was a
vast assembly of " wrong uns " to the backbones ā
thieves, sharps, pickpockets, lowest of the low ruffians
and scoundrels ā my opinion is but little better of
94 BETTING AND GAMBLING
the present race meetings. My brother bookies
would endorse my candid opinion, I am sure. The
race meetings of the present time, of course, are far
superior in comfort and convenience to the old meet-
ings, but the same villainy and cheating is ever
rampant ; but let us call it now " retined rascality."
Well, I was wide enough awake to soon see that
" backing " was no good, but that bookmaker was the
" game." I soon found a way to start with a pal
similarly inclined in views. I wasn't going to stick
at a quid a week when I could see ten times that
sum easily to be made. At that time bookies were
allowed to rig up in any costume they liked, so
we had red waistcoats, white plush hats, blue and
green parti-coloured coats, etc. etc.
I was soon " at home " at the " game." I was
sharp and cautious, with but little capital, so, for a
time, our rule was " small bets only." Lor ! how
the coin came in ! seldom did we have a losing day.
Well ! to sum up my many years of experience,
money has ever since rolled in. I have long since
been in a position to take any bet you like, from
half a sov. to thousands, " with pleasure," and " thank
you." Money soon became no object to me, nor
is it now. How comes it thus ? One answer only.
Because betting is a one-sided game, and is almost
wholly against the backer. Thus the " bookmaker,"
be he a ready-money bookie on the course or a S.P.
bookie at home, is as certain in the long run to
" cop " the backer's coin as I am writing this. To
be sure, the bookie attending the meetings can
control his liabilities to a certain extent, which a
THE DELUDED SPOETSMAN 95
starting-price bookmaker cannot do ; but really it
matters little ā the bookmakers get the cash in the
long run. Let me say that I am refemng to sub-
stantial well-known bookmakers, and not to the
crowd of penniless welshers who infest every race
meeting held.
I am writing, as I have said, more particularly
for the benefit of backers ; they can adopt my
advice or not, as they please. Now listen. I have
attended every race meeting held in the land over
and over again. I am as well known in sporting
circles as any man could possibly be known, from
the highest in the land to the lowliest, so to speak ;
my betting transactions amount to thousands and
thousands ā I really cannot say how much. I am
known, and properly so, as a very wealthy man ā
money is nothing to me ā and let me candidly and
truthfully tell you that I have never known a backer
of horses to permanently succeed. The backer is
successful so long as his money, pluck, and luck
lasts, or until ruin has overtaken him. He wins
and loses ā wins and loses. He is up and then
down ā up and down. Hope ! hope ! hope ! prompts
him to go on ; and he goes on. He diligently studies
all kinds of plans and systems; he also fools his money
away with " tipsters," who have been described as a
set of race-course harpies ; every system, all of them
of course, certain and sure. He tries " 1st favourites,"
" 2nd favourites," " 1st and 2nd favourites," " news-
paper tips," " newspaper naps," "jockey's mounts,"
and numbers of other plans and systems ā some his
own particular fancy, and some other people's. He
96 BETTING AND GAMBLING
gluts over sporting news, and talks of owners,
trainers, and jockeys in a most familiar style, as
though they were his own personal friends ! He
becomes acquainted with horses' names and pedigrees,
and eventually his mind is so full of Turf matters
that business, his occupation, and employment
become of second importance ; he sacrifices home,
comfort, occupation, and money ā all ! all ! all !
What for ? In the hope of easily making money,
but in the end for the benefit of the bookmakers.
My experience is not an isolated one, but truthfully
is that of every well-known bookmaker on the
Turf.
Betting is a fascinating vice, and it is perfectly
astounding to what an enormous extent it is rooted
throughout the land. In every town, village,
hamlet, warehouse, office, and workshop in the
kingdom you will find the " backer " in thousands
and thousands, all losing money ā all in the net of
the bookmaker. Can you blame the bookmaker for
carrying on his money-making business ? Why,
every one's answer is " Certainly not ! "
Were the race meetings always to be held at the
same place, the bookies' business would practically
be " all up." For why ? The local backers would
soon all be " played out." The very fact that the
race meetings are changed daily and are miles and
miles apart is a veritable god-send to the bookmaker,
the trainer, the jockey, the owner, and the dozens
of others depending for existence on Turf matters.
We thus get daily hundreds, nay thousands, of new
faces and fresh backers full of excitement and hope.
THE DELUDED SPOETSMAN 9*7
having " splendid tips " and " certainties," all ready
and anxious to invest their cash with us, but, alas !
the majority of whom go home with long faces and
empty pockets, whilst the bookmaker and the
" betting brigade " leave the scene of action with
renewed energy, high glee, and above all cash
ammunition for a fresh attack at another rendez-
vous.
This glorious state of things goes on day by day
and year by year, particularly during the flat-racing
season. Now, I think it is a bad week if during
flat racing I do not clear a hundred or so per day
on the average. Some days, but really very few
indeed, I make a loss, but on other days the coin
rolls in all round, and the average is as I have
stated. I have made as much as Ā£5000 in one
day ! How is that, eh ? I am wise enough, of
course, to make my book to win, not to lose. Still,
with heaps of money in hand, with property here
and there ā with everything in abundance that I
and mine may require or could possibly wish for ā
with grand country and town houses, with horses,
carriages, every possible luxury, every wish and desire
gratified, living up to the greatest state of expensive
excitement every day (the bookie's very existence
compels a constant round of amusement and excite-
ment or we are nowhere), still, mind you, I am not
happy ā sometimes far from it. Conscience will make
itself heard. True ! true ! age is telling on me as
even it is telling on many another bookie, and we
cannot stifle the thought that the grave is in sight,
and our last race will soon be run. Often and often
H
98 BETTING AND GAMBLING
am I troubled with thoughts of the past ā memory
will assert itself ā and the questions arise : ā Have I
led a fair and upright life ? Have I got my money
and living in an upright, honourable manner ? Have
I not helped to ruin hundreds of good silly fellows ?
Visions of them crop up from time to time ; I think
of them with any but pleasant feelings. How many
poor foolish backers whose money I have taken ā
taken as a business, of course ā have lost homes,
business, and all ; whose wives and children have
been turned into the streets through the father's
passion for betting ? How many of them have
found their way to gaol through betting, and how
many have sought self-destruction ?
Such must be the occasional thoughts of all old
bookmakers. And for why ? Because there is not
one of us, past and present, who has not over and
over again obtained our money by questionable
means, even if our inclination was not to do so.
We have been, and are compelled ā yes, compelled I
ā to participate in trickery and deceit to the
detriment of the backer ; and so crops up the
thought that the backers' money in many instances
is not obtained honourably. These facts make one
feel uneasy. What does this mean ? Why, I have
in my time secretly paid away much money as con-
tributions to effect certain ends favourable to the
bookmaker and to the loss of the backers.
The " freemasonry " amongst certain people con-
nected with racing matters is very strong indeed.
Pray let me be very plain in making myself clear.
I do not for a moment cast a slur upon or raise the
THE DELUDED SPOETSMAN 99
slightest suspicion upon the host of honourable men
of high position and standing whose names are
identified with Turf matters. Certainly not ; the
reader's own common-sense and knowledge must be
exercised. But amongst certain actors at race
meetings my accusation is levied. Indignantly
denied ! Of course it will be. We are all upright
and honest until discovered to be otherwise. It is
the being discovered that is so galling. I could
relate to you most startling facts upon these points
ā incredible, you would say ; scandalous, wholly
unbelievable ! Yet, my friends, true, true indeed !
My mouth, however, is so far absolutely sealed.
Think yourself how very easy such things could be
arranged, and you will cease to marvel. Consider
for a moment that all the principal actors at a race
meeting are all personally known to each other ā
old chums, old acquaintances, travelling the country
together and enjoying themselves, and you will fail
to discredit the fact, viz. that it is so extremely easy
to (as it is now termed) " engineer a great coup."
What is the real meaning of this pretty modern
expression ? Why, in plain language, it is arrang-
ing " to win a race." Listen ! What think you ?
There are very many unfairly run horse-races.
Take this statement as gospel from one who knows,
but who cannot divulge the secrets of the Turf.
Listen again. Betting is simply a speculative
business, two parties to a bet. Each tries to win
the other's money, and each party adopts the best
expedient to do so. We all know who does win in
the long run, and I am penning this rigmarole to
100 BETTING AND GAMBLING
show, if possible, to the small sportsman that the
odds against him are so tremendous that it is next
to impossible for hiin to win ā / mean in the long
run ā and I so write in the hope of inducing him
to " turn the game up " once and for ever, which I
am sure would save much frightful distress, save the
wrecking of many a home, prevent much trouble,
and would be to the happiness of thousands who
now waste their hard-earned money in a wilful way
and in impossible successful speculation.
I am not writing as a moralist or a sentimen-
talist, but in a purely business way ; using common-
sense to prove to misguided, foolish people that to
invest their money in backing horses is a stupid,
unwise, unbusiness-like mode of investing their cash,
and is a way that means absolute loss, if not ruin,
simply because the chances to win are so great against
them, and the odds against them so fearful, that
success is next to impossible. To convince a backer
that such is the case, I know, is a most difficult
task, and really for a bookmaker to do so seems
a paradox and a right-down absurdity, but it is not
so. If the small backer could be extinguished, the
legitimate abused business of betting would be much
relieved from the stigma now cast upon it through
the misdoings of the small backer, who, in his hope-
less task, runs himself into serious difficulties and
causes trouble all round. The removal of the small
sportsman would be of inestimable benefit, not only
to himself (1 want him to look at the matter in that
light), but to the straight respectable bookmaker.
Now with regard to the monied or larger sports-
THE DELUDED SPORTSMAN 101
man. He it is who is the friend of the bookie ā
the dear delightful investor whom the bookie so
much loves ā the regular attendant in Tattersall's
enclosures and in the members' rings. Well, well,
he can afford to lose, and is capable of taking care
of himself. The bookie does not wish to lose him ā
oh dear no, certainly not ; so he encourages him all
he can ; he makes him presents of nice morocco
pocket-books, splendid purses, nicely bound S.P.
diaries, Christmas and New Year remembrances in
various ways, treats him whenever an opportunity
occurs, and loves and plays with him whenever he
can. Very many of these beloved sportsmen are
men who have made money in trade or business ā
they are either in business still or are retired ā who,
having saved a competency to live upon, somehow
or other find their way, one after the other, on to
the race-course ; they nearly always come into
Tattersall's at the different meetings ; they go the
round of them, and travel gaily from place to place ;
they get charmed with the free and open life and
excitement. They decide, as a rule, firstly, to risk
so many hundreds, but when it is gone they gener-
ally manage to find more money. Hope ! hope !
These gentlemen sportsmen talk about their wins
but not their losses. Eventually, as usual, they "do
it (their money) all in," then they drop out one by
one through want of money and, less often, through
being wise in time to prevent absolute ruin. So we
miss their dear delightful faces, but we keep their
money.
We, the bookies, talk to each other about our
102 BETTING AND GAMBLING
said customers and friends. " What about So-and-
So ā oh, he's a retired draper. Mr. So-and-So ā oh,
he's a market gardener, got a fine business. Mr.
So-and-So ā the retired grocer. Mr. So-and-So ā
what, the sohcitor ? Dr. So-and-So ā oh yes, the
doctor. Mr. So-and-So ā yes, the chemist," and so
forth ; then we always laugh, and the oft-reiterated
remark takes place, " Yes, he is doing it (his money)
all in " {losing it).
We laugh ha ! ha ! We laugh ho ! ho ! We laugh at
their folly and pain.
One by one we miss them, but sure as fate others
turn up from time to time, and so the merry game
goes on day by day, month by month, and year by
year. Yes, the monied sportsman, the retired
tradesman, the successful business man combining
trade with Turf speculation. Yes, yes, let them be
ā they can take care of themselves. If they like to
lose their coin, well, let them ā in fact, they are the
bookie's chief support, his pals, his friends. True,
they drop out as I have said, one by one, sooner or
later ; but what matters, brother bookies ? others
always crop up in their places, and so we have
nothing to fear.
Again, let me say, that it is the impecunious and
needy, and poor silly fool of a backer who brings
discredit upon the business, together with the host
of thieving, impecunious welshing fraternity who dare
call themselves bookmakers and Turf commission
agents, who, fairly or unfairly, cop or welsh the
small backer of his money.
THE DELUDED SPORTSMAN 103
Now, to point out to the said backer more
precisely the reasons lohy and how he cannot possibly
win at backing horses, no matter what plan or
system he follows. Let me go a little more into
these points, which will or ought to convince him,
or at any rate give him matter for serious thought
upon the subject.
In the first place, there is what is termed the
" law of averages," by which the backer's chances
to win are for ever against him ; that is to say, in
nearly every race there are a large number of horses
running, otherwise the races are termed non-betting
races. Now you back one horse out of say seven
or eight running, thus you have at once six or
seven chances against your winning. Look how
very greatly this works out against the backer
when larger numbers of horses are in the race ā
say 10, 15, 20, and even 30. You back one horse
to win, so there are 9, 14, 19, and 29 absolute
chances against you, and so on. Never mind about
the favourites, the complete outsiders, and so on,
there are (and there is no mistake about it) so many
absolute chances against your winning, and of course
on the other hand so many chances in favour of the
bookmaker. But ! but ! but ! listen I ye deluded,
cocksure backers ! The law of averages against you
is nothing to be compared to other and far greater
chances against you. I had already written, ex-
plained, and set out a number of them, but a
newspaper correspondent has very thoughtfully and
very carefully embodied them, or some of them,
together with others, in a capital letter which
104 BETTING AND GAMBLING
appeared in the Sun newspaper one September, and
I cannot do better than set them out. The Sun
has recently permitted a public debate in its columns
upon " Is Betting a Sin ? " The debate by corre-
spondence has been most interesting. The religious
element, of course, dominated with silly arguments,
and in so doing " forgot the subject altogether,"
whilst on the other hand many letters were strictly
to the point, were eye-openers, and logical. The
result was announced by the editor, who decided
that " he would give it up," i.e. the correspondence
compelled him to say that he could not say whether
betting was a sin or not. My candid opinion is
that certainly " betting is not a sin," but I tell you
what it is, it is a pernicious and fascinating vice of
the worst kind, and is intimately connected with if
not the direct cause of the worst kind of various
sins. However, more of this anon. Now to give
the letter referred to ; it is as follows : ā
Odds against the Backer
Sir ā I do not profess to enter into the pro or con
of this vital question, which is increasing in force and
imperativeness with each succeeding year. But to those
of your readers ā and I fear they are greatly in the
majority^ ā who, in spite of experience, fondly believe
that it is possible to make money by backing horses, I
append a list of 22 chances against the backer in every
race that is run.
1. The regular percentage of odds, ranging from 2 to
1 up to 20 against one in every race. There can be
only one winner.
THE DELUDED SPORTSMAN 105
2. The horse may be fit and capable of winning, but
not "wanted."
3. " Wanted " by the owner, not " wanted " by the
trainer.
4. " Wanted " by owner and trainer, not " wanted "
by the jockey, who has his money on another runner.
5. Owner, trainer, or jockey in debt to a bookmaker.
In either of these three cases the horse runs to suit the
layer's book, irrespective of the backer.
6. Horse tried to be a certainty ā money on. Some-
thing wrong with trial horse. All calculations upset.
Again the backer loses.
7. Race lost by a bad start.
8. Long delay under a hot sun. Horse irritable,
nervous, wears himself out at the post.
9. Some fractious brute who has no place out of a
selling race kicks the " certainty " at the post.
10. Jockey disobeys orders, and throws the race
away, or goes to sleep.
1 1 . Tiny light weight, caught by steel-knit veteran,
fails through weakness. More grist to the bookmaker.
12. A lends B his best trial horse ā say Bluebottle ā
to try Broomstick. Result of trial makes the race a
good thing for Broomstick, but a still better thing for
A's old sprinter. Juggler, who has got in with a light
weight. A quietly works a starting price job all over
the country, and with Juggler just nips Broomstick on
the post.
13. Brown lends his crack jockey to ride Jones's
Malaprop, and price shortens. Brown's money is prob-
ably on Gay Deceiver. Jockey obeys orders, and rides
Malaprop in Gay Deceiver's interest.
14. Horse certain to win. Stable forestalled at the
last moment. Jockey honest. No help for it. Give the
colt a nice refreshing drink of water before the start.
15. Everything lovely. Mount winning easily, when
he stumbles and nearly comes down.
106 BETTING AND GAMBLING
16. Jockey makes his effort too late.
17. Jockey secretly owner of horse, other than his
mount, running in the same race.
1 8. Short sprint. Bad draw for position extinguishes
chance.
19. Public back the favourite. Stable wins with
outsider. See Dieudonne and Jeddah.
20. Crowding at a turn. Jockey hopelessly shut in.
21. Jockey skilfully shuts himself in. "Couldn't
get through, sir."
22. Horse knocked out of his stride by a cannon
during the race.
A famous trainer of the old school said, " I have been
in this business through a long life ; there is little that
anybody can teach me in training. I can do all things
in this world Avith a horse except ā be inside him."
Sceptic.
What a splendid letter this is ! How true
indeed are the 2 2 reasons ! What thought each
one gives to the backer if he is a sensible man
and will but think over them. How we bookies
know full well the absolute truth of them, as do
also the jocks, trainers, and owners. We have
referred in conversation to the Su7i correspondence.
What care we for it ? It won't stop the fascinated
backer. No fear ; we persuade ourselves that nothing
will stop him except " running the length of his
tether."
It is almost amusing to read in the newspapers
the excuses given by the " Eacing Prophets " for the
predicted horses " not pulling it off." Almost daily
you will find some of the above reasons given. I
have just picked up the Daily Mail. Eacing at
THE DELUDED SPOETSMAN 107
Nottingham is described as " an unsatisfactory
affair." For whom ? The bookmakers ? Certainly
not. For whom then ? Why, the backers of course.
Then comes the usual and oft -told excuses ā
amongst others ā why such and such a horse did not
win, as follows : ā
Excuse No. 1. ā "The well-backed Shot Gun . . . threw
no resolution into his work."
Excuse No. 2. ā " Eileen Violet too . . . ran a snatchy
race throughout."
Excuse No. 3. ā " Reminiscence having missed a race at
Newmarket through the imprudence of her jockey
in leaving oflF riding too soon, she yesterday, when
heavily backed to square matters, had her chance
entirely destroyed by the falling of Lady St.
George."
Excuse No. 4. ā "The Bestwood Nm-sery . . . demon-
strated how fluky was the victory of the Asteria
Filly at Newmarket."
The above are cuttings from one paper only ā
we get such excuses to " soothe the backer " almost
every day in one paper or another. In a case
reported in the Daily Telegraph, the judge of the
Clerkeuwell County Court made this remark : ā
I don't profess to be any authority on horse-racing,
but I know it depends upon what the odds are and
what the jockeys have been paid as to which horse
wins. (Laughter.)
I guess that judge knows more about racing
than he would wish us to believe.
What is the impecunious backer ? Why, a fool
of the first order. A fascinated idiot. A sharp,
108 BETTING AND GAMBLING
flat, and very often a thief, i.e. he steals other
people's money in order to " put it on." If the
above cogent reasons and facts won't decide him to
stop backing, then nothing will, except ruin. Let
him carefully think over all I have said. Let him
think over his own experience ā that's the thing.
Has he made money at backing horses ? I mean,
in the long run. How much has he lost ? That's
the point ; let him ask himself the question.
The backer of horses, as a rule, takes to it as a
business by which to make money, as in every other
business. Every business and profession (for a master
man at any rate) is a speculation. Betting is a
business, but a speculative and, I should say, the
most speculative kind of business there is. There
is nothing wrong or sinful in betting. But it is a
business so very speculative, so very much against
the backer, that, as I hope I have proved, it is a
fool's game, and for business considerations only it
is best left alone.
In addition, however, to the reasons before set
out, why the backing of horses never will pay any