When the debate adjourned last night, I was dealing with this amendment. I made the suggestion to Deputy O'Malley that he might perhaps withdraw the amendment and allow us to consider the problem with which he is concerned further. I take it that the bookmakers are concerned mainly with those licensed tracks upon which the totalisators are established. I also am concerned with these tracks. I look forward to the time when it will be possible for the board to abolish the levy. They cannot abolish the levy unless the minimum charge, which will then represent the income the board will get from the bookmakers, is sufficient to compensate the board for the loss of the levy. I hope that is understood.
I suggest that we fix the maximum charge at the sum of the minimum charge plus ten times the admission price to the public. That is to say that the maximum amount which will go to the track will be ten times, at most, the ordinary admission charge. In addition, the minimum charge which goes to the board will be fixed independently. This arrangement is to apply to those tracks only upon which there are totalisators. If no minimum charge is fixed, then the levy will continue to be imposed and the ten times the ordinary admission price will go to the tracks. This will give a reasonable degree of flexibility and it will be confined to those tracks upon which there are totalisators.
In regard to the other tracks, we might say that in due time it would apply certainly to Dublin, Cork, Limerick and perhaps one or two of the other larger centres. In respect of those tracks upon which there is not a totalisator, I think we should not fix any maximum charge because the tracks themselves, since there is no totalisator, will be anxious to attract bookmakers. There is no use in having a track where there is no totalisator, unless you have a bookmaker. The bookmakers will have the monopoly of the betting at those tracks. I am certain it can be a matter of arrangement between the bookmakers' organisation, on the one hand, and the smaller tracks, on the other hand, as to what the maximum admission charge should be.
If Deputy O'Malley will think over what I have said, and let me know in due time, then I would ask him to withdraw this amendment, with the permission of the House, and we will try to draft an amendment for the Report stage which would embody the principles I have outlined.
