6
4.
Section 3 reduces from three per cent. to two and
a half per cent. the duty on totalisator or pari-mutuel
bets authorised under the principal Ordinance.
5. The question of adding an interpretation clause to
the principal Ordinance, suggested in the Secretary of
State's despatch, has been considered; but it is not, at
present, thought necessary, as the expressions "totalisator",
"pari-mutuel" and "cash-sweep" are well known locally and
are applied to a system which (as was not the case with
the Racecourse Betting Act, 1928, which defined "total-
isator" as a "contrivance for betting known as the total-
isator or pari-mutuel, or any other machine or instrument
of betting of a like nature, whether mechanically operated
or not") has been in local operation for years before the
principal Ordinance came into force to regulate it. The
absence of definitions has given no trouble to the courts,
to the collector of revenue, to the organizers of race-meet-
ings, to the clubs or to the public, and it is considered
that if a definition of totalisator or pari-mutuel betting
on the lines of the Act of 1928 were introduced it might
suggest means of evading the duty which have not so far
been attempted. Machines are not used by either of the
two Race Clubs affected and it is open to doubt whether
with a definition on the lines of the Race Course and
Betting Act, 1928, the pens or pencils of the accountants
could be classed as "instruments" of a like nature to
"contrivances or other machines".
6.
In my opinion this is an Ordinance to which His
Excellency the Governor may properly assent in the name
of His Majesty and on His behalf.
deat
Attorney General.
P
P
HONG KONG.
No. 17 OF 1933,
I assent.
W. PEEL,
L.S.
Governor.
1st September, 1933.
An Ordinance to amend the Betting Duty Ordinance, 1931.
[1st September, 1933.]
BE it enacted by the Governor of Hong Kong, with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows:
1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Betting Duty Short title. Amendment Ordinance, 1933.
Ordinance
2. The Betting Duty Ordinance, 1931, is amended by Addition to the addition of the following words after the word "cash- title of sweeps" at the end of the long title thereof :-"and to amend No. 40 of the law relating to Gambling.
3. Section 6 (1) of the Betting Duty Ordinance, 1931, is amended by the substitution of the words "two and a half per cent." for the words "three per cent.".
Passed the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, this 31st day of August, 1933.
1931.
Amendment No. 40 of
of Ordinance
1931, s. 6 (1).
A. W. G. H. GRANTHAM,
Deputy Clerk of Councils.
ENO
7
Pa
13717
Pa
་་
00
8
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.