On Track Magazine Spring 2021

27 Moonee Valley paddock will be one of the most charming spots to be found on any Australian racecourse. The new totalisator house also adds greatly to the convenience and comfort of its patrons, and, as is always the case at Moonee Valley, the improvements there are real and practical. Sharing the Spoils The windfalls of introducing George’s machines to racecourses were not to be shared by the lucky punter and Racing Clubs alone. As a condition of installation, a percentage of all bets placed through the Tote was siphoned off by Government for investment in public interests. And as the impacts of the Great Depression lingered and another world war loomed, these community dividends were vital. In 1938/39, this delivered an astonishing figure of nearly 200,000 pounds from Tote dividends to Victorian hospitals and charities. Into the Mechanics Every time a ticket is issued the clerk pulls a lever corresponding with the number of the horse. The lever pulls a long wire cord; the cord releases the counter. The gearing revolves a little, and the counter wheels turn. Sometimes the wheels move at long intervals, and then, as a horse becomes popular, its set of wheels will commence spinning frantically so that one might imagine the count terribly apt to fail. But the ‘tens’ tot up the units, the ‘hundreds’ go up in their turn, and grand total wheels turn phlegmatic somersaults and perform mathematical prodigies. One-tenth of the money invested on the totalisator is deducted before the declaration of a dividend. Half the amount so retained is handed over to the Government, and the balance goes to the individual club, which has to bear the expense of totalisator working. What is received by the Government is earmarked for charities, plus a £ for £ subsidy. The Argus, August 1931 The Argus, 29 October 1938 “Although it looked like a giant tangle of piano wires, pulleys and cast iron boxes and many racing officials predicted that it would not work – it was a great success.” - Brian Conlon – Automatic Totalisator Ltd