§ MR. ANDERSONasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If his attention has been called to the prevalence of Betting Advertisements in Newspapers; and, whether such incitements to betting are legal or illegal; and, if illegal, whether he is prepared to take any steps to put them down?
MR. BRUCESir, I am well aware that a great number of these advertisements appear in newspapers, especially in sporting newspapers. Some of them are not necessarily illegal under the Act which regulates such matters—namely, the 16 & 17 Vict.; but some of them would be illegal if the Bill now before the other House of Parliament, a measure prosecuted by Her Majesty's Government, had become law, inasmuch as it extends the law which relates to England to Scotland and other places. Many of the advertisements to which the Question of the hon. Member refers appear in the Scotch papers, and therefore are not now subject to prosecution. Others remain, which are probably illegal. 1115 Where those occur within the jurisdiction of the metropolitan police, due attention is given to them, and I may say a great effect has been produced by the efforts of the police to remedy this evil of betting houses. But where they occur beyond their jurisdiction, the local authorities have been left to deal with the matter. This has been done in Manchester and Liverpool very successfully; and I have no doubt the same result has followed in other places where the attention of the local authorities has been called to the subject.