Gambling: Number One

New Guinea Pastime

From Alan Ramsey, AAP-Reuter Correspondent in Port Moresby Gambling, the age-old “recreation” of the civilised world, rapidly is emerging as the number-one pastime of thousands of natives in Papua-New Guinea.

ACCORDING to churchmen, more natives in the Territory’s urbanised areas now spend their leisure hours gambling than doing anything else.

A missionary who has been 35 years in the territory believes gambling to be the country’s major social problem.

Children were going hungry and homes were being broken because their fathers, in the majority 25/- a month labourers, continually gambled away their pay envelopes, he said.

Even native children, in many cases unable to tell the difference in one card from another, have been known to play cards for stones and shells.

That "Lucky" Game Native gambling takes many forms, easily the most popular being a card game called “lucky”.

This has scores of variations, but basically a lucky hand consists of three cards, of which the face values are added together.

The last digit of the total is the number gambled on and the winner is the player with the highest number.

London Missionary Society Min ister Rev. S. H. Butler said “lucky” was probably the greatest “curse” among native gamblers.

“From my own observations, it’s the usual way of spending a Sun day afternoon for the young men,” he said.

“Most of the native women who come to me with family problems usually admit the basic cause is her husband’s gambling.

“Either this or drink, which goes hand in hand with gambling.”

“Lucky” is illegal and natives play under penalty of a £AS fine or a month’s gaol if caught.

But the majority of “lucky” schools are well hidden and very few players end up in court.

Gambled His Wife In the Highlands, the Goroka Dis trict Advisory Council was told re cently that “lucky” gambling was reaching astronomical proportions.

Some natives were gathering fortunes in cash and store goods, which were sold at a handsome profit, and in one case, a native had gambled away his wife.

Lotteries are another great at traction for the New Guinea native and he spends freely in his quest for a winning ticket.

Occasionally, a native does win a major prize, like the policeman who two years ago reaped £A6,000 from a Queensland consultation.

Such instances are rare, however, and few buyers ever see anything to show for their outlay.

According to leading Port Moresby missionary, Rev. P. Chatterton, lottery gambling among natives is fairly new.

“It is, however, developing into a headache,” he said.

“Many natives spend far more money on lottery tickets than they can afford.

“As a result they and their families go hungry, or are reduced to stealing.

“The answer to stopping it is not an easy one.

“I, for one, couldn’t even hazard a guess to the solution.”

In the Highlands, a type of gol: is a favourite betting game.

Small holes are dug and playen bet on how few strokes they tak< to knock in a small wooden ball.

In the Sepik district of northen New Guinea canoe races and arrov shooting contests are favoured bet ting mediums.

A senior Native Affairs office: said he even knew of instances ir Western Papua where high stake! (usually in food or ornaments) wen wagered on how smartly a native could climb a coconut palm.

According to the Territory Com missioner of Police, Mr. C. Normoyle however, gambling in Papua-Nev Guinea is no worse than anywhere else.

“Wherever you go in the world people gamble,” he said.

“And wherever you go you find people who say gambling in theii country is a major problem.”

Father James Dwyer.