Gambling and the Sport of Kings
Hennie Heymans, a former policeman with the District Raiding Squad at SAP Wentworth, recounts his experiences at Clairwood Race Course in apartheid-era South Africa, where he performed duties during horse racing events. Stationed in the Silver Circle, he observed the grandeur of the races, the diverse crowds, and the curious practice of Indian patrons betting on his police number. Despite his Dutch Reformed Church upbringing, which frowned upon gambling, Heymans enjoyed the spectacle of the horses but noted the irony of police arresting players of Crown & Anchor, a dice game, for illegal gambling at the racecourse. While horse racing was a regulated, socially accepted activity, Crown & Anchor was deemed an illicit game of chance, leading to arrests and confiscations. The article reflects on the cultural and legal distinctions between the prestigious “Sport of Kings” and stigmatized informal gambling, questioning the fine line between skill and chance.