Two-up licences were allocated to almost 50 Western Australian Returned and Services League (RSL) sub-branches and facilities for Anzac Day.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
The Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor waved the permit fee as 47 RSLs across the state were cleared to participate in the Anzac Day tradition.
Section 81(1)(a) of the Gaming and Wagering Commission Act 1987 prohibits Two-up within a 100 kilometre radius of Crown Casino in Perth.
However, Amendments to the Act allowed for the Minister for Racing and Gaming to permit Two-up for RSL clubs throughout the state on Anzac Day.
Collie-Cardiff RSL president Gary Benton said the game was valuable to Anzac Day commemorations.
“It pre-dates military history, it goes back to the gold mines - they used to play in the gold mines and I think so many of the guys that went to the Boer War and the First World War came from the mines,” he said.
“I guess that’s what they did when they were waiting to go to entertain themselves, there is possibly a little bit of myth about them playing Two-up overseas.
“It’s a traditional thing, it’s seen as that, and every RSL gets the authority to run Two-up on Anzac Day.”
Two-up, based around betting on whether two coins will land heads or tails up after being tossed into the air, features a system of complex rules.
The person whom ran the game was known as the boxer while the person throwing the coins was the spinner.
The game featured two pennies and a kip, a piece of wood with circular slots to place both coins into.
