The Winchester home journal. [volume] (Winchester, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1858-05-13
LOTTERIES.

buy lottery tickets. We have before
us the scheme of the celebrated Ha-
vannah Lottery. There are twenty
five thousand tickets at $50 each
making 100000. Then if man
were to buy all the tickets and draw
all the prizes, he would lose just $780,
900; that is, he would pay the lottery
man just that much for the fun Of the
game, and that is the principle Of the
whole Of them.
Now, the doctrine of chances isjust
as certain as anything else. That is,
if one man should buy tickets in that
lottery until he had spent $5Oo,ooo,
he would lose just 100000. lie
might draw 100000 the first time;
but he would in the end come out loser
|just two-fifths of all the money he put
in. The misfortune is, that not hav-
ing the money to keep it up, he is liza
bic to lose all his money before ne
draws any thing; and perhaps still
greater misfortune is, that if in the
early part of his career he draws the
prize, he will come to the conclusion
that he is lucky man, and will not
only spend what lie has drawn, but
all that he can get for the balance of
his life.
1t is on account of the certainty Of
the operation of the doctrine Of chan
ccs, that they are able to draw these
lotteries often. Swan or Don Rod
riguez advertises lottery to be drawn
in a month. There is one prize of
fifty, sixty, or a hundred thousand dol
lars, and others of smaller size. If
YOU will examine the number of tick
cts to be sold and the amount Of the
prizes, you will find that if the tickets
are all sold the prizes do not amount
to more than about three-6tths Of the
money. But the tickets are never sold;
yet the drawing goes on. Then how
are the prizes to be paid! Why, out
of your money of course. Take the
scheme which is now before us: There
are twenty-five thousand tickets at
500 each; this makes $5OO,0O0; the
prizes amount to 100000. Now,
suppose half the tickets are sold--that
is $25O,O0O; but the whole 100000 is
to be drawn. Well, you have half the
tickets--the lottery man has the other
half. His half Of the tickets will draw
one-half of the prizes; yours will draw
the other half But you have put in
$?5O,O0O; he has put in nothing. You
draw $l5O,00O, and so does he. He
pays you and has 100000 of your
monep left to pay towards the $780,
900 which he drew.
Now whether he sells the whole of
the tickets or a half. fourth, or a
tenth of them, is a matter of very little
consequence to him. He is just as
certain of two-fifths of all the money
he receives as ifyou were just to hand
him $40 and tell him to give you buck
SO of it and keep the other four.
1t is this which makes lotteries as
at present conducted so fatal. If they
could not draw until all the tickets
were sold, it would be long time be.
tween them; but they can draw every
month, and they can make big prizes
just as well as little ones.
There is only one thing to be guar
ded against. We have said that hi:
half of the tickets will draw half the
prize. If you could have access tc
the books of these lottery men, yor
would find that in a series of drawing.
he has drawn prizes, both in number
and amount, precisely in proportion te
his unsold tickets; but just for one
lottery it may happen that the large
prize may fall on your side. Then il
he has no funds on hand he must BIZ
careful not to draw until he has sole
tickets enough to pay the large prize
Now what is the remedy for the evi
of lotteries? The evil is this: A maj
advertises lottery to be drawn in E
month, with a prize of $4,000; ticket,