Smyrna times., 1858-12-02
Lotteries in the United States.

A new movement is on foot against lotteries.
S.rat. B.rney, the May office, KY. has just
returned from months tour in eleven Southern
States, on a lottery hunting expedition, with
information relative to the exact condition of
I,tteries, and the .J0urHHL of Commerce gives
the following as the fruit of his inquiries:
"All the Lotteries in the Union, at the pre-
sent time, are locate at the south, though about
three-fourths of their profits are derived from
the North and West. These institutions are
distributed as follows :-Marylaud ) (whose
charter expires on the lst of April. 1857 Ken
tIcky ,, Missouri L, Delaware l, Georgia l.
Tue charters of all but one Of these lotteries
expire ia about three years.
"Tne southern people must not be regarded
as lnstItylng or approving OF lotteries Not one
has been chartered since 1887, and there are
stringent laws against lOtter .es in all the south
ern States but two. The lotteries which are
now doing business in States where they are
prohibited, are working by virtue of their vest
ed rights, and will cease to exist when their
charters run out. The principal operations Of
the lotteries being in the North, the Southern
people have personally little reason to complain
of them, and it is only recently that the atten-
ton of Governors, District Attorneys and others
Of the evil which is inflicted on other portions
of the country.
In most OF southern States. lottery charters
were originally granted to Colleges, Schools,
Bridge Companies, Academies, &c, for the
purpose OF raising funds to the extent OF from
$1,000 10 Sl00,0UO. This privilege was great
ly abused-lotteries which were empowered TO
draw a scheme ofa few thousand dollars, some
times drawing schemes amounting 10 millions
There are few lotteries in the United States
which conform to the VS., or the terms OF tieir
chatter; bat it is extremely difficult to detect
their InvasOns.
Some of the lotteries are conducted on a gi-
gantic scale. One of them expends about
S200,000 yearly in advertising and other ex-
penses, draws over 600 schemes and issue tick
cts to the amount Of $500 100000 yearly. The
to al amount of schemes published by all the
lotteries in the United States is probably not
less than S5O0,0O0,000. The proprietors pro-
fess to distribute all of this vast amount in
prizes, but it is supposed that not over SlO,-
OOOO00 is actually paid out. Not more
than One.third of the whole scheme Is even
printed, and of that, about ne-elgnIh is sold,
on an aVerage--making the receipts from
scheme Of S200.0OO, about SlO0,OO0, Of which
the proprietDrs received - per cent. cIelr
proft--the rest going to agents, and to defray
expenses. Most lotteries issue scheme every
day; and, as the profits pretty uniform aud
steady, it will be readily seen that the business
pays enormous dividends.
The lotteries do not pay as much or as large
prizes as they used 10. Years ago prizes aver
aging from 81 900 TO $4,000 were trequently
sold, and the lottery business was then con
Quoted with comparative honesty; but OF late
wears, large prizes are few and far between, al
though the number of purchasers is much lar
ger than ever before, and is rapidly increasing.
During the last year the largest prize issued
was 5000. Tie prizes now general sold
will not average more than SJ,O0O each. In
American lotteries the capital prize is gener-
ally not only not sold, but is not even printed
once in a hundred times. The lotteries in this
country are now flushed with power, and vii
be made even stronger by the combination o
all of them except one in Kentucky and one ii
Delaware, in the hands OF noted lottery anC
policy dealer in this city. Unless strong efforts
are made 10 The south to regulate the lotteries
now existing there, and to prevent the re char
tering of them, the mischief resulting there
{ ON will rapidly increase year after year
There are al least four lottery schemes draw
daily in different portions Of the United States
which are all sold in this city. The daily sale
will amount 10 not less than $2,O00-Of whcl
the managers receive probably about $780,
The prizes amount to about QUE quarter of tn
scheme. Dependent on the lotteries, and NOR
pernicous than they, is the policy business
which reaches the magnificent dimensions {
about $4,000 day. The policy tickets var
10 price from one cent to one hundred dollar
and ind customers mostly among the poor u
norant aud suPerstitious part OF eur population