The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-11-19
THE HAVANA LOTTERY.
The Organization and Results Of the
Greatest Gambling scheme Ever
Invented arrangement and Profits
"A National Vice.


A correspondent writes from Havan:
as follows:
One of the peculiarities of Havana
which will most quickly attract the at
tention Of tho newly arrived stranger is
the great number of lottery-ticket ven
ders to be met with everywhere. These
individuals, often the lame, halt, ant
blind of both sexes, fluttec their tickets
with provoking pertinaeity in the face
of every one. and bawl out their mum
bers everywhere and at all hours. Nc
place is secure from their intrusion, and
no person too sacred for their approach.
The passion for play, that element
Of chance, hich enters into almost all
the transactions of life. and is inherent
to all mankind, is characteristic ofthe
Spanish nation, and finds lawful in
diligence in the purchase O. these tick.
cts.
Every drawing, each one taking place
about every sixteen days, raises hopes,
and oftentimes fulfils expectations, of
the easy acquisition of fortune. The
passion for this form of gambling is
most general in Cuba, and all classes
participate in it, from the wealthy ''ha-
cendo, who buys score of whole tick
cts at time, to the 1neanest negro
slave, who goes without meal to Sc
cure the smallest fraction. The tick
cts of the Havana lottery find their
way to all parts of the world, and its
plan Of drawing is adopted by all other
countries which print lotteries. Quite
an important part of the business of
Some merchants here is the purchase
and transmission of tickets to their for
eign correspondents. Like almost
every one else in Havana, your cores.
pondent invested in part of ticket in
the last drawing, and, consequently,
has taken some interest In the subject,
and looked up the following Informal
ton, which he desires to lay before
your readers, to compensate for the
dearth of Cuban news.
The revenue from lotteries is, in
Cuba. thing of the present century
By royal decree of the 5th of February,
1905, the lottery which was drawn reg.
nlarly under the auspices of the Span
ish government, in the capital Of New
Spain or Mexico, was suppressed, and
its transfer ordered to Havana. The
turbulent times which followed. and
other causes, prevented the carrying
out of this decree until 1912, when, BY
royal decree of April II, the institu-
ton was formally and legally estab-
lished. The first drawing included l0.-
900 tickets or shares, as they were then
called, at S4 each, which were subdi-
vlded into halves. quarters and eighths,
as was formerly the practice in Mexico.
The sales of the tickets produced S40,.
900. One-quarter part Of this sum
was reserved by the government to de-
fray the expenses of management, and
as an income, and the remaining $780,
900 was distributed unequally and by
lot to 81 of the shares, the highest pre-
MUM paid being $4,000, and the low
est 500; but three such distributions
or drawings were held the first year.
The present scheme, or plan of draw
ing, which shows to what an enormous
growth this branch of the public reve-
nue. has attained, consists of $4,000
tickets, divided into fractions as low as
tenths and twentieths, and the price of
ticket is S20-S42 prizes are drawn
for, the highest or capital prize being
SlOO,OOO. and the lowest S300--and the
drawings are held every sixteen and
seventeen days alternately. This
scheme, of course, is subject to varia-
ton, and once or twice year, or upon
some extraordinary national event, is
replaced by another. in which the num-
Der OF tickets is greater or smaller. and
their price is doubled or trebled, the
prizes being proportionately increased.
On one occasion the capital prize was
halt million of dollars. As upon the
very first occasion all the drawings are
held publicly in the courtyard of the
custom-hoase, and the government still
reserves oue-quarter of the receipts for
the expenses and profits of the State.
The remaining three-quarters, at pres
ent s4So.OOo. IS distributed among $40
prizes, nineteen of which are for an.
proximations to the numbers drawing
the capital prizes.
Every precaution has been taken to
have perfectly fair drawing. and the
Havana lottery is doubtless in this re-
spect the most perfect of its kind. The
modus operandi is a, follows: On the
day previous to the drawing the mum.
bers which were taken from the wheel
or globe at the drawing Immediately
preceding. and which. together with
the balls marked with the prizes drawn
from another globe and strung on
wires, are locked in cases, are solemnly
and publicly returned to their respect
i've wheels, which are carefully locked.
The blackboards upon which the mum.
bers and prizes are written down, are
wiped clean, aud every preparation
made for the drawing to take place
early the next morning. The proper
officers are then assembled, and. with A
number of reporters, are seated at ia.
bles on stage erected under the arches
of the old custom house. Several bows
from the founding asylum are present,
and on one side of the stage stands
huge glass globe about siA feet in diam
eter. covered with q netting of wire