The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1878-06-16
LOTTERY EARNINGS.

Lottery Company. IhaC Jne people now see
through this swindle is proved by the failure
and closing-up Of several lottery offices
around town In the past few weeks and by
fhe immense falling off In the number Of COM
hination tickets sold. The lottery manage
lnei,t appreciate this fact; in times past they
depended largely on this daily drawing for
their campaign funds; they do so no longer,
and are concentrating all their energies on
the monthly and grand semi-annual draw
inqs. which they confidently count on to
return them golden harvests.
We have shown how their combination
drawings compared with those OF other lot
teries. Let us see how their monthly draw
jnrs compare with the lottery schemes OF
other countries; the proportions that the
nrIzes therein bear to the tickets sold, the
amount of money that the Lottery Company
annually pockets
On this point there Is extraordinary ignor-
ance among our people, and for the best OF
reasons. The Louisiana Lottery Company Is
a, monopoly; 1t forbids, under severe penal
ties Of fine and Imprisonment, the sale OF any
save It's own lottery tickets within this State;
the publication even Of any other lottery
AANNASA
ana. Our people, therefore, are unable to
compare Howard's scheme with any other,
and are consequently unable to see its swtnd-
ling character.
The last grand drawing Of the Louisiana
Lottery, OF which the company Is especially
pro,ld. because the capital prize was at last
drawn-the drawing Of a big prize being re-
Qarded with surprise, amounting to awe,
even. by the lottery men themselves, and
held out as something extraordinary, wonder
fiji and unusual-contained 100000 tickets and
1889 prizes, or one prize to every 7T6 tickets.
These were really all the prizes awarded, the
mere return of the price OF your ticket
scarcely deserving to be called prize, unless
d man Is to consider himself lucky for having
escaped from the clutches Of the lottery
without loss.
How do other lottery schemes compare
with this? And is there any truth in the as
sertion published In the Lottery's defense in
last Thursdays Picayuae that "the schemes
Of the Louisiana Lottery Company are as
liberal as those of any other lottery honestly
conducted2"
The oldest lotteries in existence are those Of
Germany and Italy. Many Of these have
been In operation for centuries, and during
their long career have never had word said
against their "honesty" Indeed, they are
conducted by the government, which holds
itself responsible for their honesty and good
faith. lis the Louisiana State Lottery as lib
eral as these? Let us see: The Hamburg
lottery, which has been drawn biennially in
the free city of Hamburg since 1741, issues
$1,000 tickets and 46,2O0 prizes; the Royal
Saxon Lottery, drawn at Dresden since 1881,
awards $4,000 prizes to 100000 tickets; the
Ducal Lottery Of Brunswick -Luneburg issues
$1,000 tickets and A, 900 prizes.
The real point, however, the test whether
lottery Is swindle or not, is its net earn
ings-the proportion of ticket money which it
pays back on prizes, and the share that it
drops into it's own pockets. Here, indeed, is
the feature of the Louisiana Lottery that
makes it what it is-the enemy Of the people
of Louisiana, the grandest of swindles and
humbugs.
The lottery has always shown the greatest
disinclination to make public its financial
affairs; 1t endeavors to keep all facts con-
nected with its drawings hidden and dark.
1t declines to tell how many tickets there are
in it's daily drawings, and seeks to conceal, as
far as possible, the number in its grand semi
annual drawings, neglecting to publish in any
of our lottery papers the number OF tickets to
be sold, although it tells in at least hundred
different places the number of prizes to be
awarded. But an investigation into the
scheme shows the following results: 52I per
cent Of the money taken In for tickets is paid
out in prizes, the remainder 4734 per cent goes
into the pockets of the Lottery Company.
The gains of the lottery in year, outside OF
the daily drawings would be no less than
81 ,S55,O0O were all the tickets sold 1t is
not to be supposed that this immense
amount is required to carry on lottery-it
is more than absurd to pretend so-unless the
management Of a lottery includes the man.
agement of the press and the Legislature.
Indeed the Is per cent deducted from the win
nings in the daily drawing are amply sufii'
cient to pay. all the legitimate working ex-
penses of the lottery.
Instead of being as liberal as other lotte-
ries, the Louisiana Lottery Company pays
back, without exception, the smallest pro-
portion of ticket money as prizes, not only OF
any lottery now in existence, but Of any that
ever existed at any time.
In the Brunswick -Luneburg Lottery, the
Royal Saxon Lottery, the Hamburg Free
CITY Lottery, which distribute annually
nearly SS000000 of prizes, the whole amount
of money paid in for tickets is paid out again
in prizes. Is per cent only being deducted for
the cost of management and benevolent pur.
poses. That is the gross gain Of these lotte'
ries is Is per cent; of the Louisiana State
Lottery 4724 per cent; more than three times
as much. These European lotteries find tha
Is per cent not only pays for running the lot
terry, but leaves an immense amount over
every cent of which is given to benevolent
institutions. The cost of management" is
per cent; the other II per cent goes Il
charity. What does our lottery give in the
way of charity?
The monthly and semi-annual drawing
contain S4,0OO00O worth of tickets. The lot
tery's charity-which means its monopoi.
,,,41 an if- 11aC