St. Paul daily globe., 1885-03-07
GAMBLERS PARyDIsE.
H0,v the Spirit or Gan'nO Has Been EG
tered IN Netc d. leans.

tEre0
New Orleans Corr. of the Phila. Times.
The passion for gambling has been so
firmly implanted in the people OF this city oy
the Louisiana lottery that now all forms OF
gaming exist publicly and in defiance OF law.
1t was found that the immoral element was
stronger than the moral element or that the
gambler and their friends were stronger
than the law, SO the law gave way and gam
bling reigns supreme day and night. Under
state law all banking games are made a
felony. yet the city authorities have over
riden the state law and permit gaming
houses to exist on payment of monthly
license of from $100 to 5000, according to
their business capacity. This money goes
to the hospital fund for the support of the
paupers made by these houses through losses
and drunkenness. The city officials say
that they might as well derive a revenue
from the gam blers as to let the detectives get
it, which argues a rather sad condition OF
morals all around.
The licensing of gambling in this city
about fifteen years ago tended to educate
taste and pave the way for the Louisiana lot-
terry that it now bursts forth in all its passion
ate fury and has converted the city into a
veritabie gamblers PARADISE
WHERE THE GAMBLERS ARE.
Royal and Bourbon streets, just north of
Canal, and st. Charles, near the principal ho-
tells, are alive with gambling dens, running
day and night. The entrances to these dens
are brilliant with electric lights, and another
electric light flashes at the head of the broad
staircase, as if in viting the passing stranger
to the saturnalia within. One gambling
house on Royal street found business SO
prosperous that the entire floor of the adj
joining house was rented and converted into
similar institution. The partition was cut
away and entrance is gained from the one to
the other through small folding doors. In
each of these rooms there, are about twenty
five keno tables, placed lengthwise, and each
table can accommodate from eight to twelve
patrons. At about Z O'Clock in the evening
the victims begin milling, and from
until l or 2 in the morning the large estab-
lishment is crowded to its utmost.
INAKENo DEN.
A stranger on entering is dazed by the
flash of electric lights that swing over the
tables and give the place a supernaturally
weird appearance. From the hub-bub and
smoke he would at first think he was in a
lager beer garden, while the rows of tables
and men with their hats on would remind
him Of a ten-cent restaurant. The hundreds
of players, who are mainly clerks and labor
ing men, are intenty looking at their ten
cent cards and as each number is called it is
registered on an autom attic blackboard at the
farther end OF the room, and when some one
calls ''Kenop' pandemonium breaks loose
for few moments by those who lust
missed it.''
On each side of these keno lines of tables
are groups of other tables devoted to faro,
grand hazard, chuck-a-luck, roulette, rouge
et-noir, twenty-one and every game known
TO the profession. The extreme outer tier of
tables are reserved for the great American
game of draw poker. These tables are fenced
in by brass Tenders and on the wall the Wis
itor reads the strange legend: ''Draw poker
Only players admitted within this railing"
Four or five men are seated at one Of these
tables. one of whom is perhaps the pigeon
the others are going to pluck. Dozens Of
strangers are leaning on the railing, looking
on at the game, betting in their mind, or
perhaps "giving items' to confederate.
THE BANKERS BIG PERCENTAGES.
The "chips" are usually ten or twenty
five cents and one "chip'' is taken out for
the house whenever hand is called, no
matter how much or how little is in the
''pot;" so it will be seen that the percentage
of the house is great and it is only Ques-
ton of short time when all players will
quit loser, unless it be special game to rob
some verdant visitor. A stranger in this
| city, he can scarcely credithis senses when he
first walks into one of these gambling hells
! and reads in large letters upon the wall:
"This game runs all night;'' ''The Jack
takes colors and sides;'' mo bets paid un-
less the cards are registered" Finally he
realizes that he is in gambling house and
that there is no danger of raid, as a uni
formed policeman stands by his side as a
guarantee of good faith and immunity and
occasionally slips down a quarter to test the
virtues of his favorite roulette The faro,
poker and other tables perhaps outnumbel
the keno tables, SO this mammoth double
parlor-hell contains about one hundred and
Fl ty tables. AS they are generally in full
blast day and night, the amount of gambling
in this one establishment is considerable.
This is held by many to be the most extern
sve gam bling house in the United States. II
has its relays Of day and night dealers, but
the betters rest only when they get broke.
There are about twenty other gaming
houses in this portion of the city, but none
so extensive. The amount of money daily
lost and won in these houses would be
hard to estimate; but the effects Of this gen.
eral demoralization are becoming more APP
parent to the better element, who are awak-
ing to the necessity of a reform. A commit
tee of one hundred is talked Of to devise
means Of ridding the city of these institu-
tions that sap its ltfe-blood and make pau
pers and criminals Of its people.