Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-14
GAMBLING ON THE SLOPE.
How Cinnamon Spend Their Leisure
Time In San Francisco.

No one who has ever read Bret Harte IL likely
to form an incorrect impression of the gamb-
ling propensities Of the Heather Chinee."
but Just what they do and how they do it. in
order to get money easily-and lose il more
SOS largely q mystery to those residents of
the far east who do not often come in contact
with the almond-eyed orchids of the Pacific
Slope. A gentleman recently returned from
that Mongol-infested region remarked the
other evening to a STAR reporter: whenever
a Chinaman-we never speak Of him that way
in California, We call him = China boy-when-
ever he gets through his work he packs of to
Chinatown. He may have to be at work
again at or o'clock next morning,
but he won't get back from this re-
sort until about midnight. or even
/ or o'clock in the morning. They must 60
to Chinatown, though, once day. What they
do there goodness only knows. They probably
smoke opium, drink Chinese gin and play
games. They are natural gamblers and they
will sit over a game for hours at time, put
ting UP their wages. They are great domino
players, but they don't play as We do. Their
dominos are larger than ours and have Chinese
characters on them. The mode Of play is de-
termined by the fall Of three small dice con-
tanned in a lite china cup. Another of their
games is the celebrated tan often called
fan-tan.' This is percentage game, some
what like faro.
LOTTERY DRAWING TWICE A DAY.
"Twice every day the Chinese lottery is
drawn. This is the biggest piece Of gambling
Of all 1t is very simple, but wonderfully fas-
cinating One can buy tickets Of almost any
China boy. They are simply square pieces
OF paper on which are drawn a number OF
squares, about forty, perhaps. You pay a GER
tain amount, from 10 cents up, and buy as
many squares as you like by marking them off
That is, you can buy ten squares for 10 cents or
the same number for so cents, only you in
crease your winnings you increase your
stake You select your ten squares in any
order you chose, in rows or series or scattered
all over the paper The drawing is done, as 1
have said, twice each day in little
house down in Chinatown, well guarded from
the police. There is a great square of paper,
an enlarged fac simi1ie of the ticket and on
this 6llndfolded China boy makes ten marks
at random with his pen brush, which is some
thing like an artists crayon stump. He may
make the spots In rows or in any order that
may please his fancy. When he has done this
the sheet Is hung up on the wall and the bows
crowd around it to see what they have won for
that is the official list The lottery is based on
the principle of the marks on the big sheet
colncldlng with those on the tickets. You may
not strike single square or you may strike
half dozen. Up to five you get nothing. If
you strike five you get your money back. six
brings you ln-on basis of an S0-cent stake
q few dollars, seven means nearly hundred
dollars, eight several hundred nine a couple of
thousand, while if you should be so lucky as to
strike all ten, which very seldom happens, you
receive about $4,000 in return for your so
cents.
THE chances.
"Of course the chances are against you, as
they are in any lottery, but the odds are so
great and the price is so small that folks do not
think of the percentape of risk Mapv wbi.a
people put up their squares every day, while
nearly every China boy has ticket tucked in
about his clothes at almost any time. The lot
terry is prohibited by law, but it is played, just
the same, twice a day. A system of sentinels
is kept up, SO that the officers cannot approach
the house without warning being given. When
they arrive everything contrsband is put away
and there is nothing to hang suspicion upon