The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-12-05
City Administration Tolerates
Robbery by Gamblers.
RtPAclous SLOT MACHINES.
Players FIeeced by Automatic De-
vices Where Pereen'"s
Profit Is So High That Winning
Is ImpossibIe-Games OF 'h""s
whore Fortune Plays No Part
Allowed Below fesier

| The present agitation against .re
| rant existence of vice IN Seat,ie nas $50
\ ~ tho gambling evil which not even the
1 rr-zt-sr,4srt supporter of the policy OF
| the present administration Is abe 10 con
| an,a The feature of the evil referred TO
| IL the existence Of sure-thing games noe
| only in the gambling halls pelo" iesiet
| wav. which remain open by sunerance Oh
the city government pu' al o'iet pa
| OF the city as well.
\ The money paying nickel-in-tne-siot
\ machines which are now TO De iouhu III
| saloons and other public places through
| out the city are especially distastetui 10
| citizens who although not straight-iaceo'
| are law abiding and opposed to the los
| terinp OF vice and crime by the officers
| elected to enforce the laws. For years
| the money-paying machines were under
| the ban OF the police department ana
were not tolerated in any part of the city.
Within the past two years, however,
| every such restriction has been removed
| and at present probably $50 OF these gam
| bling devices are In existence WITHIN the
| city limits
| Gamblers who do not approve OF rob-
| berry in their profession are open In their
| condemnation of the money-paying siot
| machines, and gamblers who hesitate az
nothing In order to win money are forced
to admit the inferiority of their most APP
proved methods to the work of these de-
vices which they unite in declaring can
not be beaten except by burglar with
a sledge hammer.
Some of the homeopathic slot ma
chimes now allowed to operate by the
| city administration are said to be guaran-
teed to win for their owners rs per cent.
Of all coins played into them by those
who are foolish enough to patronize
them. Such machines are practically rob-
bling devices pure and simple. Neverthe-
less they are patronized, and II is con-
servatively estimated that fully N5Oo In
nickels Is poured into the Golfers of the
owners of money-paying slot machines
in Seattle each day.
Worst Feature of Machines.
The worst feature of this form of gam
bling IL that il allures and leads to their
ruin the young and inexperienced who
would never think of playing at cards or
dice for money. OF entering a gambling
house. but who are little by little drawn
into the habit of gambling through daily
risking few small coins in the money
paying machines. II Is claimed that no
attempt is made by the police to prevent
boys and even girls and little children
from playing the money paying machines.
The slot machines alone would be bad
| enough but during the past four years
| the unrepressed increase of public gam
| bling has been so steady and the competi-
ton has grown so fierce that the gam
blers who have .reaped the benefit of the
| city's liberal policy have within the past
| few months put into operation games of
/ chance which hardly merit the name, and
which in cities more sternly governed
than Seattle would not be tolerated for an
4 instant
| As is well known by most people who
/ are at all familiar with the facts as they
| exist, there are certain gambling games
which. while they are not countenanced
1 by law are tolerably fair TO the player
and AFFORD him theoretically at least
practically an even chance to win, except
for the advantage given the operators of
| the games by their greater capital and
| the well-known unwillingness of nearly
| all players to back their good luck to the
same extent that they will their bad.
These games. the principal ones of
which faro and roulette, we're the Only
ones which for a time after public gam
/ Of the police department were allowed
/ 10 be played. Within the past few
months however, the competition be-
! tween the rival gambling houses has be-
come so keen that now there are dozens
| OF games running entirely without inter-
| ference from the police department,
| which are practically undissuised forms
All Have Side Games.
Not one Of the four large gambling
houses now open 20 the public In Seattle
| is without what are technically called
! Side games, term used TO distinguish
] between faro ana roulette ana tAelr more
/ profitable and less arlstocratic compet-
| itoTs. BY sheer force of competition
/ some gamblers who ordinarily would hes
tate 70 resort 10 such means fer winning
money have been forced TO put Ia the
high-pcrccntage side games and are now
deriving revenue through methods all
but admittedly criminal,
Before the Seattle police department
reached its present stage OF docadence
spasmodic efforts were occasionally mad,
70 repress the htgh-percentage games. but
M Ia
Of the owners Of the largest gambling
| house Ia the city the restrictions were
Z removed. and now anyone who complies
with the other police regulations is al
lowed 10 run games at which th.. player
has practically no chance 60 win.
By ions odds the worst OF the many
/ games tolerated BY he police IN Scattl,
I Is stud poker as PLAYED In tho etmbIin.
houses mentioned. Ia reality the game
80 played Y a same no longer Il i;
merely "a t9,d, 9ldisguiscd mode OF swim
ding as certain aga.nst the unshphfstt
ca&cd Yla3Cr ass the but hers knit,
against the innocent lamb or the sandbal
% the highw = man against the unsus
pect.as pedestrian,
The worsE feature 81 the game Is tia
20 All outward % earances Il r. fair Tn,
cards arc generally shufaed and deal
w4th Utmost importantly. the piatei
whose mprey Is 20 Pc won" loses fol
THE simplt reason that great majority
are What are ,e hnically known as boost
/ ers. employed by She house % NAV ttl
money aNAiust she money AZ the nnsn
phtstlcafed PLAYER. technically known a.
Suc ser
NJ matter how lucky The player on N,
outside may De he "a certain In the en-.
o. lose Inc boosters are thoroughly
SRI led IN theis duties aad With the assist
anra vt thr dealer 81 the game Who d
| en- FlaXcd ty the eambiiug house. alEayl
/ corsr,ve Go force the mayer 10 Net ht
money against che strongest hand hcs
| hs any ~ fhcir numAeF Rarely the eut
siac uAaycr gH~s away With some of ~,
hlGre's money. hut 50 rarely thar a deal
or Wh1 allows such a thing to happen \
hooked uDon Nifh suspioiou and rnns IN.
r.sk 20 being discharged should & occu
! again
Is Baaka Mas Trick
such combination playing as that o,lt
arFt 3s a yet gained part ~ the sunk.
mans stock tn trade e - a tribe si0ae
i1 rs operation perhaps than cheating
ey the manipulation % the cards bat no
r8rticie less certain The men on IN,
s0si8e tire boxes, ers play only tQ heat III,
PLAYER ou the outside Hts money they al
attempt 20 ain tn no case. however, doe
I he Ect q chance 20 win from more thar
one ~ them Where all the PLAYERS ar