The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-28
CORONATION GAMBLING


Americans have by some foreigners
been termed a asstnation Of gamblers" but
this is somewhat libelous, even If our
grain pits and stock exchanges do some
times, under excessive excitement, become
the: arenas Of some very reckless gam
bling, and regular gambling hells abound,
and in private life as well as on the race
course there is much speculation on
chances.
During the past week or SO the world
has had an opportunity to see to what
extent. the English people are addicted
to gambling. They have been betting Oh
the chances of the king living until June
rs and being crowned. This kind Of
chance-taking has not been confined to
groups Of individuals here and there. but
the London underwriters have gone into
the business of granting speculative in
surances on the kings life which has en-
gendered vast amount of fierce specula-
tion, hardly exceeded in vigor by a craze
in Kaftirs. The London underwriters is-
sued short-term policies pledging them
selves to pay specified sum of money in
the event of the kings death or the fail
ure of the coronation ceremony to ma
terialize, and the failure Of the corona
tion ceremony has already cost them an
immense amount of money, They have
saved themselves on the policies based
upon the survival of the king through the
date Of the coronation, but they have also
| issued policies on the kings survival OF
the present acute crisis, growing out Of
the narorw chance of life since the opera
| tion was performed. In case Of the kings
DEATH the losses Of the insurance COM
panies who have gone into the rather
risky game would go into millions of
pounds sterling. .. Z
In this country no insurance companies
would go into this line of speculative in
surance except .conscienceIess wildcat
concerts. In England it is said that even
| legitimate companies are willing to issue
such short-term gambling policies. It is
a game of chance like any other, but, in
1 a. matter of life or death or health and
disease. as in the kings case, the condi-
:. tions are a little different, for gambler
| connot follow his usual guide of COM
biraticns and chances. Gambling ex-
, perts hold that there are chances bring
ing into the game all possible combina-
tions up to a certain limit, and chances
through the record of "luck' of the play
er. They hold that the oftener the same
combination has occurred in succession,
the nearer is the certainty that it will
not recur at the next turn-up. It is the
neglect of this indication which has led
so many millions Of lambs to the
! slaughter. In horse racing there are
more chance of winning than in the case
of. gambling en- the coronation
. or upon, The kings death. An
expert bettor at races seems to know by
I long practice how to combine the odds
he can get the odds on the lot, or how to
calculate the chances of double or triple
events. In racing, moreover, there are
chances which sometimes amount to a
dead certainty, in the fixing" of jockey
and other methods OF manipulating race
for special interest.
What are the chances as to a sick or q
dying man attaining a certain date of a
certain month in the year? The issues of
life and death belong to God. 1t is said
every man is immortal until his work is
done.'' Who can guess the limit? It is
race between life and death. The best
i of surgeons are not infallible. Indeed,
I they make most terrible mistakes so1ne-
times. They seem to be peculiarly unfor-
tunate with royal patients and with the
! most distinguished Of public men and
presidents, as in our own country. No
insurance comp any can "fx'' death. That
is horse which cannot be bridled and
bitted by human ingenuity.
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