Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1903-12-05
Ell PASO A MONTE CARLO
Millions Change Hands In Gambling
Places Of The Border City,
GAMBLING CONDUCTED As A BUSINESS

El iaso Letter to the New York Ev-
/ ening Telegram.
Eigh. hundred miles distant from
a city of any size, the center OF a
desert radiating 500 miles In any di-
rection and situated on the bound
aries of two states. one territory and
two republics is TIE Monte Carlo OF
the United States. In no city of
smaller population-in fact, nowhere
in the United States. save In mining
camps is wide open gambling per-
mitted as IL Is in this city Perhaps
in the larger city resorts more money
changes hands at periods, but the orr.
gnal sport in I'll Paso Is continuous,
constant and uncurbcd This Is In a
state that has more stringent laws
relative to gambling than In any other
/ commonwealth in the Union. But El
Paso is GOO miles across an aria
waste from Texas proper and is a
community In itself.
Twenty-one million and two hun.
drea thousand dollars year, an aver.
age of $4,000 day, changes hands
in El Paso. place OF less than
10000 inhabitants. This amount does
not include private gambling games.
There are ninety-four wide open
gambling places WITHIN two miles OF
the custom house. In the suburbs and
! Just across the Rio Grande. at Juarez.
| Mexico, are forty-six more houses
that carry on gambling in various
forms. These 40 resorts conduct
poker, roulette, monte, faro, dice and
other games. There Is an sverage OF
four games in progress day ana
night In each place. or total of $50
games simultaneously In operation
n I'll Paso
The amount OF table gambling here
Is sixteen times greater than the to-
tai dry goods business, Wholesale and
retail. Moreover, II is conducted on a
cash basis.
In the gambling houses OF this city
there are AGO employees who operate
the games These 2gures do not In.
clude porters and other attendants.
The average salary of the operators
OF tables and machines is IS a day,
making a total daily expenditure Of
salaries only $4,000. One third Of q
million is usually expended for rents
With four exceptions. these ninety.
four gambling houses have saloons
attached and the total investments
In bars and gambling Axtures aggre.
gate more than two million dollars
many times greater than the capita
in any other business In the town
excepting smelling.
There are few games In I'll Pasc
that are able to stand losses OF from
$1,000 to $4,000 In a single day and
continue business. This does no,
often come to rass, however, as the
business has been successful from
the start and few games stop each
year for want or funds.
The most dangerous man 20 gamb
ling house intesest is the plungel
from the COW country and mining
camps. he plays heavily and Il
lucky soon makes a killing" Should
he quit at this stage of the game tho
house is out large amount. Thi.
does not often happen, as he de
lights in being game" The ST,
strongest houses In the city carry
$4,000 to $40 900 on hand, as well a,
commensurate deposits in the banks
|, There are no low class rdesorts II
FL Paso such as prevail in the cite:
Of the east and middle west, wher,
I NJ In Ia. atrln "A
Here II is a business, the houses be
ing on the lower floors and prlncipa
streets of the town conducted b,
men thoroughly responsible.
, Unlike places of gambling con
Quoted secretly away from the Dor
der. the resorts are square" Th,
industry is guarded by the author
tiles and no game can be run tina
, is not conducted on what they cal
legitimate basis. When its evil
are far In excess OF its virtues. /
is n time honored and excepted in
stitution. Again because the gamb
, Ter is honest, Pays his debts and 4
; liberal In mis- contributions to char
tiles and churches he Is In a differ
ent atmosphere from that surround
+ ing the gambling operators elsewher
In the United States.
Gambling in FL Pas9 is entlrel.
, different from the popular view
: There Is. OF course. the periodical
suicide and story OF a wrecked life
hut gambling nail brawls and killing
are practically Of the past. II is no
: now men gambling with each Other
= but patrons playing against houses
which are known TO be square.
: They are business institutions, and
= while they are resorts for sports,
{ they are also the places of specula
!. tion for persons who invest as on
s would In cotton futures or mex
= weeks grain merket.
The gambler OF the far southwes
4 wants nothing but his regular PEI
. centage. In faro and few othe
y games there II no percentage as 1
!. roulette but the player has TO
a all the guessing and that keeps u
Z the game to the promoters adva'
Z tage the patron missing II ofte
+ enugh to give the game good prof
+ The trade OF the gamblers is derive