The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-07-22
LOTTERIES OF EUROPE
The Way French and Italian State
Drawings Are Handled.
PRIZES PICKED IN PUBLIC.
offeials Who Preside at the Selection
OF the Lucky kumbers--The Differ.
enee Between the French Bond
Scheme and the Italian Lotto.

A year or two ago a Manchester pub
lican. although he heard that city of
Paris bond which he possessed had
won f2.O0p. was so skeptIcal Of the
genulncncss Of French government
lotteries that he refused 10 believe he
could receive the money. even when
check for the amount came 10 hand
At last he was persuaded to cash the
check. Accompanied by IA few friends,
who were going TO get the money ''or
know why" he set out for Paris.
They invaded the Hotel de VILE and
came away gaping with astonlshment
because the check was cashed the mo
ment he handed II in.
The French state lotteries are
worked on "A system which, while put
ting fortunes into the pockets of lucky
individuals, enables the country TO
raise loans when required. Each stock
or bond, besides earning n small rate
OF interest, entities the holder 10 par
ticlpate IN a series Of drawings FOR
prizes. ranging In value from a soy
eroign 10 several thousand pounds.
The bonds range from iG shillings t.
: eco and. being made payable TO bearer.
can be turned into reldy money very
/ easily.
The drawings for prizes must, ac-
/ cordlng to law, take place In public,
and No one. whether bondholder or
not. can be refused admittance to the
Credit Foncler, where the drawing
takes place. At every drawing the
governor " the bank and other high
officers are present whose duty II Is
10 superintend the whole proceedings.
/ At the commencement one Of them
reads out list of big prizes to be
drawn for. and also states the num-
ber Of bonds which are to be redeemed
at par
Each number Is drawn by boy from
a revolving wheel or drum. varying in
height from four TO eight feet. accord
ing to the number OF persons particl-
patlng In the lottery. This boy IL usu-
ally obtained from n neighboring or
phanage or similar institution. aud the
sum OF 10 francs II placed 10 his credit
In his savings bank book as payment
for his services. Before inserting his
hand in the aperture the boy faces the
audience with his hand In the air, fin
gers outspread, and his arm bare To
the elbow. TO show that he is conceal
Ing nothing before making the draw.
AS he draws each little scroll from
the wheel OF fortune the presiding Of
ticer takes OF the copper covering aad
reads out the lucky number. afterward
a. q .
press for verliCation. And so the
drawing goes on until the whole OF the
prize winning numbers have been
drawn. After this the drawing Of
those bonds which are 10 be repaid at
par takes place the boy drawing them
from the wheel In handfuls and empty
Ing them into a crystal bowl. From
the latter they are taken. sorted out,
counted and entered by clerks.
The Italian state lottery. or lotto. as
II 10 called, Is conducted on somewhat
different lines Each week. at eight OF
the principal cities In Italy, FIVE num-
bers are publicly drawn from the num-
bers one 10 ninety. People have In the
meantime been busy taking tickets for
the lotto, on which are specified the
numbers on which they are playing.
If any two numbers selected by a
player appear among the five drawn.
he receives tifty-two aud half times
his stake: If three numbers appear.
$3.50 times his stake. and If four num-
bers. 6O,O0O times his stake. The low
est stake IL IL centesimi, equal to about
l penny Of Our coinage.
Seeing. lowever, that there are
4.OOJ combinations Of two I'm ninety
numbers, l7,iSO combinations OF
three and no fewer than 2.555, 100 com
binations OF four, II is obvious that the
odds are very heavy against winning
In spite OF this however, the lottery
Is very popular, as may lie judged
from the fact that on an average the
italian government draws f2.5O00OG
every year from this source.
In their selection OF numbers the
Italian gamblers are guided TO a very
great extent by dreams aud events
for no people are more superstitious
Dream books are largely published
and bought while any untoward event
Is looked upon as furnishing q clew
To lucky numbers.
Some time ago for Instance. se1
GUS accident occurred at Genoa. Two
horses bolted. fell he<ldloug from an
elevated piazza into n street below
and were killed, a lamp post being up
set In their fall Immediately those
who witnessed the Tragedy decided tc
play the following numbers: Two
(numbeE of the horses, Ave (equiyalent
OF horse), ninety meanng accident
and sixteen and forty dhe number
painted on the lamp post which was
upset. BY II curious tiuke every one
OF the numbers came out and oyei
J 100000 Ira f2b2, ,OO0-was won.
In Austria and Germany, too. gov
ernment lotteries are hourishing In
stitutions. What Is known as the
: Royal Prussian lottery has MONTH