Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-30
STATE LOTTERIES FLOURISH
POPULAR WAY OF LOSING
MONEY IN SOUTHERN ITALY.
Game Of Chance Runs in France and
Public Drawings Are Attended
With Ceremony.
From London Tit.Bits.

s'o" bonuou llt-bite-
The statement recently made by the
postmaster general that he had con-
nscated no fewer than 10000 lottery
circulars which had been posted at one
ONCE, and thus secured something like
A6V, which had been paid on them for
postage. affords some idea Of the gigantic
extent OF this particular form OF
gambling. Every year hundreds OF
thousands OF circulars advertising for
eign lotteries are scattered broadcast by
post throughout the Kingdom I'm contra
vention OF the lottery act and the postal
regulations.
In order to evade the law these cir
culars. with stamped addressed en-
velopes in separate patches. are sent in
bulk from the continent to England to
be posted here. to save the bankers
VINO send them the foreign postage. The
postmaster general has power to refuse
to deliver postal packets of this descrip-
ton, but he has not sufficient authority
to open them, so as to assure himself
of the nature OF their contents and, with
the view OF Strengthening his hands i'll
this respect, more drastic legislation is
contemplated.
Millions Of pounds are spent every year
on state lotteries, and while IL Is impos-
Sible to say how much the British specu-
lator or gambler invests in them, 1t is
Wen known that he risks a great deal I'm
the hope Of suddenly becoming rich. In
connection with the Italian state lottery,
Tor example. II Is estimated that about
100 a week goes out of London, and
that at least f3O0 comes back as win
nings. And il may be safely assumed
that hundreds of pounds are also risked
on the state lotteries in France and Ger
many. The percentage of lottery tickets
and foreign premium bonds held by home
and colonial investors is. however. very
q rod ~
nent. where hundreds of persons every
year win prizes ranging in value from
thousands OF pounds to a few shillings.
1t Is seldom. indeed. that such a stroke
OF luck falls to the lot of British sub
scriber to a state lottery as was expert
enced three years ago by an English
woman. Mrs. Savage. who won prize
OF f4O.OOO. Like many others who. put
ting their luck to the test. have sold their
chances at a smat, profit, and found later
to their disgust that their bonds have
drawn prizes. Mrs. Savage was tempted
by an offer Of ESQ to part with her
ticket. Fortunately. she refused.
Less fortunate was q wine shop keeper
in the Faubourg Montmartre. Paris. He
held bond in the Town Of Paris loan OF
1868. A couple Of days previous to q
dra wing he sold his bond at it's market
value, and his state of mind can be inn
agined when he learned that it had drawn
a prize Of $4,000.
~ ~O,SVS AoA a OdAA SACA n.
In another case a bank clerk learned
to his establishment that he had won
100000. His luck proved to be his I'M
doing. however, for having quilted
work he went headlong into a life OF
dissipation, and In less than three years
had been reduced to penury. Only a
week or two since it was learned that
a factory owner at Cannes had won q
prize of 100000 francs in a draw Of the
City of Paris bonds year ago. and
knew nothing about it. One day he
went to a bank at Cannes to cash some
coupons The clerk in examining them.
discovered that one Of them had won
a prize at last years drawing, and re-
marked it to the owner, who was
aEreeably surprised. He had never
thought Of paying any attention to the
would ever be lucky enough to become
q winner
There are many other instances In
state lotteries OF prizes being UNI
claimed. At the present time there ~
something like E12O.O0O going a-beg-
ging in France for want Of claimants.
What a Lottery Yields.
Some interesting figures have just been
published showing the working of the
state weekly lottery which is so enor-
mously popular in Italy, especially in the
southern provinces. The other day 1t was
reported that during 19O7-OS the Italian
national weekly lottery yielded the state
a net profit of f1, 1851.
Not SO many years ago any one could
run a lottery in France, but the liberty
was abused to such an extent that a law
was passed prohibiting the practice ex-
cept under sanction of an act passed by
the chamber of deputies and ratified by
the senate. Even then it must be proved
that the object Of the lottery is a matter
of public utility, such as the raising OF
funds for a philanthropic institution or
the floating of municipal or government
enterprises. If the lottery is of a general
character however-that Is to say. for
all France-it is conducted under the d.
rect control Of the home office. The draw
ings for French government, municipal
and other loans, in connection with which
numerous prizes or premiums of varying
values are always offered. are held with
open doors. Any one may be present when
a drawing takes place at the Credit Fon-
cier 1t Is presided over by the governor
tickets to be drawn. representing the
numbers of the bonds issued. are con-
tanned in large metal wheel having
glass sides. They are hidden In small
brass cartridges. and until one of these Is
unrolled. after being drawn from the
wheel, the number cannot be seen.
How It Is Worked.
The wheel itself Is sealed with heavy
seals and fastened with double or
triple lock, the keys Of which are al
ways held by responsible officials.
Brought forth from the strongroom
where the wheel reposes in the interval
between drawings, the seals are broken
and the small door in the periphery. un-
locked. Particulars of the prizes to be
drawn for and the number Of bonds to
be redeemed having been read out, the
wheel is revolved to mix the tickets.
Then a small boy from an orphan school
steps forward. his arm barred to above
the elbow. He shows his hand empty,
fingers apart. The door in the wheel Is
opened and he plunges his hand in and
withdrawing a ticket. holds 1t aIoft to
show that only one ticket has been
drawn. Then 1t is handed to the gov
ernor who. unrolling 1t. announces the
winning number. And the process is re-