The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-10-27
LOTTERY in ITALY
Gambling Under the Auspices Of
the Government.
THE DRAWING IN PUBLIC.

Watches This Ceremony With In
tense Interest-The Prizes and tho
Chances Of the Players.
King Humbert l. made the rules for
the public lottery Of Italy:
First.-The public lottery is Temporal
rily maintained by the favor Of the
state under the following laws.
Second.-It is administered by the
minister of finance, under whom the
chiefs are chosen for their respective
| functions.
Third.-The lotto is formed by nine
ty, numbered from / to 80, inclusive,
five of which drawn by chance deter
mine the successful.
Fourth.-One can play the lotto in
the following manner:
On one number very rarely played.
On all five numbers very rarely
played.
On two numbers-the "ambo."
i On three numbers, which Is known
as the ''terno"
},
the "quaterno."
i Fifth.-When one number is played
4 the winner is paid ten times and a
half his output; when two numbers
!, are played the winner is paid $50
times his output; when three numbers
are played the winner Is paid $3.50
times his output; when four numbers
are played the winner is paid 10000
times his output. Therefore If one has
{ by any chance bought a No. ticket
and wins. the four numbers (Quaterno)
he wins 100000
At o'clock on every Saturday after
noon throughout all Italy the drawing
! of the lotto takes place. In Naples
the ceremony is held at the end Of
foul, filthy alley known as the Impre-
sa, back in a great courtyard. in full
. view OF the people on the balcony OF
. an old palace. From early In the aft
ernoon until the fatal hour the streets
of Santa Chiara and the alley I'LL up
with the crowd whose hope on this
. day is to be deceived The streets are
always so full of life that for this
extra crowd, iostling, pushing and
eager, there would seem to be no place.
1t is comprised of the very poor. The
better classes watch for the telephone
or the showing of the numbers in the
> various banks in the city to discover
: their fate. but in the Impresa the
: crowd of people is as dense as shad-
ow. There are many here who have
g paid their last cent for ticket. There
i are many here who are in debt for the
e shoes they wear and viii never be able
to pay for them. But at the stroke OF
Y the church clock the blinds of the bal
a cony open and the paraphernalia OF
n the lotto are brought out-a long
/ green table, on which is placed crys-
o tai ball bound with silver, and an iron
" box containing ninety other little box
d es, in which the ninety numbers are
e locked by the state. The officers of
d this performance are coolly Indifferent.
l. and the only figure deserving of note
q is that of the Iii orphan child, dress
g ed in snowy white, chosen by law from
!. the orphan asylum to draw up from
= the crystal ball the five magic num-
r. bers.
!. At the sight of these familiar, looked
for objects the crowd begins to cry
and chant, to beseech and evoke. 1t
: begs the little orphan child to draw
:. well. And the childish his white robe.
:. his innocent eyes on the mass Of peo-
= pie, looks down on the beggars with
e their yellow locks and on the appeal
l. ing mass One by one the balls are
q taken out from their sealed boxes. dis
played to the people and dropped Into
,e the big bowl.
u They have blindfolded the little BAN
IT bino, and he stands on chair. for he Is
al only eight years of age and Is small. In
n, full sight of the people. The balls hav-
ID ing been shaken around for the last
time. the child puts his hand in and
m draws. The first number that he pulls
j., out is called forth-"No D." Now. every
IS italian who has bought No. for place
lg has either won or lost No one holds
re this number in this crowd, however
ie and there is murmur-and a fresl
Or admiration for the child TO draw well
The people who have drawn for the
terno and the quaterno still have theil
chance. The child draws again. Thu
time No Al. and the holders OF tnt
terno are now the interested ones. f3l
n the next will be their last chance. TIT
I enthusiasm breaks forth again witt
murmurs and cries and prayers, ant
the quiet child before the urn in hi
white dress hears them and trembles
for he knows that he is menaced. Be
fore the people there is blackboard
and man posts up the numbers al
they are drawn-5. II. II. 10 and ~
And this series of five is discussed
yelled at. challenged. cursed. for no
one in the crowd has drawn a fortu
j nate number The chiIds eyes are un
bound. and he is put down and Sc
free. The balls are returned into thei
ct boxes sealed up and carried away un
der the eyes of the crowd. which afte
=, waiting for a moment. unable to be
leve it's Ill fortune. breaks up and dis
rupts. Apathy is thrown upon the ma