New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-12
01!ONDON GAMBLERS FIND
81. WAY TO EVADE POLICE
The "Game" Moves Every Even
ls: 2 ing 10 a New House, and +
Clients Are Notified.
PLAY HIGHER THAN EVER
80 A Dozen Places Where S100,
.n 000Is Lost Nightly at Chemin
de Fer-Five Per Cent
n.a.. to Proprietor.
LEY Gable 10 The Tribune ]

t.. lBy Gable to The Tribune
90 London, Jan. 11.-Since the recent
raids by the police on gambling places
and houses in the West-End new
scheme has been adopted by the pro-
.pretors to evade the vigilance of the
police The game instead of always
q. taking place in the same house moves
a.tevery night, and kilograms announc-
is1ing the new address are sent late in
The afternoon to the regular custom
Aers' and others.
- Many houses in Mayfair belong 10
retired buffers and are rented fur
..,, nished during the season, besides
.7swhch there are a number of houses
= In the Harley street district which are
,r-"iet out in single rooms to consulting
. surgeons and physicians The profits
s'vof the owners in these cases probably
lever exceed 81 900 a year. and when
- they are approached with an offer or
.,S1O0 or $500 for the rent of single
-,roem. from II o'clock at night to {
So O'Clock next morning it is not likely
ti.athat they will resist the temptation.
ssf Thus gamblers have so far had no
trouble in finding new premises every
= - night, This plan is said to have been
-, thought out by a woman who is among
1.-The most successful of London's gam
>, bling house keepers. Men in the know
ar-say there is no doubt that at the pres
v.aent time there is more gambling in
'H'thae, way of chemin de fer in London
NNsthan in any other city in the world
'',while the banks are higher and the
-. .aightly losses far greater than in any
.,r&oreign casinos
50 May Lose $4,000 in One Night.
IL is not an uncommon thing for
- mantle lose $4,000 in an evening at
h..ene of these 'tclubs," while every night
.4nthere are a dozen or more games being
n.nflayed in the West End, at which any
fl>ihng from $4,000 to 100000 is lost
when from $4,000 to $4,000 goes as
-. a rake-off to the proprietor.
- In chemn de fer the proprietor Of
D.. .,he club takes per cent of the win
nings of each bank, and as the banks
49, are 'pyramided he gets his percentage
-" many times over in the course of the
evening. Probably at the time 5000
bank has run up to 5000 it will have
paid at least % per cent TO the pro-
.,.prietor. and this is one reason why the
rproprietors are willing TO take such
pains and go TO such risks to keep
their clubs going. The proprietor of
one club in Mayfair who opened last
September, admits he made a clear
- profit of more than 100000. and is in
addition the possessor of checks
(Which may or may not be met of a
od'face value of half as much more. And
this mans bankroll when he began
- was $50.
i Many Sumptuously Fitted.
NJ :. Many Of the resorts which are not of
" 1.-THE fly-by-night kind resemble the
famous Crockford's, of the early Vic
,>torian era, and the Cocoa Tree Club,
'sHboth for the sumptuousness of their ap-
~ Continents and the extravaganza Of
the stakes. A few nights ago. it is
=, said, a wealthy Yorkshireman who Wis
=. tied one of these houses lost $4,000 at
"a sitting. In another case the heir to
-.ohis estates-s quandered fortune at the
tables within fortnight.
- That gaming is extremely prevalent
is fully recognized by Scotland Yard,
but the difficulties which confront the
police are so great as almost to pre-
clude effective action. II does not suf-
fee for them TO raid a house and catch
Eseople in the act of playing cards.
They must prove absolutely that the
place is a gaming house. and to do so
1t must be shown that the proprietor
was gaining advantage from the gam
ing. As a rule. those engaged in the
Fgame will not help the police, while the
proprietor endeavors to show that he is
4 bona fide householder and that the
lisitoIx axe all his friends. 1t is no
crime, Of course, for a man to have a
card party in his own private house;
hence. there are obvious pitfalls for the
police officer who acts impetuously,
Under the gaming act the keeper of a
gaming house may be sent to prison,
sbut' It is usual simply to impose fine
and TO bind over the people found fire.
quenting the place not to repeat the
offence.
Client a Cabinet Minister.
While there IS large Spflnkllng OF
Continental adventures in most of the
resorts which have recently been under
surveillance, the visitors frequently in
clude City men. people well known on
the turf, and, in many eases, prom
inent politicians 1t is we'll known now
that q raid recently made, in which
10000 worth Of counters was found
ON the tables. took place in the
afternoon, because the police feared
that if they raided the place at night
they would drag into their net poll
tician who stands high in the nations
regard. Similarly the police refrain
Prom hterfering with house in Grps-
Nenot Square mferred to later. because
they know that 1t is the almost nightly
resort of a prominent statesman and
Cabinet minister, who is popularity
supposed 20 be almost exclusively en-