Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-04
BASEBALL GAMBLERS
TAKE BIG PROFITS


Continued From Page One
quarter dollar and gets you a small sealed
brown envelope bearing no inscription
on back or front. You tear off one end,
remove the card within. and read your
fate.
You are doing something that is against
the law, and the first sight of the card
emphasizes tins point. At the top g
printed in big letters THAT Club" That
is, you have become a member OF an
anonymous organization, the units IN
which recognize each other by saying
''Do you belong to that club ?"-meanlng,
of course, that particular gambling club.
which, by the way, makes n net profit
Of S2S6 a week, minus trifiing expenses.
and pays out in prizes only $3.50 a week.
On your card are tabulated the clubs
in the three big leaEues-American, Ma
tional and Federal. Three of them are
punched" with a tlcket-puncher; any
three: and you win If the totals of the
runs made by your three clubs are higher
than the totals made by any other com.
binatons of three clubs, or lower, daily or
weekly.
The prizes offered are SIS for daily
high score' $40 for daily low:" $50 for
weekly high" $40 for second weekly
high" and $50 for weekly low.'
A little figuring exposes the crooked
system Of the baseball gamblers They
can sell ticket with any combination OF
any three clubs of the "a clubs in the
three big leagues designated on II by
''pIInghgg ~ NDW thaTa oO91
different combinations OF three in "a and
they sell a ticket for each OF these 20I4
combinations. Multiplying 25 cents Uhe
price OF each ticket by 2O2i we get S5O5
as the gross weekly total received from
the sale Of the tickets, which are sold
every Monday morning.
Now the prizes, specified above aggre-
gate $3.50 week that is every day some
one gets a sl5 prize for higr score and
some one else gets $40 prize for low
score That makes s25 that is paid daily,
or $3.50 a week, Then the three prizes
for the weeks totals, $50 for high $40
for second high and $50 for low. aggregate
Sl0O, which, with the $50. makes $3.50
paid out every week
Now We found that the gamblers take
In s506 week from the sale of the 25-cem
tickets. and subtracting the $3.50 paid out
in prizes We get net profit of s25s a
week for the gambling Officials" an
outrageOusly high percentage Multi
plying this $3.50 by "a, for the "a weeks
OF baseball. We get a profit for the sea.
son for this one club OF $6l44.
Subtracting from this the expense OF
printing the tickets, distribution, ETC.,
and multiplying by 80, for at least 20 !
clubs" operating ID this city, and we
get at least 100000 as the net profits |
of the gambling "oficlals" In Philadel.
phia alone.
So. out OF your little quarter dollar, Is |
cents is swept into the pockets OF the !
'otficials' before you begin to figure out |
your slim chances. Then you have to |
reckon with the probability that even II |
you win, you will have to share the prize |
with a number of persons who have tied |
your score. For example. on Friday April |
l6. 20 persons divided the daily prize OF $40 |
for low score, giving each so cents, in |
stead Of so The next day three persons
divided the prize for high score.
SCHEDULES ARE DISTRIBUTED.
Every week a schedule is distributed |
among the patrons Of That Club" tell
ing who were the winners in the last
weeks contest. For example. on Thurs.
day, April IS. one OF the names printed
on this slip is that OF &C. e. craver, 1914
Market street" This Mr.. Crayer was
found 70 be the assistant doorman Of the
Palace Theatre and he admitted cheer
fully that he indeed had won a $i5 prize
for having the combination for daily
high score" His teams had been the
Chicago Americans, the Phillies and the
Federals. which made. respee-
lively, 10, 7 and II runs on April IS. a
total OF 30 runs, and more than any other
three teams aggregated in runs
Il bought my ticket from a personal
friend said craFer. He & connected
silh that club.