Evening star., 1933-05-08
S20,0)D,L LOST HERE
DA|EY0N NUMBERS
Army of Suckers" Pours
L..oney Into Golfers Of
Crooked Gamblers.
(Continued From First Page.)

this racket should not be called pro-
fessional gamblers" There is no gam
BILE to numbers" in so far as the profits
Of the operators are concerned.
Since the pay-off is at the odds OF
actually prevailing against the players,
1t will be seen the operators are FORE
sighted enough to leave juicy 40 per
cent margin of profit for themselves.
And since the game is conducted on
q secretive basis by means OF agents
known as writers" the operator may
pull out of town before the pay-off and
open up business in another city-as
has happened several times to the woe
of holders of winning numbers.
Numbers" operators have found the
game much more lucrative, and more
important than that-conSiderabl safer
from the standpoint of police inter-
ference than any other form Of gambling
racket.
Whereas proprietors Of regular gam
ing establishments must 60 to q great
deal of expense to rent convenient and
copious quarters and install expensive
apparatus and furnishings. the num-
bers" racketeer needs only small, OBJ
scure Office for his headquarters. Equip
ment often consists merely OF q desk
or two, a couple of chairs and a plen-
tiful supply of cheap scratch pads and
pencils.
30 Per Cent Commission.
The pads and pencils are furnished
to the writers" who compose the or
ganization of the big shot" behind
the scenes. The writers" are merely
agents who write down the number
designated by a customer and accepts
his bet on that number to win. In
addition to from 20 to so of these side
walk writers" each headquarters usu-
ally has a score or more of approved
agents in permanent stations-usually
stores, restaurants. barber shops and
similar establishments. All these agents
receive a commission of 80 per cent on
all wagers they write. plus a 10 per
cent commission to be deducted from
the winnings, if any, of their clients.
Each operator also employs few
runners" whose duty it Is to make
daily round of the agencies and collect
the wagers. The runners" usually re-
ceive about $40 week.
The street men who write numbers
apparently have no fear Of arrest, for
the simple reason that there is said
to be no law against the writing OF
bets on the street. The writers GUS
tomarily hang around certain corner,
the location of which is familiar to their
clients. These stations may be near
q Government department, high
school or some business center, or may
be in a colored cofnmunity-for ma
jority of the clients are colored.
One headquarters, which confines it
self to the northeast section. IS re-
puted to take in approximately $2'oOo
a day on the average. Several others,
operating on city-wide basis. collect
considerably more; it is said not more
than two or three average any less.
The s2,O00-a-day headquarters IS hid
den behind a cigar store on one OF the
busiest thoroughfares in the northeast
and it employs between 20 and 80
writers who work regular routes.
Protection Guaranteed.
Most of the numbers" magnates find
It SO easy to separate Washingtonians
from their money that they are able
to guarantee financial protection to any
of their agents. runners or writer's who
are arrested. The only condition Is that
the identity of the boss and the ad-
dress of his headquarters be kept secret.
So long as he is shielded, he is willing
to hire high-priced lawyers and pay
stiff fines. Usually he is willing even
to pay a small salary to any employe
who happens to get jail sentence
instead of acquittal or fine. Obvi-
ouSly he could not afford to be so
generous if his profits were not huge.
According to Lieut.. Nelson o. Holmes,
chief of the police gambling squad,
there are about IL numbers" head
quarters in the District Of Columbia.
and several in nearby Maryland and
Virginia Three of the local establish
ments are conducted by a notorious
gambler who is now serving jail term
for income tax evasion. One OF the
Maryland places is operated by an even
more notorious gambling figure. who
also was sentenced to Jail some time ago
on similar charges. All but three Of
the headquarters in Washington are
conducted by white men.
Some of the racketeerS limit wagers
to IS. Others will accept as much as
$40. The Maryland outfit referred to
is the only one in this section OF the
country which will accept bet Of more
than So
One of the shocking things about
numbers" is that the police know
where many of the headquarters are
located, but are powerlesS to stop the
racket.
How this amazing underworld "busi-
ness" is conducted and why the police
have failed to cope with it will be ex-
planned in subsequent articles.
(This is series of four articles
on the operation OF the numbers
racket in Washington. The second
Uill appear tomorrotD.)