Evening star., 1934-12-07
Numbers Games Grip on Nation
Barred in Magazine article

IulB HuIHDeT IOT many Clues on Cne
day after election, November 7. On
that day. early reports from New
York gave Gov. Lehman'S plurality as
805, 900 and, as numbers players almost
invariably are "hunch" players, the
racket's banks" which paid of on
the first three races lost a great deal
of money
Suppose your dime had been bet
on 805. How would you have known
that you had won, if you hadn't gone
TO the track? All the papers carry
the mutuel prices. You could figure
up the totals for yourself, but as addi-
ton seems to be beyond the powers
of the average numbers player, some
newspapers carry the totals in heavy
type.
You want the $50 you won, at 900
to 1. It's lot of money to win for
dime-and it certainly is a lot If
you can get it, because quite often
you can't. If one of the branch
banks" has been hit hard, 1t may
ask the police to stage a friendly
raid" upon it. and then the mob
can use this as an excuse to refuse
payment numbers slips are some
times printed: IN Case Of Raid, No
Pay"). Other blanks" simply refuse
to pay, which has accounted for quite
few of the murders.
Moreover, II your luck Is good and
you collect your winnings. 1t will be
S54. not $50, because the numbers
writer gets 10 per cent commission
from any of his customers who win
Nor is that all. You are supposed to
hand him another 10 per cent or so
for a tip-that is winners ethics.
Your winnings now are about $50.
Lucky TO Win at All.
Perhaps you will be inclined to
grumble about the way your $50 has
been cut to $50, but if so. you can
count yourself lucky that you didn't
bet $40 and win $4,000 You might
have been slugged and robbed on
the way home.
You also are lucky to win at ALL
or to be betting on day when they
pay off on race-track results which
are based on the totaliZator, an eX-
pensive betting machine, which fig
ures. without human aid, the totals
wagered The totaliZator. now in use
at few of the eastern tracks. Is ad-
mittedly beyond tampering. In the
case of parimutuelS, where each ma
chimes totals are checked by auditors
and added. there is a chance for
tampering-Witht the auditors.
But the totaliZator or tote" as
race-track frequenters call 1t, does
the adding for itself.
That element of human nature IS
the ingredient without which no num-
bers game would be as successful as
it is. Many men can be fixed in
many lines. Let one Of the numbers
men speak: ANY track that uses
pari -mutuelS can be taken care of
All that is needed is an auditor. and
if there's a heavy play throughout
the country that day on 729, then 729
with the cash while the totals are
being figured will do the trick.
"Breathers" and Control"
There's less chance for fixing when
the payoff is on the first three races.
If they are paying of on the first
second and fifth races. for example
there is more time to do the fixing"
This lapse of time between payoff
races (the numbers men call it a
"breather') has a vital bearing on
the so-called "Control' system. By
controlled" numbers. the mobS mean
rNttt, t,ar- ,f,,l, H.
advance. to their various branches.
In figures other than those based on
race-track totals. it may be even easier
to arrive at a controlled" number
1t is only matter Of finding out what
the total is going to be before any
one else can, and adding enough at
once to make the figure come out as
you wish. Expensive, sometimes, but
not too expensive
Perhaps you would like to belong
to the organization. You have built
up a thriving numbers business in
your own city; the Schultz organiza-
ton has not yet found it worth while
to take over direct control. Returns
are too small for them to work for,
but not too small for them to share.
Let us assume that two members of
the Schultz board of directors call
on you. The callers inform you that
the mob will give you controlled"
numbers in advance of the payoff, in
return for 40 per cent Of your win
nings. You get go per cent.
Cleaned" by Friends.
There is a Nationwide hook-up by
telephone, and at IL o'clock in the
morning you are called by long dis
tance from New York. Tab your
business" says a voice. You have
totaled up your tally sheets, showing
bets on all numbers, and know that
your best number (the one with the
least amount wagered on it, is 006;
your worst is 109 You ask that the
winning number be controlled" so
that it will be 006. You get it.
BY such hocus-pocus the minor
executive is assured of winning, but
he may have to pay handsomely, later.
for the assurance. The day comes
when you find that you can't get the
number you ask for. The usual
morning call comes through and you
ask for 215. Nope" is the reply,
cant give you 215, there's a heavy
play on that one in Trenton, and we
have to give the guy there a break"
Then, how about 218? Nope, that's
bad in Pittsburgh" At last you are