Evening star., 1934-12-09
Questions
and
Answers
on the
Numbers Racket

@. What did United States
Attorney Garnett ask the news
papers to do, in connection with
the numbers racket"
A. To cooperate in an at
tempt to break up the numbers
game, "one Of the most vicious
forms of gambling in the Dis
trict."
@. How did he propose that
the newspapers cooperate?
A. By refusing to print the
totals OF mutuel prices OF the first
three races at important tracks.
@. Has the publication Of
these totals any news value?
A. 1t has none, outside the
numbers racket.
@. Did Mr.. Garnett say that
to stop the publication Of the
totals would be to stop the num-
bers racket?
A. Mr.. Garnett, in his letter
to the Washington newspapers.
made this statement:
The dissemination of these to-
tails seems a direct aid to this
racket, and if the press Of this
city will unite in refusing to pub
lish the totals bet on the races.
an item of news Of interest, 1t
would seem, only to those gam
bling on the winning numerals. 1t
would 60 a long way to curtail
the activities Of the numbers
racketeers.
Q. Why is that true?
A. The success of the numbers
racket depends, in part, on the dis
semination by reputable organs,
such as newspapers, Of the win
ming numbers. When the num-
bers are conveniently totaled in
a newspaper and made quickly
available to the numbers players
the game is made that much
easier.
@. But If the publication Of
the numbers the players now use
was stopped, wouldn't the players
Immediately choose another COM
bination?
A. They probably would. They
chose the race track numbers
when the New York Stock En-
change deliberately stopped the
publication of certain trading to-
tails, except in round numbers,
because the figures were being
used in the numbers racket.
@. Might not they choose the
Cincinnati bank clearings"?
A. They might. According to
leading brokers in Washington,
there is absolutely no news in
terest in the Cincinnati figures
outside the numbers racket.
Q. Suppose they did choose
some other number?
A. When they do. The Star
has notified Mr.. Gdrnett OF its
readiness to cooperate in any
practical 1rdy he may suggest.
Q. Has Mr.. Garnett's request
for cooperation by newspapers
been effective?
A. Four Of the five Washington
newspapers-The Star. the Post,
the Herald and the Times-have
specifically promised cooperation
or have ceased publishing the
numbers. Washington broadcast
ing stations have given equal CO.
operation in keeping the numbers
totals off the air.
@. Has this stopped the num-
bers racket?
A. No one ever claimed it
would.
@. Has it hampered the num-
bers racket?
A. Police authorities, and some
OF the gamblers themselves, say
IL has made the game more din-
cult.
@. Does the publication Of the
race track totals help the num-
bers racket?
A. 1t probably porides the
most effective aid. in any form,
that could be giren the numbers
racket BY the newspapers.
@. Are Washington newspapers
opposed to the numbers racket?
A. Editorial expressions from
all Washington newspapers indi
cate that they are unanimously
opposed to the numbers racket.
@. Has the experiment of hav-
ing all the newspapers stop print
ing information used only in the
numbers racket had fair trial?
A. Mr.. Garnett's theory that
cooperation by all newspapers
would be effective in fighting the
numbers game was based on the
assumption of cooperation by all
the newspapers. AS long as the
gamblers can get their informa-
tion through the columns of one
newspaper, the experiment has
not had fair trial.