Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-03-26
Still Lottery
ByAnyName.
US. Hard Up
Game Reapine
Riches for Politicians /,
By DAMON RUNYON

in various cities OF the
United States. Down South IL
takes the form of boleta. In
any form it is cheap and
illegal lottery, in which graft
among public officials Is in
evitable.
In many cities, movie theaters
put on drawings for prizes
under different names, a prac-
tice that is not illegal but that
is certainly species Of lottery.
In some churches bingo Is the
vogue and that, too, Is undoubt-
eddy close kin to lottery.
Then we have. in their sea-
sons, baseball and football pools,
which is lottery. We have book
making on these games and on
horse racing, as well as the
legalized pari-mutuels system Of
betting on the race in many
states as well as on jai-lai in
one state. and the grand total
of money that goes into all these
enterprises. legal and illegal,
must approximate a billion q
year.
Hence our estimate OF $780,.
100000 per annum revenue to
army and navy rekef through a
national lottery is perhaps away
too low, as many OF those We
have discussed the matter with
seem to think. Some believe
that il would be double that
amount, counting taxes. One
perhaps over-optimistic estimate
places the governments end at
$500, 1000 per year.
WE DOUBT that il would be
w possible 10 handle that kind
Of money under any setup that
could be devised However. our
S100,000,000 would be ample to
take care OF the relief situation
and leave money over for other
war purposes. The balance could
be devoted to the war hospitals.
The government assessed taxes
against the winnings OF lucky
American ticket holders In the
Irish sweepstakes though the
sale of those tickets in this
country was illegal.
II assesses taxes against the
income of gamblers though
gambling is pretty generally
illegal and probably on the in
come of the operators of the
illegal numbers game when IL
can catch up with them.
II assessed taxes against the
income Of bootleggers when boot
Logging was illegal and thus
more or less a partner in these
nefarious takings.
Thus IL would seem rather
hypocritical TO argue against the
government engaging in the
lottery bust mess on moral
grounds. especially in view of the
fact that its operation would
probably greatly reduce, IL not
entirely eliminate, the indisput-
able immoralities Of the illegal
enterprises.
THE government lottery would
l. be strictly a wartime meas
ure. Perhaps a brief experiment
might demonstrate its inadvis-
ability If not its impracticability.
But il would be speedy method
OF raising vast sum of money
for a worthy work that now de-
Ponds on the efforts of patriotic
civilians. who at best can raise
only comparatively small sum.
The capital prizes could be asN
large as S150,0O0 but with only
one person permitted to own
one ticket. and with taxation on
winnings at the source. to pre-
vent the possibility of default.
However, the amount of the
prizes and the number would
probably be worked out on the
basis OF the money taken in for
tickets. 1t might even be pos
sible to make the prizes defense
bonds and stamps in lieu of cash.
WHAT we need now is a sure
w footed congressman to in
troduce a bill providing for the
lottery. then we could get the
general reaction to the idea. II
the public thinks ii is wrong we
would all soon know it.
We are reliably informed that
certain financial master minds
connected with the government
favor lottery, but they are
probably afraid TO come out in
the open. what with political
considerations and all.
We used TO think that a lot
terry might impair the morals Of
the people by teaching them to
gamble. Maybe il would. as a
permanent proposition. But after
totting up the millions and mil
lions of dollars that go into the
pari-mutuels machines and into
the hands of the bookmakers
and observing the nice old
church ladies and gentlemen
busy at their bingo, we have
come to the conclusion that their
education in that line has AL
ready been well taken care OF.
Copyright. 1912. by King Features
Distributed by international News Service
% YEARS AGO TO-DAY
A-.-I &c 1917