CHINESE LOTTERIES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 95, 8 April 1876, Page 4

CHINESE LOTTERIE S.

■B The evils arriving from the Chinese lofcleries ' ju Melbourne are so great, that the Legislature ia about to interfere to put a stop to them. The following report from the police authorities, whicii has been presented tothe Legislative Assembly, gives some interesting details regarding the manner in which this particular description of gambling is carried on : — Sir— l have the honor to report, with regard to the Chinese lotteries, that the p^&'ctice of gambling therein has largely increased since the prevention of Ihem was suspended, owing to the defect in tbe law. At present, ten lotteries or banks are in active operation, „dra;wiug twice a day. These are afl|iia'ted tp. about 150 ticket agencies, spreading through most of the principal streets, in. the city and suburbs, all managed. exclusively by Chinese. That the business is profitable and growing, is proved by the number of ticketBhif>§; : Wd by the high rent paid for them, as someof the most advantageous sites in Bourke, Russell, and SwanstonBtreets, have been secured for this kind of trade, which is now an established one, and is -supported by many thousands of customers. It is now twelve years since tbe firßt Chinese lotteries were attempted in Victoria. They were then very littie noticed by Europeans ; but the facility tbey afforded to all olasses and ages to gamble with small sums, and the great temptation's tb win being so seductive, haW extended their operations until the -system has grown to be a monstrous evil. The lottery-ticket shops are open to all comers. The mode of gambling is easy. . The purchaser is supplied with a ticket -[sample No. 1 attached], upon which he makes the marks, as shown, and hands it to the ticket-agent with 6 J., which is the usual amount risked, although this can be increased to any sum* with; proportionate chances in tbe amount. 'tof be" gained. The purchaser informs the ticket-seller of the name pr number/ ©f the lottery in which he wishes to invest. The .ticket-seller and .his clerk then note the ticket in a book, and inscribe some Chinese writing, viz., the date of the issue of the'tj'cket on the margin thereof, and fcandß it back to the purchaser, who then awaits the drawing of the lottery, whic.hrtakes place, in one of the lotteryhouses in Little Bourke-street. •These lottery houses are built or adjusted for the purpose, and contain a robm^fpr, tbe public, parted off from the inner room by strong palisades. The inner room is used for the conductors of the lottery, and is fully under the vie^/jof, tne outside public. About hajf-an-hour before the drawing begins the ticket agents bring in their accounts, with the money paid for the tickets soid, and duplicates of such tickets. On these occasions large sums are frequently received. The drawing of the lottery is performed by about half-a-ilbz3n Chinese, and is begun' by one of them producing a board, to which are attached eighty papers, each a fac-simile of each character on the, lottery ticket marked No. 1. Each paper is taken off the board, rolled up and placed in a basin. They are then shifted and changed about into four 'vases, each containing -twenty papers. These vases are numbered 1 to 4. Four sealed packets are. then placed on a tray and handed to some persons among the spectators without the pallisade, and one packet is seleoted and returned to tbe officiating Chinese, who opens it, and draws out a number corresponding with one of the numbers on one pfv ] the j vases. The contents of this vase are then selected to form the prize ticket. The papers are then taken singly,* : from a selected vase, opened out, and stuck on a board, the offi&iajing Chinese calling out its name to hiscolleaguesin the lottery. As he does so, they mark plain tickets accordingly .pntil the twenty papers have all been^. opened. , The prize-ticket is then complete, as per sample (No 2) attached and is distributed for general information,! '.'lnvestors then compare the ticketsVtbey have bought and marked 'With the prize-ticket, and as the. marked 'squares correspond or otherwise, they win Or lose. It will be seen by the attached samples that No. 1 contains only one square, out of the ten thereon marked, that corresponds with the winning ticket No. 2. The prizes are regulated according to the following scale : — For five corresponding. marks the prize is ls 2d; -for six, 9s; seven, £3 153; eight, £21; nine, £37 10a; and ten, £75. The chances of winning are so small that it is found that to get even five marks is most exceptional, and the chance of gaining the larger prizes is almost incalculable, and if it were made by an. actuary the result would be most surprising. It has been found by experience that £2 invested in tickets has produced only '2a 8d in prizes, and this is very uncertain. * This, mode of gambling is so infatuating as to deceive those who follow it, and renders them blind to the ohances against their winning. AIL* legislation on this subject will require to be most stringent, as the Chinese are not likely to surrender their large gains wiihout endeavouring to devise some cunning means of evading'the law. It is known tbat many of the Chinese only pretend to be agents for the. lotteries, and carry on a

lucrative trade in the sale of tickets, taking on themselves the chances of profit or loss. In all former proceedings against lottery-keepers the mode pf prosecution has been to prove the receipt of money by them from the ticket agents, and the drawing of the lottery, as described above; but tbe Chinese may attempt to avert detection by carrying on these prooeedings in private or beyond the limits of the colony. Hence the importance of a stringent law against the ticket sellers. I would again -tjeg, therefore, respect- • fully to suggest that a stringent clause should be introduced, making it an offence to sell or dispose of any tioket or tickets in any lottery. "'