Gambling: The 18th Century American Lotteries

Lotteries were most likely the most well-known method of raising funds for certain projects.

Benjamin Franklin advised a lottery to finance sufficient funds for supplies to protect Philadelphia from the Indians and French.

People purchased lottery tickets regardless of their legitimate illegal status. This outlook lingered, to the point where lottery companies all over the states were built -- in franchise, in spite of the anti-gambling laws, in any form.

Of course, lotteries have had their setbacks, too. In 1777, he Continental Congress invented a five million- dollar lotter for the intention of funding the Revolutionary War.

All who won for amounts exceeding fifty dollars were assured of paying them in the future -- but were, instead, received promissory notes from time to time.

Because of this apparent fraud and exploitation, most of those who bought winning tickets have never received their prizes, and the lottery was bad news then. Gambling was disregarded and even assured without opposition after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, during the fifty-odd years.

Gambling halls and saloons were erected, the ancient European games were brought in and spread out upon; and deviating gambling methods became prevalent. This extensive acknowledgment of gambling prevailed until the pre-Civil War period. Giant businesses executed numerous deceptive lotteries, and affronted the population.

As part of a reform movement that breezed the country, predilections regarding anti-gambling developed. This campaign was aimed contrary to all types of gambling, but specifically about lotteries. The reform movement, however, several of its members did not advocate the campaign against lotteries.

Moreover, labor reformers extended to assist lotteries although a considerable measure of revenue accumulated came from the laborers who bought tickets. The labor leaders trusted that this was a relatively economical means for the workers to have an opportunity at becoming rich.

In spite of this attitude, the reformers were advantageous in their efforts to prohibit lotteries in almost all states. By the time the Civil War started, only three states still acknowledge them: Kentucky, Missouri, and Delaware.

In 1865, once more, the lottery reared its head. A gambling syndicate from the East were given a go-signal from Louisiana to organize a lottery for twenty-five years - at a cost of $40,000 annually.

Legislators and politicians were bribed, and elections were controlled to guarantee that the Louisiana Lottery continued. Lottery tickets soon were sold all over the United States, and corruption increased, too.

In 1879, the Lottery's agreement was nullified, but the syndicate once more bribed authorities to push an extension.

Considerable bills to cease the Lottery were presented in Washington, D.C., but were abortive until 1890. Legislation was passed that prohibited postal services to mail all Lottery materials. In 1892, the Louisiana legislature vetoed a charter renewal and the syndicate located the operation in Honduras, to steer clear of the postal regulations.