numbers game

numbers game, the most widespread lottery game in the United States before lottery games were legalized in many states, though illegal wherever it is played. Patrons of the numbers game are drawn chiefly from the low-income classes. The player bets a trivial sum, usually amounting to less than one dollar. He selects his own number, any three-digit number from 000 to 999. The winning number is taken each day from a source that the promoters of the game cannot control—e.g., bank financial balances or pari-mutuel totals at racetracks. The odds against winning are 999 to 1; as the game is usually played, the person who selects the winning number is paid 540 to 1, and the runner who accepted his bet receives 60 units; thus the gross average profit of the promoters is nearly 40 percent of the amounts wagered. The inducement to the bettor is that a 10-cent risk may yield $54.

The promoters and operators of numbers games may routinely pay large sums to politicians and police to protect against arrest. The amounts bet on numbers annually in the United States have been estimated as high as hundreds of millions of dollars, although such figures are unverifiable. Legal alternatives have been proposed, and several states initiated state-wide lotteries in the late 20th century, but the numbers game has continued. See also policy.