Article November 2, 1974 Issue

Waking Up from the 25-cent Dream

LUCIA JOHNSON LEITH

Jack gambles. He plays the numbers game daily, has been doing it for years. He's never hit, but he keeps trying, even though he's heard odds are 999 to one against winning.

Jack (not his real name) lives in the inner-city and has only part-time work. What has he got to lose by gambling a dime or a quarter a day? he asks himself. He may have a lot to gain, he says—like winning enough money to buy a good stove or move into a better apartment.

Where Jack lives, the numbers racket is illegal. But some say it should be legalized. Whom is it hurting? It's not as if he were hustling stolen goods or pushing dope, they say. So numbers, which many of his neighbors play, appears to offer Jack hope and excitement.

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