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Description and Holding Information
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House. Special Comm. on Lotteries. Report, 1833
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House No. 44 Report of the Special Committee of the House of Representatives on Lotteries. On February 11, 1833, five men were selected to study
the situation of Massachusetts' lotteries and make suggestions for their suppression. The Committee made a report and presented a bill. "Lotteries
have an injurious and demoralizing influence on society." The Committee presented a history of the state-run lottery in Great Britain and discussed
lotteries in other states of the union. Most states do not allow lotteries. There was a large black market in lottery tickets in Massachusetts; the
committee described some instances. Lotteries were described as "the worst species of gaming." However, the public had to believe in a law to make it
effective, and the efforts of 1817 and 1825 had not worked at all. The legislature had to create a penalty that the public would sanction. The
Attorney General said it was extremely difficult to gather evidence that could convict a lottery scoff-law. It would be best for the states to unite
against lotteries, but that hadn't happened yet. The Committee included the Attorney General's letter of February 14, 1833 and presented An Act for the
suppression of lotteries, 1833. It was a crime to create or possess lottery tickets or parts of lottery tickets. No one could advertise a lottery or
entice anyone to buy tickets. Any winnings from an illegal lottery were forfeit to the Commonwealth. Jail time and hard labor were some of the
punishments. (Digitized from a microfilm copy of title originally held by the Massachusetts State Library).
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Title:
Report of the special committee of the House of Representatives on lotteries.
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OCLC Number:
1399136057
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Available Volumes
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| Name | Fiche Count | Online | Paper Backup |
| Vol. 1 | | Yes | No |
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