Playing the Numbers: Gambling in Harlem Between the Wars
- ISBN-10
- 0674051076
- ISBN-13
- 9780674051072
- Category
- History
- Pages
- 299
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2010-05-15
- Publisher
- Harvard University Press
- Author
- Shane White
Description
The most ubiquitous feature of Harlem life between the world wars was the game of "numbers." Thousands of wagers, usually of a dime or less, would be placed on a daily number derived from U.S. bank statistics. The rewards of "hitting the number," a 600-to-1 payoff, tempted the ordinary men and women of the Black Metropolis with the chimera of the good life. This book tells the story of this illegal form of gambling and the central role it played in the lives of African Americans who flooded into Harlem in the wake of World War I. For a dozen years the "numbers game" was one of America's rare black-owned businesses, turning over tens of millions of dollars every year. The most successful "bankers" were known as Black Kings and Queens, and they lived royally. Yet the very success of "bankers" like Stephanie St. Clair and Casper Holstein attracted Dutch Schultz, Lucky Luciano, and organized crime to the game. By the late 1930s, most of the profits were being siphoned out of Harlem.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2010-09-15
- 320 pages
- Paperback
- Harvard University Press
Similar books
-
The Mob's Daily Number: Organized Crime and the Numbers Gambling Industry
By Don LiddickThe Mob's Daily Number provides an in-depth historical and sociological examination of the numbers gambling industry that continues to generate significant income for organized criminals. In addition this study uses...
-
The Lottery Book: The Truth Behind the Numbers
By Don CatlinThis book should be read by everyone who plays the state-run lotteries.
-
Latin Numbers: Playing Latino in Twentieth-Century U.S. Popular Performance
By Brian Eugenio HerreraFrom the conga line to West Side Story to Ricky Martin, how popular performance prompted American audiences to view Latinos as a distinct (and distinctly non-white) ethnic group
-
Numbers Choices Board--Playing with Numbers
By Wendy ConklinTo prepare for the first activity, write the single digits 0–9 on large index cards. Boldly print one digit per card so that the digits are large. Place stickers that correspond to the numbers on the back side of the cards.
-
Playing with Numbers
By Irene Babsky, Joanna BabbReading graphs Neil likes playing badminton . The pictogragh or picture graph opposite shows how many children in Neil's class like 4 different sports . Graphs are a way of showing information without writing it all out in words .
-
The Numbers Game: Why Everything You Know About Soccer Is Wrong
By Chris Anderson, David SallyMoneyball meets Freakonomics in this myth-busting guide to understanding—and winning—the most popular sport on the planet.
-
The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother's Life in the Detroit Numbers
By Bridgett M. DavisAs seen on the Today Show: This true story of an unforgettable mother, her devoted daughter, and their life in the Detroit numbers of the 1960s and 1970s highlights "the outstanding humanity of black America" (James McBride).
-
The Numbers Game: Why Everything You Know about Soccer is Wrong
By Chris Anderson, David SallySimon Kuper, "A Football Revolution,” Financial Times, 17 June 2011; www.ft.com/cms/s/2/947Idb52-97bb-IIeo-9C37-0044feab49a. html#axzziqzPfmj6H. IO. II. I2. I3. 3. Ayton and Braennberg (2008). Focusing.
-
Baseball Between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know About the Game Is Wrong
By Jonah Keri, Baseball ProspectusThis is a book that every fan, every follower of sports radio, every fantasy player, every coach, and every player, at every level, can learn from and enjoy.
-
Hello Baby Play and Learn: Numbers
By Roger PriddyIntroduces infants to numbers with pictures and simple words.