TY  - BOOK
AU  - White,Shane
AU  - Garton,Stephen
AU  - Robertson,Stephen
TI  - Playing the Numbers: Gambling in Harlem between the Wars 
SN  - 9780674056961
AV  - HV6721.N5 P54 2010
U1  - 306.4/82097471 22
PY  - 2010///]
CY  - Cambridge, MA
PB  - Harvard University Press
KW  - African Americans
KW  - New York (State)
KW  - New York
KW  - Social conditions
KW  - 20th century
KW  - City and town life
KW  - History
KW  - Gambling
KW  - Informal sector (Economics)
KW  - Lotteries
KW  - TRUE CRIME / Organized Crime
KW  - bisacsh
N1  - Frontmatter --; Contents --; Prologue --; Introduction --; 1. History --; 2. Beginnings --; 3 Dreams --; 4. Turf Wars --; 5. Numbers’ Lore --; 6. Of Kings and Queens --; 7. The Dutchman Cometh --; 8. Of Banks and Bankers --; 9. All Over Town --; Epilogue --; Notes --; Acknowledgments --; Index; restricted access
N2  - The phrase “Harlem in the 1920s” evokes images of the Harlem Renaissance, or of Marcus Garvey and soapbox orators haranguing crowds about politics and race. Yet 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. Playing the Numbers 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.Playing the Numbers reveals a unique dimension of African American culture that made not only Harlem but New York City itself the vibrant and energizing metropolis it was. An interactive website allows readers to locate actors and events on Harlem’s streets
UR  - https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674056961
UR  - https://www.degruyter.com/isbn/9780674056961
UR  - https://www.degruyter.com/document/cover/isbn/9780674056961/original
ER  -