PAK-A-POO.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6178, 9 April 1907, Page 5

PAK-A-POO.

.MYSTERIES OF THE CHINESE GAME. Glimpses into the Chinese game of pak-a-poo were afforded yesterday during tho trial of Joe Geo, charged before Dr McArthur with having sold pak-a-poo tickets to two detectives.

Mr Wilford, M.H.R., defended the accused, who pleaded not guilty. Similar offences were charged against two other Chinamen, to be tried later. Detective Kemp said that he and Detective ATilliaras visited accused at hi?, shop in Taranaki street, and purchased two sixpenny’ pak-a-poo tickets each. They marked ten of tho Chinese characters on eaoh ticket, and accused entered tho markings into his book. They won a shilling. "Witness described pak-a-poo as usually played. There wore eighty different characters distributed on tho tickets, and at the “bank’’ these characters wero reduced to twenty- by a. mode-of chance, and those twenty became tile winning characters. If a competitor had included five of these in tho ten which ho had marked on his sixpenny ticket ho received Is; if six. 8s 6d: if seven, £3 10,5; if eight, £l9 2s 6d ; if nine, £35; if ten, £7O. Tho ticket-sellers received from tho bank 8s 6d commission for every hundred tickets sold, in addition to ten per cent, of the prize money, which also came from the bank. As to tho extent of possible winnings, witness said a shilling ticket, with twenty characters marked, was capable of winning £l4O. Some banks started

with £250 or £3OO as capital. If a competitor broke a bank ho would get all the money banked and so much in the pound over. Bu,t it was -a million to one chanco against it. With a two shilling ticket, £2SO might, thco. retically, bo won. Air IVilford incidentally stated that, in order to have'a full knowledge of the game, ho had purchased tickets, and insisted on witnessing the drawing at the batik. It was very instructive, and his tickets won. Detective Williams corroborated Detective Kemp’s evidence as to tho transactions with tho tickets. To Mr IVilford: Ho was not aware that the figures 5-10 on his ticket meant that this was tho 540th of a series of pnk-a-poo banks. This concluded tho evidence for. tho prosecution. Mr IVilford contended that the case must ho dismissed, and quoted the Chief Justice’s ruling in Joe Quick v. Detective Cox that, according to the statute, pak-a-poo was not a lottery but a game of chance. , Tho case was adjourned for decision on the law points till next Monday.