MAGIC NUMBERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19904, 25 September 1926, Page 24

MAGIC NUMBERS.

THE ITALIAN STATE LOTTERY Most of us have a partiality for gome favourite number when we are selecting a sweep ticket (says a writer in the Johannesburg Star). That is a pretty universal infirmity. I cannot, however, imagine it being carried to the lengths that a few months ago drove the whole of Italy crazy. There Ignazio Terrace, a one-arined peasant, with a reputation as a seer, predicted that cartain numbers would wiu in a State lottery and the Government became the richer by £4,000,000. 11 lotto dello State, the State lottery, is a gjgantio weekly gamble run by the Italian Treasury. It is simple enough. Every Saturday wheels with various combinations of numbers are turned by children in a charity school in Home. The children turn the wheels and draw the numbers. They are played on eight Italian towns. You can stake your money, so little as 120 centimes, on two numbers or “ambo,” on four numbers or “quaterno,” on three numbers or “terno.” The gambler must always name his town or play on all of them, when his winnings are much reduced. If you win on the "ambo” you get 250 times your stake, if you win on “terno,” 4250 times your stake; on the “quaterno” you get 00,000 times your stake. But you must always have the right numbers on the town for which you played. Tour numbers may come out under Naples, but if you played on Rome, Vari, Venice, or another town you lose. Imagine what excitement prevailed when San Ferdinando di Fugha’s Mayor won 500,000 lire—untold wealth in those parts—because Torrace gave him the right numbers for the “terno” on Naples. Naples went mad first, the neighbouring towns caught it at once; soon all Italy rang with the fame of the one-armed magician who guessed the winning lottery numbers. * This is why thousands upon thousands implored him to give them the next week's “terno” and make them rich for ever. It took nearly a week to make him speak. His numbers were 33 and 43 on Naples The magic numbers were flashed all over the land. Lottery bureaus were besieged. Terrace’s little town was swamped with pilgrims. But the numbers did not win. Warned by the Mayor, Torrace fled, but his home was wrecked. The State raked in the cash and Mussolini smiled.