During the same year, parliament having discussed the evil of insuring, and the mischievous subdivision of the shares of tickets, passed an act “for the regulation of Lottery offices,” in which the principal clauses were as follows—
“To oblige every lottery-office keeper to take out a licence, at the expense of 50l., and give security not to infringe any part of the act.
“That no person shall dispose of any part of a ticket in any smaller share or proportion than a sixteenth, on 50l. penalty.
“That any person selling goods, wares, or other merchandise, or who shall offer any sum or sums of money, upon any chance or event whatsoever, relating to the drawing of any ticket, shall be liable to a penalty of 20l.
“To enable the commissioners of his majesty’s treasury to establish an office;—all shares to be stamped at that office;—the original tickets from which such shares are to be taken, to be kept at that office till a certain time after drawing;—books of entry to be regularly kept;—persons carrying shares to be stamped to pay a small sum specified in the act;—penalties for persons selling shares not stamped; and a clause for punishing persons who shall forge the stamp of any ticket.”
In 1779, the drawing of the lottery and the conduct of lottery-office keepers was further regulated by act of parliament.[478]
Evasions of the Insurers.
The provisions of parliament against the ruinous practice of insurance were evaded by the dexterity of the lottery-office keepers. In 1781, the following proposals were issued by the cunning, and greedily accepted by the credulous.
I.