NCJ Number
77030
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 50 Issue: 5 Dated: (May 1981) Pages: 2-8
Date Published
1981
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article for police describes the characteristics and variations of 'Razzle Dazzle,' a no-win gambling game set up by unscrupulous operators at roadside stops.
Abstract
In this game, a player scores a number in any one of a variety of ways and then refers to a chart to determine how many points towards a winning total have been gained. The most likely numbers to be scored received the fewest points so that a player has essentially no chance of winning without the operator allowing it. Carnival operators call such games 'flat store,' 'count stores,' 'pin stores,' 'peek stores,' or 'abibi joints.' A popular version of Razzle Dazzle in which eight marbles are rolled onto a board with numbered holes is detailed. Other versions discussed use eight dice, eight six-sided sticks with numbers on the sides, darts and a dart board, and clothespins on a rack together with spindles and rubber jar lids (which are thrown). Operators of these games often travel throughout the country, attracting affluent travelers who are less apt than others to report a con game to authorities. Operators hold their victims' interest in the game by 'fair banking ' techniques in which the operators cheat in favor of the players until it seems that the players might win. Although the basic criminal charge against a Razzle Dazzle operator may be gambling, because of the nature of the game the charge may be fraud, false pretense, larceny, theft by trick or deception, or whatever similar offense the State law contains. The Gambling Subunit of the FBI Laboratory will examine and analyze the various items operators use and will also provide expert testimony. The Following criteria present in the games are reviewed: vague, complicated rules; the conversion chart; a means of doubling bets; and a means of cheating. Photographs and probability tables are included.