The Price of a Bad Poker Hand
A local gambler sues a Seattle saloon owner, claiming he was 'enticed and induced' into a high-stakes poker game that cost him a small fortune.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Richard Sandham began legal proceedings yesterday to recover $1,550 which he claims to have lost on a poker game in the Madrona saloon, run by Peter Riese and W. E. Lawrence. In a complaint filed with the clerk of the superior court, Sandham alleges that a game of poker was in progress in the saloon on Tuesday, December 27. He was 'enticed and induced' by one of the employes of the defendants into the saloon and persuaded to take a hand. The game cost him $1,550, and he asks the court to award him judgment for that amount against the defendants.
“He was 'enticed and induced' by one of the employes of the defendants into the saloon and persuaded to take a hand.”
This 1892 lawsuit over a gambling loss mirrors the legal complexities of modern disputes involving casinos, digital gambling apps, and the 'enticement' tactics used to keep patrons playing. Even in the late 19th century, the courts were being asked to arbitrate where personal responsibility ends and predatory business practices begin.
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