The Open Secret: Seattle's Booming Gambling District

Public gambling is flourishing in Seattle as never before. In all, the games have won back all the cash which was lost in the old days, and hundreds of new recruits have been added to an army that contributes daily to the support of several hundred sports. After being closed up for a couple of months, the gambling joints opened up with a blaze of light and activity. The three main gambling houses are the Standard, the White House, and the "Joint."

The first, the Standard, is located at the corner of Occidental Avenue and Washington Street. It has 10 or 12 tables, and the boosters, dealers, lookouts, waiters and croupiers give employment to about 50 people. The Standard is said to be operated by Libby, Mark Norton, Cap Hanington and John Gualtieri. Any time from 10 o'clock in the morning until 1 o'clock the following morning, the devotees of the game can play: roulette, hazard, craps, stud poker, black jack, Keno, Klondike, Chinese chuck-a-luck and faro. The Standard runs 15 hours a day. In the course of a day, the "Joint" catches the masses, that is, workingmen, sailors, Japanese, Turks and mechanics.

The "White House," located at 121 Washington Street, is smaller than the Standard, but it makes its money in its interior. The Argly, John Collins and Joe Harvey of San Francisco are supposed to run it, with six or nine tables kept running day and night. The "Joint," at the corner of South Second Street, also in the heart of the tenderloin, is the third gambling hall of the city. It gives employment to about 30 men. The houses are run on a percentage system for the house. A fair estimate places the net gains in favor of the house at from 15 to 25 percent. It is understood that these joints will be allowed by the city authorities to operate so long as the monthly fines are paid.