$2 Million Business?

Eleven Seized in Policy Raid Plead Innocent

By WINDSOR RIDENOUR

A business which may have grossed $2 million a year was stopped in Tulsa today.

The business: Policy

Eleven persons—seven holding innocent in Municipal Court this morning to possession of gambling paraphernalia as police sorted through more than 100,000 confiscated policy slips, three printing presses, and a massive amount of other equipment.

In a bold, highly secret raid New Year’s Eve, police and Internal Revenue Service agents made the most complete "policy bust" ever made in Oklahoma and possibly west of the Mississippi River.

Vice Officer Gary Glanz led the precision-timed raid which had been planned for more than three weeks.

Police Chief Jack Purdie and IRS agents said a more thorough cleanup of a policy operation has never been made in this area.

Glanz said five policy "wheels" were believed operating in Tulsa—this was one complete wheel or ring, he said. Vice officers previously have been able to raid single houses but never have they been able to hit the complete operation simultaneously.

This highly complicated racket begins with a "banker." He puts up the money for the betting. A player bets that three members will come up on one of three rows of numbers, which are chosen by shaking a box of small numbered cubes.

The numbers drawn are listed in rows. If all three numbers chosen by the bettor come up on one row, he wins.

Thousands of Tulsans bet from 10 cents to a dollar each day, Glanz said. Odds of winning are about 500 to 1 in some cases. The best odds are 100 to 1.

The New Year’s Eve raids began when Glanz and an IRS agent watched the numbers being "shook" at 1116 N. Detroit Ave.

After the numbers for the day’s game had been decided, the officers followed a suspect to 556 E. Tecumseh St., kicked in a door, and arrested two persons counting the day’s receipts and figuring the winners.

At the same time, Vice Officer Larry Elkins and another IRS agent who had followed a second man from the Detroit Avenue house, struck at 537 E. Marshall St. and found another group figuring the take.

Simultaneously, four other officers hit at 615 1/2 E. Latimer Place where the forms to be distributed to the customers were being printed. They confiscated three printing presses and five shake boxes.

Two Vice Officers then raided the Detroit Avenue house and confiscated eight boxes of coin wrappers, betting slips, and "hit sheets." The latter are sheets telling the players the winning numbers.

Also taken in the raids were a year’s records of the complete operation, names of employees and players. Ledger books indicated the ring may have taken up to $2.5 million a year.

Purdie said a conservative estimate of the take would be at least a million dollars annually.

IRS agents said an investigation probably will be made by them to determine if federal taxes were paid on the income.

Those arrested were released to the custody of an attorney and face a Feb. 3 court trial before Municipal Judge Luther P. Lane.

Police said felony charges of operating a gambling game may be asked against some of the suspects.