Sweepstakes

Sweepstakes, a method of gambling by which several persons contribute each certain stakes, the whole of which fall to one when a certain event happens. In the case of horseraces, each contributor gets either a horse or a blank (by lot or otherwise), and the one whose horse wins takes the stakes, though often the other horses that are 'placed' secure a share for those who have drawn them. Raffles and sweeps are illegal, though constantly carried on without interference from the authorities (see GAMBLING). The Pari-Mutuel is a kind of sweepstakes (see BETTING).