Numbers Game

The “numbers game” is a form of illegal gambling where the bettor attempts to pick three digits to match what will be chosen the next day. In Atlanta, we called it "playing the bug", and it was HUGE in the 1930s. “Writers'', “Pick up men”, “Bankers”, “Bolster” or “runner” and the “Digits Barons” raked in $30K a day in bets between 1937-1938. At one point, twelve syndicates, or banks, operated in the city.

In 1935, kingpin Eddie Guyol was murdered in his driveway. You can read more about the complex case here.

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