Page:Jstraitsrsa31-33.pdf/85

 Chap-ji-ki in the Straits.

In Singapore up till 1894 it was also played in this way by both males and females. During the last eighteen months or so, however, the form of the game has been much altered by Chinese ladies, by whom the game is now almost exclusively played.

It must be borne in mind that the principal changes introduced by Chinese ladies into this game, have been made solely with a view to prevent detection and render it difficult for the police to secure convictions in the Law Courts. The lottery is now managed chiefly by women. The chief changes introduced are as follows:–

The Chap-ji-ki board is entirely dispensed with. Instead of the public being invited to go to a room where a board and other apparatus necessary for the game is furnished, the manager (usually a woman) engaged a large number of collectors (phoe-kha) of stakes (toan) the collectors went round the country and town and touted in all the private family houses to which they could gain admittance, and induced women, children, and servants to stake on some particular card. Asiatic ladies of the upper classes have much spare time on their hands and they are always fascinated by the excitement of gambling, When this excitement degenerates into a vice, diamond jewelry and clothing are freely staked or pawned to get funds to stake with. Collectors find little difficulty in getting support from the public. The staking public runs no risk except that of losing their stakes if the police raids the lottery. As soon, therefore, as the new form of Chap-ji-ki lottery caught on in Singapore, the managers of the chief Kongsi made piles of money whilst the gambling fever lasted.

The collectors or agents receive the money staked from private houses or from friends of theirs whom they allow to do a kind of sub-commission work for them, and wrap it up in packets (hong). On these packets they place symbolic marks to represent the value of the stakes. I give an illustration of the commonest form used:–

Thus the value of a dollar is represented by a cross inside a circle; ten dollars by a circle with a transverse bar; one cent by ―; ten cents by ◯.