bank night

An evening upon which banks remain open for the convenience of working people; a scheme once fairly common in theaters which led to prosecutions for conducting a lottery. The scheme usually provides for registration by the individual in a book, provided by the theater or other place conducting the scheme, which gives him a registration number. On certain specified nights numbers are drawn from among those registered entitling the one holding such number to a prize. Theoretically, at least, everyone may register free of charge and need not attend the performance, but he must be nearby at the time of the drawing in order to present himself within the short time allotted to claim the prize. Some courts hold that the scheme is not a lottery because no consideration is involved, but others hold that the free registration is only a subterfuge and that there is a consideration involved. Still others hold that whether there is a consideration or not is a question in each case for the jury. 34 Am J1st Lot § 9.