Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake
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The Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake was a lottery established in the
Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...
in 1930 as the Irish Free State Hospitals' Sweepstake to finance hospitals. It is generally referred to as the Irish Sweepstake or Irish Sweepstakes, sometimes abbreviated to Irish Sweep or Irish Sweeps. The Public Charitable Hospitals (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1930 was the act that established the lottery; as this act expired in 1934, in accordance with its terms, the Public Hospitals Acts were the legislative basis for the scheme thereafter. The main organisers were Richard Duggan, Captain Spencer Freeman and Joe McGrath. Duggan was a well known Dublin
bookmaker A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays out bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds In probability theory, odds provide a measure of the probability of a particular outco ...
who had organised a number of sweepstakes in the decade prior to setting up the Hospitals' Sweepstake. Captain Freeman was a Welsh-born engineer and former captain in the British Army. The ratio of winnings and charitable contributions to Sweepstake revenues proved low, and the scheme made its founders very rich. The Sweepstake administrators wielded substantial political influence, allowing the scheme to flourish before it was finally wound up in January 1986.


History

The sweepstake was established to raise funding for hospitals in Ireland. A significant amount of the funds were raised in the United Kingdom and United States, often among the emigrant Irish. Potentially winning tickets were drawn from rotating drums, usually by nurses in uniform. Each such ticket was assigned to a horse expected to run in one of several horse races, including the
Cambridgeshire Handicap The Cambridgeshire Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 1 fur ...
,
Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
, and
Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England. First run in 1839, it ...
. Tickets that drew the favourite horses thus stood a higher likelihood of winning and a series of winning horses had to be chosen on the accumulator system, allowing for enormous prizes. After the
Constitution of Ireland The Constitution of Ireland (, ) is the constitution, fundamental law of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It asserts the national sovereignty of the Irish people. It guarantees certain fundamental rights, along with a popularly elected non-executi ...
was enacted in 1937, the name ''Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake'' was adopted and "Free State" was dropped. The original sweepstake draws were held at The Mansion House, Dublin on 19 May 1939 under the supervision of the Chief Commissioner of Police, and were moved to the more permanent fixture at the
Royal Dublin Society The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) () is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economically. It was long active as a learned ...
(RDS) in
Ballsbridge Ballsbridge () (from historic Ball's Bridge) is an affluent neighbourhood of the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The area is largely situated north and west of a three-arch stone bridge across the River Dodder, on the south side of the ...
later in 1940. The Adelaide Hospital in Dublin was the only hospital at the time not to accept money from the Hospitals Trust, as the governors disapproved of sweepstakes. From the 1960s onwards, revenues declined. The offices were moved to
Lotamore House Lotamore House is a Georgian house in Cork, Ireland, which used as a residence by several Cork merchant families before being turned into a number of businesses. Used as guesthouse for several years, by the beginning of the 21st century the hou ...
in Cork. Although giving the appearance of a public charitable lottery, with nurses featured prominently in the advertising and drawings, the Sweepstake was in fact a private for-profit lottery company, and the owners were paid substantial dividends from the profits. ''
Fortune Magazine ''Fortune'' (stylized in all caps) is an American global business magazine headquartered in New York City. It is published by Fortune Media Group Holdings, a global business media company. The publication was founded by Henry Luce in 1929. T ...
'' described it as "a private company run for profit and its handful of stockholders have used their earnings from the sweepstakes to build a group of industrial enterprises that loom quite large in the modest Irish economy. Waterford Glass, Irish Glass Bottle Company and many other new Irish companies were financed by money from this enterprise and up to 5,000 people were given jobs." By his death in 1966, Joe McGrath had interests in the racing industry, and held the
Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
dealership for Ireland besides large financial and property assets. He was notorious throughout Ireland for his ruthless business attitude and his actions during the
Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...
. In 1986, the Irish government created a new public lottery, and the company failed to secure the new contract to manage it. The final sweepstake was held in January 1986 and the company was unsuccessful in a licence bid for the
Irish National Lottery The National Lottery () is the state-licensed lottery of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Established in 1986 to raise funds for good causes, it began operations on 23 March 1987 when it sold its first scratchcards. It launched the weekly drawing ...
, which was won by
An Post (; literally 'The Post') is the state-owned provider of Mail, postal services in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. An Post provides a "universal postal service" to all parts of the country as a member of the Universal Postal Union. Services provide ...
later that year. The company went into voluntary liquidation in March 1987. The majority of workers did not have a pension scheme. The Public Hospitals (Amendment) Act, 1990 was enacted for the orderly winding up of the scheme, which had by then almost £500,000 in unclaimed prizes and accrued interest. A collection of advertising material relating to the Irish Hospitals' Sweepstakes is among the Special Collections of
National Irish Visual Arts Library NIVAL (National Irish Visual Arts Library) is a public research resource which is dedicated to the documentation of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Irish visual art and design. It collects, stores and makes available for research documentation ...
.


In the United Kingdom and North America

At the time of the Sweepstake's inception, lotteries were generally illegal in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. In the absence of other readily available lotteries, the Irish Sweeps became popular. Even though tickets were illegal outside Ireland, millions were sold in the US, Great Britain and Canada. How many of these tickets failed to make it back for the drawing is unknown. The United States Customs Service alone confiscated and destroyed several million
counterfoil A cheque (or check in American English) is a document that orders a bank, building society, or credit union, to pay a specific amount of money from a person's account to the person in whose name the cheque has been issued. The person writing ...
s from shipments being returned to Ireland. In the UK, the sweepstakes caused some strain in
Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...
relations, and the
Betting and Lotteries Act 1934 The Betting and Lotteries Act 1934 ( 24 & 25 Geo. 5. c. 58) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, ...
was passed by the parliament of the UK to prevent export and import of lottery-related materials. The
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
had outlawed the use of the
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
for lottery purposes as early as 1890. Consequently, a thriving
black market A black market is a Secrecy, clandestine Market (economics), market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality, or is not compliant with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the set of goods and services who ...
sprang up for tickets in both jurisdictions. From the 1950s onwards, as the American, British, and Canadian governments relaxed their attitudes towards this form of gambling, and went into the lottery business themselves, the Irish Sweeps, never legal in the United States, declined in popularity.


Cultural references

* The film ''
The Winning Ticket ''The Winning Ticket'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Charles Reisner and starring Leo Carrillo, Louise Fazenda, and Ted Healy. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Plot Poor Italian-American barber Joe Thomasello purchases a swee ...
'' (1935) is about a winning sweepstakes ticket that a baby hides and the drama of trying to find it. * In
Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...
's novel, ''
Death in the Clouds ''Death in the Clouds'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, published in 1935. It features the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and Chief Inspector Japp. It is a " closed circle" murder mystery: the victim is a ...
'' (1935), one of the characters, Jane Grey, a hairdresser, has won £100 in the Sweeps, so allowing her to be on the Paris–London flight on which the novel's action begins. Discussing her win later with another passenger, they "agreed together on the general romance and desirability of sweeps and deplored the attitude of an unsympathetic English government". * In
Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...
's novel, ''
Scoop Scoop, Scoops or The Scoop may refer to: Artefacts * Scoop (machine part), a component of machinery to carry things * Scoop (tool), a shovel-like tool, particularly one deep and curved, used in digging * Scoop (theater), a type of wide area l ...
'' (1938), the Sweeps are mentioned in connection with the protagonist, William Boot's, long-cherished wish to fly in an aeroplane: " annie Bloggshad promised him a flight if she won the Irish Sweepstake, but after several successive failures she had decided that the whole thing was a popish trick, and with her decision William's chances seemed to fade beyond the ultimate horizon." *In the 1939 Columbia Pictures cartoon "Lucky Pigs," a family of impoverished pigs wins the Irish Sweepstakes. The pigs briefly enjoy their newfound wealth, before losing it all to tax collectors. *The plot of the film '' Lucky Partners'' (1940) revolves around the purchase of an Irish Sweepstakes ticket by Jean Newton (
Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...
) and David Grant (
Ronald Colman Ronald Charles Colman (9 February 1891 – 19 May 1958) was an English-born actor who started his career in theatre and silent film in his native country, then emigrated to the United States where he had a highly successful Cinema of the United ...
). * The Sweeps are mentioned in the film '' Rage in Heaven'' (1941), starring Robert Montgomery and
Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, Bergman is often regarded as one of the most influential screen figures in cin ...
. * In the film '' Cabin in the Sky'' (1943), Little Joe is offered $50,000 in exchange for his Sweepstake ticket, whose horse is favoured to win in the final draw. * '' Cork Crashes and Curiosities'' (1945) is an Irish short film on car and motorcycle racing with Irish Sweep posters visible in several shots. In its RiffTrax commentary, Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett assume that the posters are ads for a mysterious product called "Irish Sweep". * In a skit titled "A Sweepstakes Ticket" in the film ''
Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...
'' (1945), an indigent wife (
Fanny Brice Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedian, Illustrated Songs, illustrated song model, singer, and actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. Sh ...
) learns via cablegram that she is the winner of the Irish Sweepstakes – only then to discover that her husband (
Hume Cronyn Hume Blake Cronyn Jr. (July 18, 1911 – June 15, 2003) was a Canadian-American actor, screenwriter and playwright. He appeared in many stage productions, television and film roles throughout his career, and garnered numerous accolades, includ ...
) has given the ticket to the landlord (
William Frawley William Clement Frawley (February 26, 1887 – March 3, 1966) was an American vaudevillian and actor best known for playing landlord Fred Mertz in the sitcom ''I Love Lucy.'' Frawley also played "Bub" O'Casey during the first five seasons of t ...
) as a substitute for the $3 he was short on rent. * In the film ''
Three Strangers ''Three Strangers'' is a 1946 American film noir crime drama directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Sydney Greenstreet, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Peter Lorre, and featuring Joan Lorring and Alan Napier. The screenplay was written by John Hu ...
'' (1946), a glamorous but unhappy British wife (
Geraldine Fitzgerald Geraldine Mary Fitzgerald (November 24, 1913 – July 17, 2005) was an Irish actress. She received the Daytime Emmy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. She was a member of the American T ...
) persuades two strangers (
Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, active first in Europe and later in the United States. Known for his timidly devious characters, his appearance, and accented vo ...
and
Sydney Greenstreet Sydney Hughes Greenstreet (December 27, 1879 – January 18, 1954) was a British and American actor. While he did not begin his career in films until the age of 61, he had a run of significant motion pictures in a Hollywood career lasting t ...
) to join her at
Chinese New Year Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also #Names, § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holi ...
in making a common wish before a Chinese idol to obtain the winning Irish Sweepstakes ticket for a runner in the
Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England. First run in 1839, it ...
horse race. Their ticket is drawn and their horse wins, but this success brings none of them good fortune. * In the film ''
Force of Evil ''Force of Evil'' is a 1948 American film noir starring John Garfield and Beatrice Pearson and directed by Abraham Polonsky. It was adapted by Polonsky and Ira Wolfert from Wolfert's novel ''Tucker's People''. Polonsky had been a screenwrit ...
'' (1948), about the legalization of a numbers racket, the Irish Sweepstake is mentioned as a model. * In the cartoon ''The Emerald Isle'' (1949), a steak is found sweeping. When asked by the narrator (
Jack Mercer Winfield Bennett Mercer (January 31, 1910 – December 7, 1984), known professionally as Jack Mercer, was an American voice actor. He is best known as the voice of cartoon characters Popeye the Sailor Man and Felix the Cat. The son of vaudevil ...
) what kind of a steak he was, the steak (voiced by Sid Raymond) calls himself an Irish Sweepsteak, a reference to the Irish Sweepstake. * In the 1954 episode of ''
I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...
'' titled "Bonus Bucks", Lucy tells Ricky about her near-misses at winning money, in part, by saying "Five years in a row I didn't win the Irish Sweepstakes". *
Robert Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein ( ; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific acc ...
mentions the Irish Sweeps in his novella, ''
The Man Who Sold the Moon ''The Man Who Sold the Moon'' is a science fiction novella by American author Robert A. Heinlein, written in 1949 and published in 1950. A part of his ''Future History (novel), Future History'' and prequel to "Requiem (short story), Requiem", i ...
'' (1950). In his novel '' Glory Road'' (1963) it plays a central part in the early chapters: the protagonist accumulates many lottery tickets through playing poker, one of which carries a winning number. When he looks into the possibility of selling this ticket before the race he discovers a curious fact about it, which alters the course of the story. * In the 1958 episode "Post Mortem" of ''
Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...
'' ( series 3, episode 33) a woman finds out that she'd buried her first husband with a winning ticket in his suit pocket. For some reason her second husband doesn't want the body dug up. * An April 1963 episode of '' I've Got a Secret'' featured a woman who had won $140,000 in the Irish Sweepstakes: in response to a panelist's question, the woman noted that approximately $100,000 of her winnings would be taken by the
Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...
, to which host
Garry Moore Garry Moore (born Thomas Garrison Morfit; January 31, 1915 – November 28, 1993) was an American entertainer, comedic personality, game show host, and humorist best known for his work in television. He began a long career with the CBS netwo ...
observed that for "a $3 ticket," $40,000 still represented substantial winnings. *In October 1964, Bub on ''
My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was filmed in black-and-white and broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seve ...
'' wins the sweepstakes and takes his family on a two-episode trip to Ireland. * In the February 1965 ''
Hazel Hazels are plants of the genus ''Corylus'' of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family, Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K ...
'' episode, "Bonnie Boy", Hazel buys her boss, George Baxter, a winning Sweepstakes ticket not knowing that he'd been recently appointed to the city's anti-gambling committee that was specifically homing in on sweepstakes sales. * In her collection of poems titled ''Transformations'' (1971),
Anne Sexton Anne Sexton (born Anne Gray Harvey; November 9, 1928 – October 4, 1974) was an American poet known for her highly personal, confessional poetry, confessional verse. She won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1967 for her book ''Live or Die (book ...
mentions the Irish Sweepstakes in the first stanza of "Cinderella". * In ''
Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...
'' season 3 episode 8 (1975), Richard Cunningham notes that his father "almost won the Irish Sweepstake". * In
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
's novel ''
The Stand ''The Stand'' is an epic post-apocalyptic dark fantasy novel written by American author Stephen King and first published in 1978 by Doubleday. The plot centers on a deadly pandemic of weaponized influenza and its aftermath, in which some of ...
'' (1978), William Starkey mentions the Irish Sweepstakes in reference to the start of the flu pandemic. "Anyway, Cindy, what I'm trying to say is that this was a chain of coincidence on the order of winning the Irish Sweepstakes." *In a 1978 episode of ''
The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...
'',
Harry Morgan Harry Morgan (born Harry Bratsberg; April 10, 1915 – December 7, 2011) was an American actor whose television and film career spanned six decades. Morgan's major roles included Pete Porter in both '' December Bride'' (1954–1959) and '' Pet ...
's character jokes to his wife that he could afford their passage after winning the Irish Sweepstakes. * In the 1981 episode of ''
WKRP in Cincinnati ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' is an American sitcom television series about the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional AM radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson. It was based upon his experiences obs ...
'' titled "Out to Lunch", Johnny and Venus hand out Irish Sweepstakes tickets to the employees of the station as gifts from a record company rep. * In the 1983 episode of ''
Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. ...
'' titled "The Winning Ticket" Tattoo wins a million dollar Irish Sweepstakes by being the best friend of the newly deceased winner. * In Frederick Exley's semi-autobiographical final novel, ''Last Notes From Home'' (1988), the author/protagonist encounters the bullying Irishman Jimmy Seamus Finbarr O'Twoomey, who is employed by the public relations firm responsible for promoting the Irish Sweepstakes. * In the 2006 episode of ''
NCIS NCIS or N.C.I.S. may refer to: Law enforcement * National Criminal Intelligence Service, the predecessor to the Serious Organised Crime Agency of the United Kingdom * Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a United States law enforcement and intelli ...
'' titled "Family Secret", Dr Mallard says "I once wagered a five hundred-to-one on the Irish Sweepstakes." * In the 2012 episode of ''
Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC (TV channel), AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Breaking Bad), Walter White (Bryan Cran ...
'' titled "
Madrigal A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance (15th–16th centuries) and early Baroque (1580–1650) periods, although revisited by some later European composers. The polyphonic madrigal is unaccompanied, and the ...
",
Saul Goodman James Morgan Jimmy McGill, better known by his business name Saul Goodman, is a fictional character created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and portrayed by Bob Odenkirk in the television franchise ''Breaking Bad''. He appears as a major c ...
tells Walter White that, regarding Walt's luck, "you're alive, as far as I'm concerned, that's the Irish sweepstakes."


See also

* Isaac Wunder order - a type of Irish legal case law that arose after a
vexatious litigant Vexatious litigation is legal action which is brought solely to harass or subdue an adversary. It may take the form of a primary frivolous lawsuit or may be the repetitive, burdensome, and unwarranted filing of meritless motions in a matter which ...
instigated numerous unmerited legal proceedings against the Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake


References


Further reading

* * * * {{Cite book, last=Corless, first=Damian, title=The Greatest Bleeding Hearts Racket in the World: Irish Hospitals Sweepstakes , year=2010, location=Dublin, publisher=Gill & Macmillan, isbn=978-0-7171-4669-7, oclc=713568358, language=en Horse racing in Ireland Lottery games in Ireland Government agencies established in 1930 Companies disestablished in 1990 Scandals in the Republic of Ireland 1987 disestablishments in Ireland