In 1908, Newark police launched a crackdown on a form of gambling aimed at children: penny candy games promising oversized chocolate Easter eggs as prizes.
Young customers spent their coins on small packages, hoping to find the winning slip hidden inside.
According to local officials, some children squandered all their pennies, lingered so long that they were late for school, and chased prizes that may never have been available to win.
After repeated warnings failed, 21 grocery and confectionery storekeepers were summoned before a judge.
Candy Games of Chance Under Ban of Police
In an effort to stop the practice of having Easter prize packages in grocery and confectionary stores in his precinct, Captain Vogel, of the Fourth Precinct, today had 21 storekeepers, several being women, appear before Judge Herr.
The crusade against the penny prizes was begun ten days ago by Plainclothesman Sebold, on the captain’s instructions. At the time, many of the storekeepers discontinued the candy eggs games, but those who failed were brought into court today.
“I want to say,” said the court, “that numerous complaints have been received by the captain and myself that the children spend all their pennies on those games, and at times were late for school. It wasn’t the little candy eggs they were after, either, but the big chocolate one, which could not be won because the slip was not in the package.
“The captain nor myself do not make the laws, but we are here to enforce them, and this practice must stop, although it may be a hardship to some of you. It’s contrary to law, and I trust we’ll have no further complaints.”
No punishment was inflicted.
Source: The Star and Newark Advertiser. Newark, N.J. March 11, 1908.
