Commonwealth v. Heffner

The defendant has been convicted of setting up and promoting a lottery in violation of G. L. (Ter. Ed.) c. 271, § 7. The lottery consisted in the operation of an advertising scheme called “Bank Night” by which prizes were given away to persons who had previously registered and whose numbers were drawn on a platform in front of the screen in a moving picture theatre at Middleborough of which the defendant was manager.

The general plan of “Bank Night” as operated by the defendant was similar to that described in Commonwealth v. Wall, 295 Mass. 70, and need not be described in detail here. At the…