Bolita

Bolita

Bolita (Spanish for "Little Ball"), is a type of lottery which was popular in the latter 19th and early 20th centuries in Cuba and among Florida's working class Hispanic, Italian, and black population. Bolita was brought to Tampa in the 1880s, and flourished in Ybor City's many Latin saloons. Though the game was illegal in Florida, small, mobile operations which frequently moved around and eventually police payoffs were able to keep the bolita games running for a long time.

In the basic bolita game, 100 small numbered balls are placed into a bag and mixed thoroughly, and bets are taken on which number will be drawn. Many variations on this theme were created. Bets were typically very small and sometimes sold well in advance, and the game could be rigged, by having extra balls of a given number or not including others at all. Other means of cheating included having certain balls filled with lead so they'd sink to the bottom of the bag, or putting certain balls in ice beforehand so they'd be cold and therefore easy for the selector to find by touch.

The alleged king of Bolita in the 1920s was Tampa, Florida native, Charlie Wall. Italian mafiosi Santo Trafficante, Sr. and Santo Trafficante, Jr. also figured prominently in the Florida bolita games.


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • bolita — 1 Dim. de «bola». 2 Mulita (*armadillo). * * * bolita. f. Arg. canica2. □ V. bicho bolita …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • bolita — f. Arg. canica2. ☛ V. bicho bolita …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • bolita — sustantivo femenino 1. Origen: América. Bola pequeña de cristal que utilizan los niños en algunos juegos …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • bolita — paréntesis; pausemos un momento; pausa; momento; interrumpo sólo un minuto; cf. hacer un aro; oye, oye, bolita; después siguen hablando, pero ahora quiero que me digan si prefieren comer afuera o adentro , ¡bolita! Tengo que ir al baño. Después… …   Diccionario de chileno actual

  • bolita — {{＃}}{{LM B05677}}{{〓}} {{SynB05806}} {{［}}bolita{{］}} ‹bo·li·ta› {{《}}▍ s.f.{{》}} {{♂}}En zonas del español meridional,{{♀}} canica. {{＃}}{{LM SynB05806}}{{〓}} {{CLAVE B05677}}{{＼}}{{CLAVE}}{{／}}{{＼}}SINÓNIMOS Y ANTÓNIMOS:{{／}} {{［}}bolita{{］}}… …   Diccionario de uso del español actual con sinónimos y antónimos

  • bolita — pop. Automóvil Fiat 600// antigua bebida sin alcohol, cuyo cierre lo efectuaba una bolita de vidrio interior// jgo. Pequeña esfera de vidrio de colores para juegos infantiles (canica) …   Diccionario Lunfardo

  • bolita de oro laminar — Pieza laxamente enrollada de oro laminar, que se utiliza en diversos tipos de restauraciones dentales y que actúa como una obturación permanente de la cavidad dentaria o de la corona dental. Diccionario Mosby Medicina, Enfermería y Ciencias de la …   Diccionario médico

  • bolita tickets — Form of ticket used in game of Bolita which is a type of lottery, the winning number of which is determined by an event unconnected with the actual lottery such as a horse race. U. S. v. Robertson, C.A. Fla., 504 F.2d 289 …   Black's law dictionary

  • bolita tickets — Form of ticket used in game of Bolita which is a type of lottery, the winning number of which is determined by an event unconnected with the actual lottery such as a horse race. U. S. v. Robertson, C.A. Fla., 504 F.2d 289 …   Black's law dictionary

  • bolita — /beuh lee teuh, boh /, n. a form of numbers pool. [ < Cuban Sp: lit., little ball (prob. after the balls used to choose lottery winners), equiv. to Sp bol(a) ball (see BOLA) + ita dim. suffix] * * * …   Universalium

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