Middlesex

Rotation Office Litchfield Street Soho
23d April 1782

Minutes of the Committee appointed to Examine into the Laws
respecting Gaining and Gaming Houses

Present
Thomas Bishop< no role > Esqr in the Chair
James Croft< no role > Esqr
Sampson Wright< no role > Esqr
John Lewis< no role > Esqr
Thomas Collins< no role > Esqr
George Mercer< no role > Esqr
John Barnfather< no role > Esqr

Resolved it appears to this Committee that by the 18th. Geo: 2d.
Cap. 34 the Laws then in being were found by Experience to be
ineffectual to stop the pernicious practice of Gaming and that the
remedy then applied was adding the Game of Roley Poley to the other
Games prohibited by law and it also appearing to this Committee
that Sir William Blackstone< no role > Commenting upon that and other
acts respecting Gaming observes that particular descriptions will
" ever be lame and deficient unless all Games of mere chance are
" at once prohibited the Invention of Sharpers being surifter than the
" punishment of the Law which only hants thern from one device
" to another" Resolved that the following Clauses be submitted to the
Consideration of Parliament as a remedy for the said Evil Vizt.

Be it therefore enacted by the Kings most Excellent
Majesty by and with the advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual
and Temporal and Commons in this present Parliament assembled
and by the authority of the same that from and immediately after the
passing of this act all and all manner of games to be determined
by the Chance of Cards or Dice or of any Letter or Letters figure
or figures Ball or Balls Number or Numbers Mark or
Marks or of any Machine Engine or other Invention or Device
of Chance by whatever Description or Denomination the same may