Chronicles the first decades of an informal lottery called the jogo do bicho, or animal game, which originated in Rio de Janeiro in 1892, and remains popular in Brazil today.

Illustrations ix
Tables xi
About the Series xiii
Acknowledgments xv
A Note on Brazilian Currency and Orthography xix
Introduction 1
1. Origins of the Jogo do Bicho 27
2. The Rules of the Game 69
3. An Underworld of Goods 101
4. Playing with Money in Republican Rio de Janeiro 141
5. Lives of the Players 165
6. Vale o Escrito 205
Epilogue 253
Notes 269
Glossary of Portuguese Terms 313
Bibliography 315
Index 339

Amy Chazkel is Associate Professor of History, City University of New York, Queens College and the CUNY Graduate Center.