10. The Lottery and Raffle Schemes
Lotteries and raffles became common in frontier towns, tempting hopeful settlers with promises of lavish prizes. But many of these games were rigged, or the conmen disappeared with the proceeds before the drawing ever took place. These scams preyed on the West’s gambling spirit and left many empty-handed. Widespread abuse eventually led to legal restrictions on such games (via PBS: Lotteries in America).
