and family friend, Big John was a fun-loving giant of a man who outsized my father in height and weight. Although a regular presence in our life, Big John would periodically disappear from Jeannette to go on the road as a circus strongman under the stage name of “Titus the Terrible.” When not on tour, he could be found working in the legitimate side of our family business.
Jumping into the front seat of the car, I inquired as to what was happening at the store, as I was not aware of a scheduled pick up. John laughed at my perceptive inquiry, explaining that Al had a job for me to do and wanted me home as soon as possible. When we arrived at the store a few minutes later, my father explained the situation. “Something may be going on with the state lottery and I need you to answer the phones until the book closes. If anyone wants to bet triple 4s, triple 6s, or any combination of the two, tell them that the book is closed and that I will explain later.” Curious, I asked for additional information. Al explained, “We’ve received several calls from friends in Pittsburgh indicating that tonight’s number is fixed. The winning numbers will be 4s, 6s, or a combination. I don’t know if this is true, but I don’t want to take a bath if it is.”
“Did they say who’s involved?”
“From what I gather, someone inside, but I find it hard to believe that anyone would think they could pull this off without getting caught. We’ll have to wait until the number is drawn. If not a rumor, it’s certainly the worst-kept secret in the state.”
I took my post beside the phone and went about business as usual. The gossip mill was in full swing as gambler after gambler came into the store to see if Al had an update on the fix. He did not provide details but made clear that he would not accept bets on 4s or 6s just in case his sources were right. I took only one call in which a long-time player, Sneaky Pete, wanted to bet on the suspicious numbers. He was not happy when I told him the book was closed and demanded to talk to Al. I replied, “I am following his orders. If you want to play another number, I will take it. Otherwise, this conversation is over.”
Angry at my refusal to accommodate him, he threatened to take his business elsewhere. Sneaky Pete was a skilled manipulator but I was not in the mood to listen to his whining. Accepting his challenge, I told him that I would make note of our conversation and inform my father that he was no longer a customer. Furious, Sneaky Pete let lose a string of expletives that would have horrified most people my age, but he only succeeded in making himself persona non grata when I passed along his comments to Al.
As the evening wore on and the lottery drawing drew near, the store began to fill up with regular gamblers who, on a Thursday, would normally be home with their families or gearing up for the weekend’s poker game. Tuning into WTAE-TV, a hush fell over the store as Nick Perry appeared on the screen and began the ritual leading up to the nightly drawing.
The balls danced in seeming chaos, but as predicted, the winning numbers slowly revealed themselves, and the fix was confirmed. Thereafter, 666 would be known as the “Nick’s Triple Six Fix” or a “Nick Perry.” 3 One of the more superstitious gamblers in attendance that night began to chant, “the mark of the beast, the mark of the beast, they did a fix with the mark of the beast.” In all actuality, I doubt very much that Nick or his conspirators gave much thought to the theological significance of the triple sixes. According to the website US-Lotteries.com, triple sixes have been drawn twenty-two times since the daily lottery’s inception in 1977. Apparently, the beast runs amok in Pennsylvania.
With a record payout of 3.5 million dollars and a rash of unusual betting patterns, the state lottery, and those bookies who had not received the warning, soon realized that something
Jumping into the front seat of the car, I inquired as to what was happening at the store, as I was not aware of a scheduled pick up. John laughed at my perceptive inquiry, explaining that Al had a job for me to do and wanted me home as soon as possible. When we arrived at the store a few minutes later, my father explained the situation. “Something may be going on with the state lottery and I need you to answer the phones until the book closes. If anyone wants to bet triple 4s, triple 6s, or any combination of the two, tell them that the book is closed and that I will explain later.” Curious, I asked for additional information. Al explained, “We’ve received several calls from friends in Pittsburgh indicating that tonight’s number is fixed. The winning numbers will be 4s, 6s, or a combination. I don’t know if this is true, but I don’t want to take a bath if it is.”
“Did they say who’s involved?”
“From what I gather, someone inside, but I find it hard to believe that anyone would think they could pull this off without getting caught. We’ll have to wait until the number is drawn. If not a rumor, it’s certainly the worst-kept secret in the state.”
I took my post beside the phone and went about business as usual. The gossip mill was in full swing as gambler after gambler came into the store to see if Al had an update on the fix. He did not provide details but made clear that he would not accept bets on 4s or 6s just in case his sources were right. I took only one call in which a long-time player, Sneaky Pete, wanted to bet on the suspicious numbers. He was not happy when I told him the book was closed and demanded to talk to Al. I replied, “I am following his orders. If you want to play another number, I will take it. Otherwise, this conversation is over.”
Angry at my refusal to accommodate him, he threatened to take his business elsewhere. Sneaky Pete was a skilled manipulator but I was not in the mood to listen to his whining. Accepting his challenge, I told him that I would make note of our conversation and inform my father that he was no longer a customer. Furious, Sneaky Pete let lose a string of expletives that would have horrified most people my age, but he only succeeded in making himself persona non grata when I passed along his comments to Al.
As the evening wore on and the lottery drawing drew near, the store began to fill up with regular gamblers who, on a Thursday, would normally be home with their families or gearing up for the weekend’s poker game. Tuning into WTAE-TV, a hush fell over the store as Nick Perry appeared on the screen and began the ritual leading up to the nightly drawing.
The balls danced in seeming chaos, but as predicted, the winning numbers slowly revealed themselves, and the fix was confirmed. Thereafter, 666 would be known as the “Nick’s Triple Six Fix” or a “Nick Perry.” 3 One of the more superstitious gamblers in attendance that night began to chant, “the mark of the beast, the mark of the beast, they did a fix with the mark of the beast.” In all actuality, I doubt very much that Nick or his conspirators gave much thought to the theological significance of the triple sixes. According to the website US-Lotteries.com, triple sixes have been drawn twenty-two times since the daily lottery’s inception in 1977. Apparently, the beast runs amok in Pennsylvania.
With a record payout of 3.5 million dollars and a rash of unusual betting patterns, the state lottery, and those bookies who had not received the warning, soon realized that something
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