In the novel, Iman runs into people playing an illegal gambling game while in Harlem. This game was known as the Numbers Game. It was very much like the state lotteries that are held today; however, in the 1920s and 1930s gambling was illegal. The Numbers Game was started by men who because prohibition was over needed a new way to make money. For many years, the Numbers Game kept the city of Harlem above water financially. Black men tended to run the game fearing that the white men would either cheat or tell the police. This report will demonstrate how the game was played and some of the men who benefited from the Numbers Game.