Both Reno and Las Vegas benefited greatly from Nevada’s legalisation of gambling in 1931. Like cities in New Jersey and Florida, they openly welcomed cards, dice, slot machines, roulette wheels and tourist dollars. In particular, its proximity to a huge public works project—the construction of Boulder (Hoover) Dam—and location on the railroad between Los Angeles [...]
- Posted in 05. Gambling & Casino History
The love-hate relationship of America with gambling continued throughout the early part of the 20th century. In New Jersey, for example, “gambling resorts” cropped up along the Hudson River across from their beloved clientele in New York City. Most of these operations were run by illegal crime syndicates, who reaped millions of dollars in profits [...]
- Posted in 05. Gambling & Casino History
Meanwhile, east of the Mississippi, the British betting fad had taken hold, and horse racing bloomed anew. Maryland’s Pimlico Racecourse opened in 1870, followed by Kentucky’s Churchill Downs in 1875—the homes of the Preakness and the Kentucky Derby. Bookmaking soon became almost as popular in New England as it was in Old England. Farther south, [...]
- Posted in 05. Gambling & Casino History
In the early 19th century, gambling was ostensibly illegal in most of the United States, causing vice districts to spring up in major cities, pairing gambling with prostitution. Especially in the South, gangs of swindlers ruled the betting trade in Vicksburg, Memphis, Mobile and other towns. Outside of state jurisdictions, steamboats all along the Mississippi [...]
- Posted in 05. Gambling & Casino History
Throughout history, societies have treated gambling with ambivalence—a kind of love-hate relationship. Kings, queens, emperors and presidents have all, at one time or other, tried to prohibit gambling, just as the same leaders have all intermittently used it as a revenue source, holding lotteries and taxing winnings. Even major religions don’t know quite what to [...]
- Posted in 05. Gambling & Casino History