If anything is constant in the history of gambling, it is change, and the pace of that change just keeps getting faster. By the time a new millennium was about to begin, Las Vegas already had competition for its title from several quarters.
Throughout the United States, nations of Native Americans began taking advantage of their independence from state governments to establish lavish casinos of their own on tribal lands. The opening of the magnificent Foxwoods Resort in Connecticut in 1986 gave East Coast gamblers a reason to stay close to home. By 2005, there would be 55 Native American-run casinos in California alone, each giving Las Vegas a run for its money.
Of course, gambling via computer has become wildly popular, too, starting in the mid-1990s. If it were not for U.S. restrictions on Internet gaming that keep Americans from freely playing online, Las Vegas and bricks and mortar casinos might be feeling the pinch even more. Elsewhere in the world, revenues generated by virtual gaming are soaring.
And Macau, having reverted to Chinese ownership in 1999, has been adding gambling resorts with the same ferocity seen in “Sin City” a few decades earlier. Modern casino gambling has long been part of life in Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines. If the Chinese open the floodgates, there can be little doubt that the crown will eventually head across the Pacific.
Today, the variety of legal gaming opportunities is almost boundless. The Irish Sweepstakes is no longer the only place to make a small fortune off a small bet. From bingo halls and poker rooms to financial spread betting and wagers on the outcomes of reality television shows, players willing to risk a little can gain a lot. It doesn’t take a crystal ball or an abacus to predict that gambling is here to stay. Just as clearly, wondrous innovations will mark its future.
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