he 1800s
It is worth noting that gambling in America didn’t just emerge in the 1800s, it was there before, but it was around this time that it first started to become what it is today. In the early 1800s, the first game of Craps was played, and it took off, making its way across the country. In 1827 the first 24-hour, full-service casino was opened in New Orleans: the Crescent City House. Just a few years later, in 1830, the US banned all lotteries, and this ban was in place for over a hundred years.
Casinos began to spring up in earnest across America. However, a number of states answered this growing popularity with gambling bans; although people obviously still did gamble, it just went underground. In 1861 Nevada was the first state to make gambling a felony, although they did reverse the law by 1870. The last notable event in the 1800s was the death of Wild Bill Hickok, who was shot while playing poker. He is said to have had a hand of all aces and eights, which has since become the dead man’s hand.
The 1900s
In the early 1900s, the first vessel in the US entirely dedicated to gambling was built and sailed on Lake Michigan. The following year, 1905, the first slot machine, as it would be recognized today, was introduced by Charles Fay; he had also invented a coin-operated gambling machine which was really just the precursor to the slot machine. It seemed like things were moving forward for gambling, but states were still introducing gambling bans. It was also in the early 1900s that Blackjack, or twenty-one as it was known at the time, was first played in Indiana.
Gambling bans were repealed, and it was relegalized in some states. Slot machines also became a much more common sight. 1931 really marks the beginning of modern gambling in America because it was the year that Nevada legalized commercial gambling. In the next decade, the first Las Vegas casino, El Rancho, opened its doors. During the next few decades, Nevada continued to legalize different forms of gambling and betting. In 1951, US Congress passed laws imposing taxes on sportbooks, and it was made illegal to transport gambling paraphernalia unless gambling was legal in each and every state that was being passed through.
Continued attempts were made to regulate gambling in a number of different states, including Nevada. In the 1960s, New Hampshire was the first state to lift the lottery ban. During the 70s, sportsbooks were allowed inside casinos for the first time, betting on horse racing became more prevalent, and the first reservation-based casino opened its doors. The 80s saw the passing of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and the National Indian Gaming Commission was created. Lastly, in 1992 Congress passed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which banned states from regulating and imposing taxes on sports betting.
2000s – Today
Things progressed much as they had been up until 2006 when Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which was designed to crack down on illegal online gambling. This had a knock-on effect, and in 2011, the three biggest online poker businesses of the time: Absolute Poker, Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars, were indicted for illegal activity. This pretty much put the kibosh on online poker for a time. In 2012 and 2013, New Jersey made some moves; first, it passed sports betting laws before it became pretty active in passing laws which allow online gambling.
In 2018 the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was overturned, and individual states were allowed to regulate sports betting. New Jersey and Delaware were quick to legalize sports betting, and the first sportsbooks were opened outside of Nevada. The following year saw sports betting legalized in a myriad of other states. Today, gambling is pretty widespread, although there are still a few holdouts like Idaho, Utah and Wisconsin that have not made any moves to legalize gambling. Online gambling and sports betting are also more accessible than ever before, thanks to sites like BetUS, which has scores and odds Vegas lines for you to check out. Where is gambling headed next? Who is to say? It is a multi-billion dollar industry, so it definitely isn’t going anywhere.
To Conclude
The history of gambling in America is long and storied. It has been made unlawful and legalized many times, which just shows how attitudes have changed towards the pastime. In the end, gambling isn’t going to go anywhere, it is far too popular, and it brings in far too much money to outlaw again. However, if you want a truly one-of-a-kind experience of gambling, then there is only one place to go: Vegas, baby!
