Kingsley Forrester
02/27/15
C 100 Paper
Riverboat Gambling
The crisp slicing of cards, shimmering dresses, sharp suits, dealers shouting, clouds of smoke from cigarettes, and coins spitting out from glowing slot machines is the modern day gambling that we know today. Thinking of gambling in America has always brought attention to prospering cities like Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Gambling unfortunately has created a dark subculture that surrounds gaming such as: crime, prostitution, and loansharking. An evolution of security and the disappearance of the mob have made gaming safer for the family since the mid 19th century. These two cities have defined what society knows of gambling in America. They draw million of tourist and have
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Although the financial backers of the colonies saw gambling as a source of the colonial problems, they began to see it as a solution as well. Once the lottery exposed its untapped potential profits it soon became a civic responsibility. This new resource became heavily relied upon and brought good reciprocity to the community. “During colonial period, before the American Revolution, the lottery was used to back some of the most prestigious universities such as: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Dartmouth, and Princeton, it also was used to build churches, and libraries (Truitt, 1996).” After the revolution the frontier lifestyle began to take full effect. With Americans having a spiritual drive to move west and make their fortunes, gambling shared similar foundations: a spirit of adventure, opportunity, and risk taking. Riverboat gambling was soon to take form after this introduction to gambling in early colonial times.
“The first appearance of riverboat gambling began in the early 1800’s. The lower Mississippi Valley became a legitimate and organized enterprise. The Mississippi River and connected waterways were major avenues of trade and farmers and merchants and the riverboats carried passengers who had lots of cash (Clotfelter & Cook).” This line of travel consistently transported merchants and farmers leaving them vulnerable to the temptation taking risks with their newfound money.
The golden age for riverboat gambling occurred during 1840-1860. During
Gambling is becoming increasingly popular in today’s society. Major casinos and online gambling sites attract
In his essay, “Horse and Gentlemen,” T.H. Breen describes the cultural significance of gambling, specifically in relation to the quarter-horse races, in late 17th century Virginia. Breen primarily argues that the three main aspects of gambling – competitiveness, materialism, and individualism – reflected and reinforced the socio-economic structure of Virginia in this period. The high stakes wagers of the affluent planters reinforced their dominant status in the social structure and the gentry’s right to rule over this colony. Breen’s argument to this effect is supported by letters, court transcripts, documentation of wagers, and other written first-hand accounts. Breen’s case for the cultural significance of gambling has persuasive arguments for its representation of competitiveness and materialism. However, his argument for individualism has contrary elements and his essay would have been improved with the inclusion of women’s role in the gambling culture.
Clearly the people who benefited most from gambling laws in New York City and Atlantic City were the criminals and crooked politicians. However, those cities weren’t isolated cases, just some of the most extreme examples. Horse racing, along most every other form of gambling, was banned in most states in the early 20th Century. Yet, the ban on horse racing didn’t curb public demand. For decades, one of organized crime’s most prized assets was the “race wire.” That was a telegraph service that sent updated horse racing information so that gamblers could bet on races from anywhere in the
The two main languages of the empire were Latin and Greek. As stated by Charles Guittard in his book The Romans Life in the Empire, the history of Latin Issa-3 language was discovered from 600 B.C. through the middle ages (page50). Latin was the language spoken by the Latium people in the Tiber Valley. It became a dead language because it wasn’t understood by people anymore. However, it remained the language of scholars, philosophers and the church.
Gambling has been traced to nearly every society in history. The term ‘gambling’ has negative connotations, like addiction and crime. It is often considered to be a problematic part of society. However, gambling/casinos can benefit society.
“Gambling was the essential amusement -- the grand occupation of many classes. Judges and clergymen, physicians and advocates, merchants and clerks, tradesmen, mechanics, laborers, miners, and farmers, all adventurers in their kind--everyone elbowed his way to the gaming table, and unblushingly threw down his golden or silver
During times of political unrest and hysteria, the Court seems to allow for more limits on speech if simply because the times host more potential for danger. Take the following example as parallel to Schenck, Abrams, and the circumstances surrounding both. In the 1969 case Brandenburg v. Ohio, the Court abandoned the clear and present danger test, stating that only speech that produces or is likely to produce violent actions or illegal behavior can be banned (Cohen 32). The Court argued a difference between advocacy of ideas and incitement of unlawful conduct exists – though the Court did not define it. During this time, the United States was not concerned with being overthrown by insurgents or overcome with hysteria like earlier in the century.
There are many reasons to link financial problems and crime to the large revenues of gambling. Financial losses are one of the extreme threats and costs to the gambler. This is because
In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” Scout is and unreliable narrator because of her young age and mind that is influenced by numerous factors that make her question her core beliefs. For example, she often tells ghost stories of “Boo” Radley and gets into fights with other children at school, she even finds gum inside a tree and “[Her] first impulse was to get it as quickly into [her] mouth as possible” (Lee 44). She is a capricious narrator because she is influenced by her father’s beliefs but still resorts to violence when frustrated by a classmate. Although she is very literate, she still has the outlook of a child and can’t understand situations the same as an adult would. We as readers should listen to the way Scout communicates with others and the language she uses.
Gambling has made immense impacts on the everyday lives of a countless amount of people. Somehow this western pastime has integrated and almost taken control of the Asian and American Asian communities. The gambling issue within the Asian culture has affected families, and individuals in such drastic ways. Within the last few years we have seen an immense outburst of gambling in Macau, which is now the gambling capital of the world. Along with the recent outburst of gambling in Macau we find the dark side of gambling. The illegal activities that follow gambling have taken a toll on society as well as the people involved. Also we quickly see the economic impact made by all the money flowing through Macau. Gambling
“This was my first lesson about gambling: if you see somebody winning all the time, he isn’t gambling, he’s cheating. Later on in life, if I were continuously losing in any gambling situation, I would watch very closely. It’s like the Negro in America seeing the white man win all the time. He’s a professional gambler; he has all the cards and the odds stacked on his side, and he has always dealt to our people from the bottom of the deck” (Haley 16).
After vigorous years of fighting for legalization, Nevada became the first state to legalize casino gambling in 1931, as referenced on Americangaming.org. Following Nevada’s legalization were New Jersey, South Dakota, Iowa, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Louisiana and more. Today, 18 states have commercial casinos, and a total of 30 states offer legalized gambling of any kind. Gambling has transformed over the years, branching out into various games and chances. Some games include slot machines, poker, roulette, blackjack, craps, and bingo. All games have some chance of winning money, however the odds can either be in, or out, of favor. As gambling increases in states nationwide, the exposure through advertisements and offering of free giveaways has caught the eyes of people young, old and in between. Over the past twenty years, gambling has increased by ten-times than before, while the amount of pathological gamblers has remained steady. Nevertheless, although this proves that gambling addiction has not increased over time, it does not defer from the fact that gambling is not a victimless
Gambling has been a popular activity in the United States from the 1600’s to the present day United States. As gambling grows as a worldwide enterprise, it expands the United States with the opportunities it provides and the attention it consumes. Gambling as a whole benefits different recreational activities and events such as sports. Gambling also allows people visiting places like Las Vegas to enjoy playing poker with friends and even winning money after a game of poker or Slot Machine. Gambling allows many activities to be expanded to their full potential and offer people the full
Gambling in the words of McLean and Yoder (2005) "means risking something of value, usually money, on an event that has an unknown outcome." In the opinion of the authors, gambling can assume various forms including but not in any way limited to "casino games, betting on sporting events, playing bingo, buying raffle tickets, and playing lotteries" (McLean and Yoder, 2005). Over time, gambling has grown in popularity with the same being legalized in many jurisdictions across the world. However, those opposed to gambling and the legalization of the same continue to cite various reasons in an attempt to backup their assertions. One of the reasons cited by those opposed to gambling according to McLean and Yoder (2005) is that the costs of gambling easily outweigh the benefits associated with the same. This argument advances the idea that the interests of the society override those of an individual. Thus the
Gambling was present in almost every major, ancient civilization. From the Mesolithic rolling of hucklebones, to the Mesopotamian invention of the six-sided die, and finally to the Chinese invention of the card, not only did gambling survive through countless civilizations of ancient history, it evolved into a global phenomenon. Stakes on these games could range from Quadrans, the Roman equivalent of pennies, to betting an entire estate on a simple throw of the die. Interestingly, as in modern times, ancient peoples and civilizations had varying opinions of gambling. Some ignored it, some outlawed it, and some accepted it. Despite the numerous stances on gambling, one thing held true for all