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
…show more content…
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
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 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
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 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).
“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
The concept of gambling has been around since the 1600’s when the original thirteen colonies had their own individual lotteries where people viewed gambling as a “civic responsibility” to play. These lotteries helped establish multiple universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and William and Mary. Gambling has been legal and then banned several times in three different eras; the first era in the 1600’s to mid-1800’s, the second in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s, and finally the mid 1900’s to present day where some types of gambling remain legal. Throughout multiple decades, people have constantly bickered back and forth stating their opinions on what defines gambling, and if it should be illegal or legal. More importantly, all types of gambling should be legalized in the United States since multiple types of gambling already exist and are considered legal, it’s improper to permit some and leave others out. Moreover, gambling stimulates the economy by bringing tourism to the area and creating jobs for those in need of one, as well as, making revenue from taxes, benefiting the state and local government.
Gambling is all around the United States, and it can be a dangerous game for families. Many casino’s find gambling as a profit for their Company, since many people from around the United States will come to their casino and try to win it big with their own money. Gambling has been around for many years and a statement made by Worldcasinodirectory.com, stated “To begin with, gambling did not originate in the US- it came to this country with immigrants from Europe, Asia- especially China, and other parts of the world.” The United States was just another victim of an ongoing addiction. By, understanding how gambling reached the borders of The United States, how a notorious gang leader started the empire of gambling, and how an addiction pushes people to their limits, can help understand how gambling has become such a demanding element in a society.
“The state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene conducted a study before the first Maryland casino opened in 2010, and published it in 2011. They found that nearly 90 percent of Marylanders had gambled, and that 3.4 percent were either pathological gamblers or problem gamblers.” (Massimo) There has been numerous stories of addicted gamblers in debt, gamblers that have lost family and friends from their addictions. There was a man $400,000 in debt, his wife threw him out of the house and told him he could not see his kids again unless he gave up gambling. Also, another gambler went on a 48 hour binge without sleeping and barely eating. A woman faced a jail term for stealing $135,000 to feed her gambling
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
There are several concerns regarding the ethics of gambling whether in an online setting or in a public setting. Gambling has many benefits for both gamblers and casinos, but it’s crucial to acknowledge the psychological repercussions of gambling as it isn’t always just “harmless fun.” We can consider the negative and positive implications of gambling on non-gamblers as well. However, how would ethical theories and perspectives differ in their approach to the effects of gambling? When people think of gambling, they usually see flashing Vegas casinos and large sums of cash. The gambling arena is much larger just as the significance of the effects gambling has on the casinos and people involved. Gambling addiction is a very prevalent factor
For thousands of years, mankind has enjoyed spending money on games of chance. Today this has developed into a multi-billion dollar worldwide phenomenon- the gambling industry.