Exactly what started gambling on sports activities
To understand what started gambling on sports one has to first examine the history of sports gambling in the US. The USA has a long history of permitting certain types of legal gambling and also illegal betting to a certain degree. Political control and scandals regarding gaming interests have ended in selected backlashes which have resulted in prohibition or regulating sports gambling. Standards and laws relating to sports gambling have kept changing.
Nelson Rose describes these changes in law as 3 waves. The first wave was during the colonial era that lasted till the mid 1800s, the 2nd wave started following the Civil War and lasted till the early Twentieth century and the third wave commenced during the Great Depression and it’s still continuing.
During the Colonial Era, diverse attitudes were enforced towards gambling. Puritan attitudes were adopted towards gambling and possession of dice, cards, gaming tables etc were outlawed. Later on it had been allowed so long as it was not a calling or trade except for moderate and innocent recreation. Settlers brought along with them views that said gambling was merely a harmless activity. The frontier spirit encouraged the appeal of gambling as it involved risk taking, high expectations and opportunism. sport betting basics
Eventually all colonies used lotteries as being a solution from financial problems and to benefit the colonies. It was a civic responsibility and proceeds were utilized to create a number of the first prestigious universities, build churches and even libraries. Lotteries continued to be popular right to the initial Nineteenth century. Horse racing was also preferred and the Long Island built the first race track in 1665. Casino gaming started to emerge slowly as roadhouses and taverns began to permit card games and dice.
The Lower Mississippi Valley became a structured and legitimate gambling area in 1800s. The mighty river featuring its riverboats became a major trade avenue for both wealthy merchants and farmers. New Orleans soon gained recognition as the gambling capital. During the 1830s southern settlers turned against professional gamblers who were blamed for committing crimes, debasing morals of society and endangering streets. During 1800s there seemed to be increasing attack of gambling especially lotteries and whenever operators absconded with the proceeds lottery scandals finally concluded in prohibition of gambling.
The Gold Rush in California triggered a huge increase in the types of gambling and San Francisco was crowned the new gambling capital in the USA. During 1849 and 1855 gambling spread widely and by 1850 California and lots of cities had licensed gambling centers. But soon the Legislature made most forms of gambling illegal and a number of professional gamblers were lynched. This prohibition drove wagering activities underground and did not eliminate it. Gambling was legal during 1869-1910 in Nevada.
It is possible to now understand what started gambling on sports in the USA. With the many scandals within the lottery gambling segments, 35 states in America including California prohibited lotteries. In 1933 pari-mutuel betting was legalized and new automated systems and laws made horse racing betting more honest. In 1978 casino gambling was legalized by New Jersey and Atlantic City became a popular tourist destination. Regardless of its illegality sports gambling became quite popular and today is a billion dollar industry.