| Thomas
Jefferson gambled and so did Harry Truman. Richard
Nixon financed his first political carnpaign with
poker winnings. Julius Caesar used a gambling metaphor
("the die is cast") before crossing the
Rubicon and changing the history of the world. Our
language is filled with gambling terms. Among them
are ubiquitous phrases like pressing your luck,
odds on favorite, smart money, sure thing, going
bust, sweeten the deal, fold under pressure, passing
the buck, and the (eternally poetic) luck of the
draw.
Gambling is part of our legends, past and present.
Wild Bill Hickok, Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, Howard
Hughes, Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, Steve Wynn,
and Donald Trump are just a few of the personalities
wrapped up in the story of American gambling.
Everyone has a gambling anecdote. Jokes about gambling
filter into every corner of our culture. "This
guy walks into a bar with a horse and a pack of
cards... "
Gambling is (and always has been) all around us.
And yet casinos were illegal everywhere in the US
except Nevada for most of the 20th century. That
created an odd cultural contrast. Everyone knew
about gambling, but few people actually did it.
The average American played poker with friends and
gambled in a casino once or twice in a lifetime.
People learned about the games from watching movies.
Then came Atlantic City, riverboats, Native American
casinos, the Internet and now gambling seems to
be everywhere, not just conceptually but physically.
Most Americans have visited a casino at least once.
More than 60% of the adults in the U.S. gamble in
some way at least once a year.
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