For the first half of the 20th century, Edward Riley Bradley’s Beach Club, located in Palm Beach, was the finest illegal gambling establishment in Florida and, some would argue, the entire country.
You can read more about illegal casinos (and legal ones too) in Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling.
Go here to read an excerpt from the book, or learn where to buy your copy.
The (illegal) Beach Club shines Read More »
fromthebookIt didn’t take long for the Windy City to develop a reputation as a center for illegal gambling. By the 1850s, there were a host of upscale but dishonest skinning houses near Lake and State streets, and lower-amenity gambling in a rough part of town known as the Sands (this area has no known connection to the later Las Vegas casino of the same name).
You can learn plenty more about Chicago’s long gambling historyin Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling.
Go here to read an excerpt from the book, or learn where to buy your copy.
Gambling the Chicago Way, Circa 1850 Read More »
fromthebookCops in Royal Oak, Michigan, have gotten their digs renovated–thanks to bookies. From the Chicago Tribune: The second floor of the citys police station has a new look thanks to money seized a decade ago from a sports gambling operation. The department put up almost $34,000 for the $52,000 renovation completed Wednesday, most of it
Extreme Makeover: Sports Betting Edition Read More »
gambling & cultureTim Donaghy, the NBA ref accused of gambling on games that he refereed, has plead guilty. From USA Today: The Boston Celtics, favored by four points, faced the 76ers in Philadelphia on Dec. 13 and won 101-81 in what seemed to be just another NBA blowout featuring bad Atlantic Division teams. On or about the
Gambling ref pleads guilty Read More »
news about gamblingThis might put the kabosh on plans to bring an NBA franchise to Las Vegas…or not. An NBA ref has reportedly used his position to influence the outcome of games he had action on. From UPI: An NBA referee is reportedly under investigation by U.S. authorities for allegedly fixing games over the past two seasons,
NBA ref gambling scandal Read More »
gambling & cultureI don’t have much of a reason for putting this story up, except to prove perhaps that gambling can flourish anywhere. From The Raw Story: Police were searching for Senegal’s honorary consul after finding the consulate in Singapore was doubling as a gambling den packing up to 100 enthusiasts a night, officials said on Sunday.
Consul craps busted Read More »
news about gamblingI’m not a big Stones fan, but I couldn’t resist the title. No, it’s not a typo: there really is such a thing as a baang, and baangs are big business in South Korea. From the Washington Post: When a South Korean police squad cracked down on illegal computer gambling, they did it by literally
Illegal gambling is notoriously hard to stamp out, because it is usually socially acceptable. A Philippine anti-gambling group wants to change that. From INQ7: A man from a remote barangay in Central Luzon unwittingly placed a bet on “jueteng,†the underground lottery so despised by the clergy in his area. He didn’t win the pot,
Internet gambling is getting bigger and bigger. The NCAA, for example, has learned that, shockingly, people are using the phrase “March Madness” to promote betting on its championship tournament. And the organization is piping hot mad: it’s issued cease and desist orders. To protect Americans from online gambling, two Congressmen have re-introduced the Internet Gambling
What will it take? Read More »
news about gamblingI’m doing a quick hit today because I’ve been totally pre-occupied with getting http://gaming.unlv.edu ready for the big relaunch. But this story was hard to pass up. Check out the intro from the Philly Daily News: KNOW IT’S wrong, but I feel for the lunks who got busted for operating that illegal Port Richmond casino.
Illegal gambling and…parking? Read More »
news about gamblingOne question I get a lot is, “When did the mob leave Las Vegas?” I usually answer that organized crime is present in every major American city (and probably every major city in the world), so it is still here. As I’ve said before, the idea of the mob “controlling” Las Vegas was and is
Gambling and the mob Read More »
news about gamblingThree-card Monte, AKA the shell game, is remarkably resilient. Hundreds of years old, if not thousands, it just keeps soldiering on. The game has apparently been revived–in a slightly different form–on the roads of Kerala, India. From newindpress: ‘Natakuth’, a sort of street gambling, which is a punishable offence under Section 15 of Kerala Gaming
This is why you don’t ask for free legal advice.
Ask a stupid question… Read More »
news about gamblingBaltimore Ravens cornerback Corey Fuller did not, according to jurors, run a gambling house, even though prosecutors said he presided over games “like a pit boss.” Did the state fail to make its case, or are juries unwilling to convict people for the “victimless” crime of running a private casino?
It’s illegal casinos, to be sure, but that headline is still pretty scary. The moral: don’t break the law in China.
Casino operator gets death sentence Read More »
news about gamblingI’m always fascinated by illegal gambling busts, and today’s news does not disappoint. Three illegal casinos in Hawaii have been discovered and closed.
Illegal in the 808 Read More »
news about gamblingFor the past two days, most of the cable news networks have been playing up President Bush’s retorts to Senator Kerry’s remarks about terrorism. Here is the original quote from CNN: ”We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they’re a nuisance,” the
Like many other Americans, police in Virginia Beach like playing poker. For almost a year, they’ve been holding a monthly Texas Hold’em tournament in the Fraternal Order of Police lodge. But now, because the tournaments are apparently illegal, they will cease. From HamptonRoads.com: The game became an issue with the FOP after the state Department
Police poker popped Read More »
news about gamblingI think that was the name of an Archie Shepp album in the 1960s. Anyway, today I’m talking about Newport, Kentucky. Once a major stop on the national “flourishing illegal casinos and vice” circuit, the city has cleaned up its image. The city became a vice center in the 19th century, and remained so until
New thing at Newport Read More »
news about gamblingIf you were from the Maple Park, IL area, DJ’s Tavern West was the place to get some gambling done…until a May 28th bust, that is. From the Daily Herald: Court documents that detail the search of the tavern at 221 Main St. in Maple Park and the Yorkville home of its owner, David Weeks,
Inside an illegal gambling operation Read More »
news about gambling