"How anyone can regard any form of gambling as a legitimate industry is beyond me."

How right, Richard.

Before the "Indian Casino" we had the Bookies. We started out with the horses & the dogs, cock fights, etc. Then we evolved/invented, the policy or numbers game, commonly known as the "nigger pool" which was given birth in Harlem back in the roaring 20's. Dutch Schultz spotted it & took it away from & out of the hands of Harlem & figured out how he could rig it. It went into the hands of Big Crime Business. It's main appeal was always towards poor to lower middle working & non working class people & the dream of hitting it big is addictive & the worst the economy the better the betting. Betting palors sprung up but when off track betting became an enforceable crime (off track betting never became a crime but that's a different thread) & a ression hit the bookies went into the bars & other legit establishments & set up shop there. Then came along the federal stamp. As long as you paid for the stamp, a form of a tax, it was ok to take bets. No one ever cared about the gambler, now or then. The feds would not & did not share any info to the state authories who the stamped bookies were. If the feds raided a "booking joint" any one with a stamp was released on the spot the reast had to pass go. With the coming of the state lotteries most of the bookies & their bankers or backers went bust. The state was now getting their fair share of the pie. So I guess from the 20's to th 60's illegal gambling was in it's heydays. Todays online gambling is just the start of another unregulated heyday period where the government isn't getting their fair share & until they figure out how to get it will become illegal & stay that way until these new computer wise bookies have to pay into the system. Sam, will have his due.

Gambling is addictive to many!

Barry