Casinos have been money makers for hundreds of years. The United States has a long history of illegal as well as legal gambling. Gambling became apart of society as was even allowed in legislation because it was a profitable business. The first form of gambling to be noted in North America was during the period of the colonies. This period lasted up until the mid-1800s.
There were three waves of gambling, the first of which took place from the 1600s to the mid-1800s. The idea of gambling now was not how it was back then due to the fact that the settlers at this time were all Puritans. The Puritans believed that every dice, deck of cards, and gaming table should be outlawed. The hostility towards gamblers was often expressed and is still expressed in present day. Gambling however, became a positive recreational activity to other settlers as it was a distraction from hardship. Gambling was especially practices out on the frontier. Gambling was used for recreation, however, it was often used as a scape-goat for all the problems that occurred between the colonists and the British.
As many non Puritan colonies practiced the art of gambling, the crown decided to take advantage of their vices. To raise money for the crown, settlements such as Jamestown even allowed for lotteries to be held. By 1769, the colonists began to protest and even attempted to hold lotteries without the crown’s permission. Gambling continued on to the mid 1800s where it was highly debated on whether or not it was to be prohibited based on moral grounds.
The second wave of gambling occurred thanks to the movement to the frontier. Gambling became especially prominent with the Gold Rush. The wealth that came from mining influenced the amount of gambling that took place. California gambling reached its peak in 1855. Gambling at this time was extremely integrated, meaning that blacks, women, Mexicans, and the Chinese all gambled together. By 1891, the recreational sport of gambling was completely outlawed throughout the United States.
Although gambling was illegal in the United States, the first slot machine was invented in 1895. After the Civil War, gambling activities were allowed for the purpose of raising more funds for the war effort. Once lotteries came back, other forms of gambling also appeared. These activities included horse racing as well as Chinese gambling houses. Despite the prohibition of gambling, gambling never did disappear.
From the 1930s to the present day is the third huge wave of gambling. After the Great Depression, gambling became legalized. The legalization was looked onto help boost the economy that was in shambles. One of the most popular forms of gambling was Bingo. Bingo was legalized to help raise money for communities and churches. Bingo became legal in 11 states only for charitable purposes.
The mob is also tied with huge gambling sites that are now known as Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Las Vegas was started by the mob because of the huge crackdown by the east coast police force. Eventually other western states followed in allowing gambling as a way of promoting tourism.
In present day, many devastating events may inhibit the growth of on land casinos. After Hurricane Isabel, Atlantic City was never the same. The drought on the west coast may also prevent Las Vegas from ever growing. That is why online casinos are becoming more and more popular. With the new way of technology, online gambling is becoming more convenient for gambling enthusiasts who cannot make a trip to casinos. Online gambling can also be considered a cheaper option because there is so travel cost and the stakes are much lower.
Online gambling originated from land based gambling. Online casinos, however, became more prominent due to to fact that it was a simpler way for States to raise money. The belief is that online casinos will boost the economy in each State. Land-based casinos are often the preference of gamblers because of the touristic attractions. This has changed however due to the closing of many casinos. Within the next 50 years, land-based casinos will either prosper or close. It is the public’s decision to put their money into online gambling or to the actual casinos.
There are so many benefits in pursuing and expanding the online casino business. Online casinos first off, have much less expenses than land-based casinos. Though there is less tax revenue from online casinos, the overall profit can be larger. There is also the matter of comfort levels as online casinos allow gamblers to stay at home to make a bet instead of making a trip to a casino. Despite the many benefits to online gambling, there are also many drawbacks. Those who are playing online can exit the game by just clicking a button without ever losing money.
Like online casinos, there are also many benefits to on land casinos. One positive in particular is employment. For example, one recently closed down casino in Mississippi had over 23,000 employees working for the establishment. This is also a benefit to the online casino industry because less people are needed to be hired which means saving money from providing salaries. This can also be a considered a problem for the state because if less people are receiving paychecks, then less people are paying annual income taxes.
The gambling business has been prominent in North American for over 400 years. As of recently however, many land based casinos have been closing. This in turn, has changed the business model for many casino owners to offer non gambling games. This has been offered for the purpose of trying to get customers to leave their homes. Changing the business model of gambling is also a positive because it does not promote money being given away. This can also be a con, because if no revenue is made from gambling, then any state economy that relies on this method, will have a weak economy.
In the next 50 years, gambling enthusiasts as well as politicians will have to make a choice as to how they will boost their economy. There are many pros and cons to both land based gambling as well as online gambling. Online gambling decreases annual taxes but also boosts the internet market. Land-based gambling does create jobs, however, many gambling enthusiasts lose a lot of money from these casinos. Currently the choice to be made is whether or not land-based casinos will continue to shut down or whether to promote land-based casinos more. There are many benefits to each business model due to the fact that either way, an income will be made.
