1. "The urge to gamble is so universal, and its practice is so pleasurable, that I assume it must be evil."
2. 1909: Nevada outlaws casino gambling; pretty much all gambling is illegal in the U.S. 1919: Prohibition becomes law in Nevada. 1931: Nevada re-legalizes gambling. 1933: Prohibition repealed.
3. During the Great Depression, "the young town of Las Vegas virtually was insulated from economic hardships that wracked most Americans ... Jobs and money were prevalent"
4. Nevada casino employee wages in 2004 : $7.287 billion
Gaming tax revenue in Nevada, 2004: $866.99 million
5. "Every now and then when your life gets complicated and the weasels start closing in, the only cure is to load up on heinous chemicals and then drive like a bastard from Hollywood to Las Vegas ..."
6. "Though both rich and poor people gamble, gambling takes a higher toll on lower-income people. Having less money to begin with, poor people can't afford to lose their money in a quest for quick riches. Yet studies show the poor are particularly susceptible to gambling, and bet a higher percentage of their income than do those of higher socioeconomic status."
7. In 2005, more than 43 percent of Nevada's general fund was fed by gambling tax revenue. More than 34 percent of the general fund went to public education.
8. "The typical gambler might not really understand the probabilistic nuances of the wheel or the dice, but such things seem a bit more tractable than, say, trying to raise a child in this lunatic society of ours."
9. By 2005, 35 states had some form of legalized electronic gaming device
10. Gambling is believed to have been present in the ancient caves of Mesopotamia, where inhabitants rolled ivory dice to bet on sacred truths.
11. In the 11 states with commercial table-game casinos in 2004, casinos contributed $4.7 billion in tax revenue to state and local governments. The tax rate for the casino industry ranged in 2004 from a low of 6.75 percent in Nevada to a high of 70 percent in Illinois.
12. World Series of Poker champ Phil Hellmuth on winning his first of six titles, in 1989: "So I made a deal with my dad that if I won the championship, I would buy him a new car. It was the first poker tournament he ever attended, and it was also his first Mercedes-Benz! I'll never forget the dealer turning up that last card; my arms shot up into the air in ecstasy—yes! I was the World Champion of Poker!"
13. Top U.S. casino markets by 2004 annual revenues: Las Vegas Strip: $5.333 billion; Atlantic City, New Jersey: $4.806 billion; Chicagoland, Indiana/Illinois: $2.346 billion; Connecticut (Indian), $1.646 billion; Tunica, Mississippi: $1.99 billion; Detroit: $1.189 billion; Biloxi, Mississippi: $911.45 million; Reno/Sparks, Nevada: $903.54 million.
14. "If you must play, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes and the quitting time."
15. Seven percent of the population is estimated to have a gambling problem. Some warning signs:
• Spends large amounts of time gambling, allowing little time for family, friends or other interests.
• Must make larger, more frequent bets to get the same level of excitement.
• Has growing debts, borrows money, and pins hopes on the "big win" to solve financial problems.
16. "No presidential candidate should visit Las Vegas without condemning organized gambling."
17. "Gaming vs. Gambling: "While some people assume the word gaming was created as a way to 'reinvent' the casino industry, history tells a different story. The word 'gaming'— defined as the action or habit of playing at games of chance for stakes—actually dates back to 1510, predating use of the word 'gambling' by 265 years. Casinos in Nevada have been referred to as part of the 'gaming' industry ever since 1931."
18. Catherine Perry Hargrave's A History of Playing Cards was originally published in 1930. An original may sell for $700.
19.
20. Money laundering: Since 2003, casinos have been required to file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) when the casino knows, suspects, or has reason to suspect that a transactio involving $5,000 or more: 1) involves funds derived from illegal activity or is intended to conceal funds derived from illegal activity; 2) has no apparent business or other lawful purpose; 3) is not the type normally expected from that particular customer ... Casinos are not permitted to inform patrons when a SAR is filed.
21. The going price for a black dice Las Vegas gambling charm bracelet on eBay: $4.65
22. 2004: The tiny island of Antigua filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization charging that the U.S. had impeded its prospering online gambling industry.
Many Internet gambling firms are based in Antigua, and the U.S. considers Internet gambling illegal based on a 1960s wire act that makes it unlawful for individuals or businesses to accept bets via telephone (or wire) from U.S. citizens.
23. From The Daily Campus UCONN, March 30, 2006: " In the past few years [gambling] has expanded to such a degree that new limits are being tested to determine whether gambling has gotten out of hand.
"The Nevada Gaming Commission passed new mobile gambling regulations March 24 that make it possible to gamble 'on the go.' [People] will be able to use handheld devices to wager bets within public areas of casinos ... So what are the consequences? The use of handheld devices for gambling serves as an example of how technology—when added to gambling—can lead to logistical and security situations that have never been tested or experienced."
24. From ABC News, 2006: "Compulsive gambling may not be a chronic addiction, according to a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
"It's possible that people can recover from compulsive gambling without treatment ... After a year without gambling, almost 40 percent of those who were not treated recovered ... Only 12 percen who attended Gambler's Anonymous meetings recovered. That's a much lower recovery rate than other mental disorders."
25. In 0.04 seconds, Google retrieves 2.21 million entries for "poker."