The history of sports gambling in the usa dates back to the times when the founders took risks. Back then bettors bet on cockfights, makeshift horse races and bare fist fights. Colonists and Pioneers that landed in the US from Europe and England specifically had betting in their veins because their ancestors gambled for generations. Therefore “sports betting” was a natural part and parcel of the early American culture.
Today there’s no question that sports betting activities are the craze all over the world. With all the simplicity of on-line sports betting, it’s made the sport all the more convenient and cheaper. Though previously the sports betting segment was small, today it has permeated almost every element of society.
Horse racing was popular in the 19th and early 20th Centuries and was appreciated mainly by way of the upper class. But horse tracks started to appear after the Civil War and soon gamblers coming from all sectors of society flocked to these racing establishments. Bookies had a hold on the gambling population and they were setting odds on horses that increased the betting handle. Bookies would reduce the odds on other horses to enhance their attractiveness when there was big money on a particular horse. By 1920s horse racing had reached a summit with more than 300 racetracks throughout the US.
Professional baseball gained popularity from the late 1800s and “pool cards” came into use. The “Black Sox Scanal” which was “fixed” rocked the US and the public acquired an adverse view of sports bettors. Although gambling was illegal most people considered sports gambling as a harmless victimless crime. College football games and basketball also became popular with bettors as baseball and boxing. Pool cards were as popular as ever although the odds of these cards were in the bookies favor.
In the majority of US cities, sports gambling activities were transforming into a part of life and most youngsters were coming in contact with the sports betting industry in a very young age. Some professionals have said, “Sports gambling was getting more popular than hotdogs!” Soon Leo Hirschfield started Athletic Publications that became the sports betting world standard for almost 30 years.
Established in 1930 this company set lines in sports events and distributed those to bookmakers in the nation through the telegraph or telephone He also published sports information which helped bookies produce better lines and gamblers make smarter decisions. The publication that had been most widely used was The Green Sheet. He was legitimate even though his customers were illegal bookies.
Sports gambling was finally legalized in Nevada in the year 1931 and the states financial situation which was in dire straits during those times, changed drastically. Legalized boxing and sports gambling activities made it a hot spot for tourists and this also altered its economic condition for the better.
A resolution was passed in 1951 by the Congress that charged a 10% tax on every sports bet. New regulations permitted the bookies to come out of the dark and work openly. Turf clubs were the initial legal sports books in Nevada and they were sometimes called “sawdust” rooms. In 1980s Roxborough became a significant part of sports gambling and brought in the technology that completely changed sports gambling.
