Commercial casinos are those owned and operated by large and small companies. They are heavily regulated by state governments. Each state sets different limits on the types and locations of casinos permitted. Some states allow land-based casinos, while others restrict casino games to floating gambling halls on barges or riverboats. A handful of states allow slot machines at noncasino locations, su…
Gambling has a long history in Nevada. It was widely practiced in the frontier towns of the Old West but was outlawed around the end of the nineteenth century, during a time when conservative values predominated. However, illegal gambling was widely tolerated throughout the state. In 1931 gambling was legalized again in Nevada. At the time, the country was in a deep economic depression. Casino dev…
In June 1976 casino gambling in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was legalized by the state's voters, making it the second state (after Nevada) to permit casino gambling. New Jersey casinos are regulated under the state's Casino Control Act. Atlantic City was an immensely popular resort destination throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was easily accessible by rail, and people visi…
Gambling along the Mississippi River and its connecting waterways was widespread during the early 1800s. The rivers were the modern-day equivalent of the interstate highway system, carrying cash-laden farmers, merchants, and tourists to bustling towns along the riverbank. Many of these towns developed gambling halls, notorious establishments that attracted many professional gamblers. These sharps,…
Louisiana has a long gambling history, according to The Rivergate, a documentary on the destruction of the Port of New Orleans Exhibition Center to make way for a Harrah's casino. In 1823, eleven years after Louisiana became a state, its legislature legalized several forms of gambling and licensed six "temples of chance" in the city of New Orleans. Each was to pay $5,000 per y…
The state of Indiana legalized riverboat gambling in 1993 with passage of the Riverboat Gambling Act, which was enacted by Public Law 277-1993 and codified as Indiana Code 4-33. The act established the Indiana Gaming Commission and gave it authority to issue up to eleven riverboat licenses in specific areas of the state—in the northwest corner along Lake Michigan, at the southern border alo…
Illinois legalized riverboat gambling in 1990, only the second state to do so. The Illinois Gaming Board was authorized under the Riverboat Gambling Act to grant up to ten casino licenses. Each license allows up to two vessels to be operated at a single specific docksite. Each docksite can have no more than 1,200 gaming positions, and all wagering is cashless. The first riverboat casino opened on …
In November 1992 a referendum to allow riverboat gambling was approved by 64% of Missouri voters. The initiative read as follows: "Authorizes riverboat gambling excursions on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, regulated by the State Tourism Commission. Excursions may originate where locally approved by the voters. Five hundred dollar maximum loss limit per person per excursion. The propos…
Pari-mutuel horse racing was legalized in 1933 in Michigan. During the 1970s, the state lottery was legalized, and a concerted effort began to bring casino gambling to Detroit. These efforts were unsuccessful until 1994, when the Windsor Casino opened just across the river from Detroit in Windsor, Canada. By this time, more than a dozen tribal casinos were operating around the state of Michigan, a…
Gambling was outlawed in the state of Iowa from the time of its statehood in 1846 until 1972, when a provision in the state constitution prohibiting lotteries was repealed. In 1973 the general assembly authorized bingo and raffles by specific parties. A decade later in 1983, pari-mutuel wagering at dog and horse tracks was legalized. A state lottery was authorized in 1985. In 1989 gambling aboard …
During the 1800s gambling halls and saloons with card games were prevalent throughout the mining towns of Colorado. However, gambling was outlawed in the state around the turn of the twentieth century. In November 1990, Colorado voters approved a constitutional amendment permitting limited-stakes gaming in the towns of Black Hawk and Central City, near Denver, and Cripple Creek, located near Color…
Commercial casino gambling in South Dakota is restricted to the town of Deadwood in Lawrence County. Deadwood, located approximately sixty miles from Mount Rushmore, is a rustic mountain town that was designated as a National Historic Landmark and is listed on both the National and South Dakota Register of Historic Places. The town features more than eighty historic casinos, with a total of 112 ca…
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