The United States has a long history of illegal gambling in sports. Gambling scandals and political control have ended in the prohibition and regulating sports gambling in the USA. Laws that connected with sports gambling and other standards have been changing and these changes have been described as “Waves”. The first of these waves was in the Colonial Period that lasted up until the 1800s. The next wave took place following the US Civil war till the early Twentieth century. The 3rd of such waves started in the Great Depression till date.
Sports gambling has always been illegal in the US. Puritan attitudes while in the Colonial era were adopted towards sports and also other gambling, possession of cards, gaming tables, dice etc. Later on it was only allowed if this had not been a trade but only innocent recreation. Early settlers had the view that gambling was just a harmless past time. Gambling was likened to the frontier spirit as each of them involved opportunism, risk taking and high expectations.
Illegal sports betting has always been associated with mobsters and organized crime in the United States. Illegal sports gambling became a huge business for gang mobsters in the 1920s and 1930s. Organized bookmaking systems were set up by organized crime all over the nation. Horse racing betting shot to popularity during this period.
In 1931 Nevada legalized casino gambling and here too organized crime took control over all of the casino betting business. Mobsters operated illegal nationwide wire services Trans America Wire and Continental Wire Service. Mobsters such as infamous Al Capone put in place their own wire services to stop gamblers from getting any benefit of delays by making sure they posted winning wagers before official results were out.
The Federal Government of the US cracked upon mobsters and organized crime during the 1950s and forced them outside the Nevada Casino gambling industry. But this did not dissuade the organized crime mobsters who took over illegal bookmaking. Law Enforcement authorities do acknowledge that independent bookies are functioning within the nation yet it is obvious that organized crime still controls all the big money in betting.
Animal fights furthermore have a long history in the US despite the not so good reputation it’s got. Most animal fights include dog fights and cock fights which are today favored by street gangs and big amounts of weapons and money usually are present in the course of these fights.
History of illegal gambling in sports uncovers that cockfighting was illegal and banned by nearly all states the United States during the 1800s. It remains illegal today in 48 states. Legal issues in Minnesota makes any king of gambling bet Illegal. Thus any type of card game where one has to spend to participate in a game and have possibilities to win money is a “bet” and thus also thought to be illegal gambling. It is essential to keep in mind that the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 only refers to the funding of internet gambling not the actual act of betting.
