ABSTRACT

This book is a study of the British casino industry and how it has been shaped by criminality, prohibition, regulation and liberalization since the beginning of the First World War.

The reader will gain a detailed knowledge of the history, culture, identity and participants within the British casino industry, which has, to date, escaped the attention of a dedicated historical and criminological investigation. This monograph fills this gap in inquiry while drawing on primary source material that has not been used previously, including, but not confined to, records in the National Archives relating to the Gaming Board of Great Britain and the Metropolitan Police. In addition to archive material, oral histories, newspapers, published journals and books have been utilised and referenced where appropriate.

Envisaged to close a gap in historical research, this book will be of interest to historians, criminologists, regulators, students and individuals interested in gambling, society and cultural history.

chapter |17 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|30 pages

Gaming, suppression and prejudice

Gaming before the Great War

chapter 2|28 pages

Gaming and the law 1939–1960

chapter 4|20 pages

The dance of the seven veils

Gaming in Britain under the 1960 Betting and Gaming Act

chapter 5|27 pages

The 1968 Betting and Gaming Act

chapter 6|23 pages

Gangsters, ponces and thieves

The Gaming Act 1968 and the Gaming Board for Great Britain

chapter 7|29 pages

Blood on the carpet

The enforcement of the 1968 Gaming Act

chapter 8|19 pages

Towards deregulation … and beyond