ABSTRACT
This chapter is an analysis of the history of commercial gambling in the United States and its relation to the state. The contemporary explosion in US commercial legal gambling is a result of a radical shift in government policies over the past several decades. For almost a century, gambling had been largely proscribed by all of the states either by constitution or by statute (Dombrink and Thompson 1990). Today the states are primary forces in the radical transformation of gambling from self-limiting indigenous ‘play’ activities to profit-making ventures on a vast commercial scale. The operators of all commercial gambling games have a guaranteed advantage or edge. Upon this edge, and the revenue interests of government, an enormous institution has been created.
