History of sports gambling
The history of sports betting in the US extends back on the occasions when the founders took risks. In the past bettors bet on cockfights, makeshift horse races and bare fist fights. Colonists and Pioneers that landed in the united states from Europe and England specifically had betting within their veins because their ancestors gambled for generations. As a result “sports betting” was obviously a natural part and parcel with the early American culture.
Today it is obvious that sports betting activities are the rage around the globe. With all the simplicity of on-line sports betting, it’s made the sport much 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 from the 19th and early 20th Centuries and was appreciated mostly by way of the upper class. But horse tracks started to appear following the Civil War and very quickly gamblers coming from all sectors of society flocked to these racing establishments. Bookies had a hold on the gambling population and in addition they were setting odds on horses that enhanced the betting handle. Bookies would lower the odds on other horses to increase their attractiveness when there was big money for a particular horse. By 1920s horse racing had reached a peak with over 300 racetracks throughout the US.
Professional baseball gained popularity in 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. Though gambling was against the law most people considered sports gambling to be a harmless victimless crime. College football games and basketball also became popular with bettors as baseball and boxing. Pool cards were extremely popular even though the odds of these cards were in the bookies favor.
In most 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 early 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 nearly three decades.
Established in 1930 the corporation set lines in sports events and dispersed them to bookmakers in the nation through the telegraph or telephone He also printed sports information which helped bookies produce better lines and gamblers make better decisions. The publication that had been most widely used was The Green Sheet. He was legitimate even though his clients were illegal bookies.
Sports gambling was finally legalized in Nevada in 1931 and the states finances which had been in dire straits at that time, transformed significantly. Legalized boxing and sports gambling activities caused it to be a hot spot for tourists and this altered its economic condition for the better.
A resolution was passed in 1951 by the Congress that imposed a 10% tax on every sports bet. New regulations allowed the bookies to come out of the dark and work openly. Turf clubs were the first legal sports books in Nevada and they were occasionally called “sawdust” rooms. In 1980s Roxborough became a significant part of sports gambling and ushered in the technology that completely changed sports gambling.