Is Gambling In America's National DNA?
On Super Bowl Sunday, Americans Will Spend $500 Million Gambling
(CBS) Maybe it's in our national DNA. After all, what were the odds the colonies — the ultimate underdogs — could have beaten the British?
Perhaps it's only natural that America is finally getting in touch with its inner gambler.
Thirty-five years ago in this country if you wanted to place a legal bet, you either had to be at a track or in Las Vegas. That has all changed.
You can gamble or play the lottery now in every state except Utah and Hawaii. To be sure, religious and moral objections still exist. But they've been drowned out by the din of your local casino. And this week, that noise will be deafening.
Super Bowl Sunday is an especially big betting day. Americans will throw down more than a half a billion dollars on the game (legally and otherwise), but half a billion is chump change.
A recent federal study on gaming in the U.S. indicated that "there was up to $380 billion a year bet in this country on sports, of which only one percent is legally bet," said Frank Fahrenkopf, who used to run the Republican Party and is now gambling's top lobbyist.
The other 99 percent of that $380 billion is illegal gambling that's going on in this country each year.
Americans like to bet.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-gambling-in-americas-national-dna/
On Super Bowl Sunday, Americans Will Spend $500 Million Gambling
(CBS) Maybe it's in our national DNA. After all, what were the odds the colonies — the ultimate underdogs — could have beaten the British?
Perhaps it's only natural that America is finally getting in touch with its inner gambler.
Thirty-five years ago in this country if you wanted to place a legal bet, you either had to be at a track or in Las Vegas. That has all changed.
You can gamble or play the lottery now in every state except Utah and Hawaii. To be sure, religious and moral objections still exist. But they've been drowned out by the din of your local casino. And this week, that noise will be deafening.
Super Bowl Sunday is an especially big betting day. Americans will throw down more than a half a billion dollars on the game (legally and otherwise), but half a billion is chump change.
A recent federal study on gaming in the U.S. indicated that "there was up to $380 billion a year bet in this country on sports, of which only one percent is legally bet," said Frank Fahrenkopf, who used to run the Republican Party and is now gambling's top lobbyist.
The other 99 percent of that $380 billion is illegal gambling that's going on in this country each year.
Americans like to bet.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-gambling-in-americas-national-dna/