For much of the twentieth century, gambling in the United States meant going to one of the casinos in Las Vegas, or in another part of Nevada. In the 1970s, the state of New Jersey legalized gambling in Atlantic City, hoping that the gamblers who lived in nearby cities would find it easier to go to the Jersey shore than to travel all the way across country.

Once people in other states saw how popular these two gambling venues were, they pushed to have gambling legalized in other places, at least on a limited basis. In 1988, the U.S. Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which permitted casinos on land controlled by Native American tribes. A year later, the state of Iowa authorized riverboat gambling, and in 1990, Mississippi and Illinois followed suit. That same year, the state of Colorado approved a law that permitted gambling in certain areas. Louisiana and Mississippi gave in to riverboat gambling in 1991, and the next year, Louisiana approved the construction of a land-based casino located in New Orleans. The state of Indiana legalized riverboat gambling in 1993.

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) was designed to bring an influx of money into areas controlled by native tribes, which in recent years have experienced poverty well above the national average. While not all of these casinos have been successful, and some have met with complaints from neighbors, on the whole, they have done what they set out to do: they have injected new money into sagging economies, and they have provided jobs to a large number of previously unemployed or underemployed people.

Riverboat Gambling

Riverboat gambling conjures up romantic pictures of paddle-wheeled steamboats moving up and down the Mississippi River and other inland waterways. The modern boats play to this stereotype, and often follow a Victorian decorating scheme. However, the new riverboats differ from the old ones in many respects. For example, laws in the state of Mississippi prohibit a boat from leaving the dock. That means they need not be anything more than exquisitely-decorated cargo barges. They do not require engines, they don't have to worry about buying fuel, and they can be open to gamblers 24 hours a day. Other states require gaming boats to be fully functional, and permit gambling only when the boat is under way. In Iowa, however, it is recognized that winter weather will make cruising difficult; boats cruise in the warmer months and have dockside gambling in the colder months.

contact@gamblinginamerica.com