Horse racing in America dates back to the colonial era when street races were a common occurrence. The commercialization of horse racing produced a sport that would briefly surpass all others in popularity, with annual races such as the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes growing to rank among America's most celebrated sporting events. From the very onset, horse racing and gambling were intertwined. As the popularity of racing and betting grew, so, too, did the controversies and corruption. Yet, despite the best efforts of social reformers, bookmakers stubbornly plied their trade, adapting and evolving as horse racing gave way to team sports as the backbone of their business.
In Sports Betting and Bookmaking: An American History, Arne K. Lang provides a sweeping overview of legal and illegal sports and race betting in the United States, from the first thoroughbred meet at Saratoga in 1863 through the modern day. The cultural war between bookmakers and their adversaries is a recurring theme, as bookmakers were often forced into the shadows during times of social reform, only to bloom anew when the time was ripe. While much of bookmaking's history takes place in New York, other locales such as Chicago, Las Vegas, and Atlantic City-not to mention Cyberspace-are also discussed in this volume.
A comprehensive exploration of the evolution of bookmaking-including the legal developments and technological advancements that have taken place over the years-Sports Betting and Bookmaking is a fascinating read. This informative and engaging book will be of interest to anyone wanting to learn more about America's long history with gambling on horse racing and team sports.
Industry Reviews
Sportswriter Lang's new book is a fascinating look at the history of legal and illegal horse-race and sports betting in the U.S. It combines his previously demonstrated strengths as a gambling expert and a cultural historian. The strength of Lang's work comes from his deciding not to focus on the 'rogues and scandals' that have been common elements of early writings about horse racing; instead he looks at the history of playing the ponies as a 'robust industry' well fitted to sociology and entrepreneurial studies. His book is an unusual view of the history of America, and includes the racetrack-building boom in the years following the Civil War 'accompanied by a parallel boom in offtrack betting'; the 1905 opening of Belmont Park in New York, 'one of the last great spectacles of the Gilded Age'; the surge in racing papers published during the expansion of horse racing in the Great Depression; and the technological advance of simulcasting satellite video feeds of races to nonracetrack locations, which revolutionized off-track betting. This excellent look at 'America's love/hate affair with sports gambling' delivers fascinating insights. * Publishers Weekly *
With casinos having expanded to most of the United States, and international markets more uncertain than certain, the next major frontier for gambling expansion seems to be sports betting. The American Gaming Association is now making major push for the broader legalization and regulation of sports betting, while professional sports leagues, the bulwark of past opposition to legal sports betting, are softening their stances. As we stand at the cusp of a historic expansion of legal sports gambling, Arne Lang's new history of sports betting and bookmaking is an essential read.... This is an important book to read now because of the rising importance of sports betting to casinos.... Reading Lang's brief, well-written history will give you a better appreciation for all of the dynamics in play with the fight to legalize sports betting, as well as the role of race and sports betting in American life. Lang's book succeeds at telling the story of sports betting and bookmaking's history in an accessible, readable way, and includes several hard-won nuggets of information that will come as a welcome surprise to even the best-versed historians of sports betting. Most importantly, Lang puts developments in sports betting history into the larger social, political, and cultural context of their time, demonstrating that nothing happens in a vacuum With football season just upon us, expect even more scrutiny of our national sports betting policy (or lack thereof). Having read Sports Betting and Bookmaking will give you much better insights into that debate. * CDC Gaming Reports *
In Arne K. Lang's new book Sports Betting and Bookmaking: An American History he deftly tells the story of this era from its beginning to its end and how the end of the bookmaking era at racetracks and pool rooms evolved into the current era of sports gambling. Lang, who has published extensively on sports betting and boxing, points to state sanctioned gambling, especially in places like Nevada, and taxes imposed on racetrack wagers after World War II as the prime reasons for the migration of gambling dollars from horse racing to other sports.... If you are interested in the history of American sports, the evolution of bookmaking and gambling is an essential part of that history. Arne K. Lang, has produced a work that can be enjoyed by the casual reader and is destined to become a reference for scholars for many years to come. * Colin's Ghost: Thoroughbred Racing History *
[Sports Betting and Bookmaking] is a well designed, beautifully executed book, a great read. We 'reccomenth' it! * Gambling Book Reviews *
