When people found out I was writing a book about gambling, many wondered “why gambling?” Good question, given that I’m not much a gambler myself. I play the slots a few times a year at our local tribal-run casinos, maybe lay down a bet at a casino sportsbook if I happen to be in Las Vegas, and spend a day every year or so at the beautiful Del Mar Racetrack, but that’s about it. Yet I have always been fascinated by the drama of casinos and other betting arenas. My parents took me to Las Vegas for the first time at age 15 and I remember driving for hours through the barren desert and being thunderstruck at the sudden appearance of a neon city. I saw desperation, excitement, boredom, frustration fueled by the promise of getting something for nothing.
When I moved to San Diego about 15 years ago, I was surprised to learn that there were 10 or so casinos in the county because there were no legal casinos in the places where I had lived. I was curious about how happened and why they were in mostly remote backcountry areas. I started doing some reading on the subject and felt like the books weren’t answering my questions to my satisfaction. That coincided with a nationwide gambling boom and my reading led me to organized crime titans like Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky and fascinating figures like Howard Hughes, Bill Harrah and Steve Wynn. I loved exploring how something illicit became legitimate, which is one of the major themes of the book.