3 Interesting Facts about Gambling in the United States

Gambling News

Most people know what gambling is. It is a competition across various games where bets are made and rewards are earned.

This article will reveal several interesting facts that people don’t know about gambling in the United States.

Online Poker Trends

There is a gigantic push being made that is utilizing the power of the internet and poker. From these past years, there has been a movement to maximize the reach of gambling games. That is why there were online casinos created which saw more gambling games coming online.

This is especially true for poker. In this case, several states have joined forces to bring a combined pot to online poker. These are New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware. Players from these different states will allow people to play with each other online.

This way, the pools in the tournaments where these states play will be inflated to quite a large sum. Other states have caught wind of this and want to join in on it.

The Dark Side of Gambling

ace cards with chips on the green table 300x200 - 3 Interesting Facts about Gambling in the United States

While it is great to talk about things like prize pools and more money, there is indeed a dark side of gambling. If left unchecked, people could become addicts and their lives could be negatively affected by this.

In a recent study more than 6 years ago, more than five million Americans looked for treatment due to gambling problems.

While the government is helping with state-funded programs, it is not enough. Data suggests that less than one percent of these people got help from these programs.

Vicinity is Vicious

ace king queen jack and 10 cards with casino chips laying on the table 300x200 - 3 Interesting Facts about Gambling in the United States

The last thing we have to share with you is the vicinity of casinos or legalized gambling areas. The fact is that when casinos are real near a person, the people within 10 miles might have twice the chance of getting a gambling addiction problem.

If you put it into perspective, more than 50% of slot machine revenue is comprised of these people who live nearby and have gambling problems. This was from a study that was conducted for the past decade.

We hope these facts have helped shed light on gambling in the United States.

black and white nicrophone with musical gadget laying - 3 Must Hear Songs About Gambling

3 Must Hear Songs About Gambling

Gambling Culture, Gambling News

They say that visual art like drawings and paintings is how we fill space. On the other hand, songs are how we paint time.

Let’s check out several must hear songs about gambling that you can listen to and paint your time with.

Shape of My Heart

The first song we’ll be tuning in to is Sting’s Shape of My Heart. The concept of the song is quite an interesting one. It is about a poker player. However, this one is quite unique and not like a regular poker player.

Instead of winning for money, the poker player that Sting talks about is only playing to gain more knowledge about the game. He plays to understand how the laws of probability are and studying to try and crack the code of poker.

Huck’s Tune

Next up, we have Huck’s Tune by the Bob Dylan. The song was actually made for the Eric Bana and Drew Barrymore film called Lucky You. The song is indeed a theme for the movie.

Like the movie, the song recounts and explains how dangerous playing poker can be. He talks about how it can affect money and more importantly, the relationships of a person. It is a great accompanying track to the film, as it speaks about exactly what is happening on screen.

Good Run of Bad Luck


Finally, we have Good Run of Bad Luck by Clint Black. This is a top country song that, while not totally about gambling, sees life through several of the gambling experiences and sayings.

It tells the story of a person who follows his dreams and heart, only to be unlucky enough to keep losing like a set of bad hands at a poker table.

Why not add these songs to the playlist and play them whenever gambling rolls through your mind?

The reality is that gambling is growing, and legalization of gambling is opening up too. For those interested, you should learn as much as you can.

two musicoan playing guitar on street for performance - 2 Musicians Who Gambled Too Much

2 Musicians Who Gambled Too Much

Gambling Games, Gambling News

Gambling is always something different for each and every person. There are a lot of reasons why people can like gambling. The competition. The winnings. The risk of the loss.

The one thread though that ties through these are that if the interest continues at an unchecked pace, it could end up costing people way more than they bet in the first place.

Let’s take a look at several musicians who rolled the dice too hard and didn’t know when to just fold and leave.

Gladys Knight

Gladys Knight – Wikipedia

Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the “Empress of Soul”, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman, and author. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight is known for the hits she recorded during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which also included her brother Merald “Bubba” Knight and cousins Edward Patten and William Guest.

She is considered one of the greatest artists in history. Her power, range, and emotion in singing have given her the title of Empress of Soul. It’s Gladys Knight who fronted the Pips. She had famous songs like Midnight Train to Georgia and Heard it Through the Grapevine.

In her book about her life though, she stated that she had a problem. A gambling problem that is. She admitted that she was caught up in the simple game of baccarat.

In the game, people need only try to add their cards to 9. The simplicity allows for a lot of people to get into the game. It also allows for people to get addicted.

Moreover, she was way into sports betting too.

In one night, she binge-betted more than $40,000. It may not sound like a lot, but keep in mind that this was in the 80s. Back then it was a lot.

She admitted that she needed help when she realized that she was neglecting the care her son needed.

50 Cent

50 Cent – Wikipedia

During his career Jackson has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and won several awards, including a Grammy Award, thirteen Billboard Music Awards, six World Music Awards, three American Music Awards and four BET Awards. He has pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005), the Iraq War film Home of the Brave (2006) and Righteous Kill (2008).

Another musician who got a bit deep by the gambling bug was 50 Cent. Early news found that 50 had made a series of good sports bets. Previously he had bet a million dollars on Floyd Mayweather Jr. to beat Oscar de la Hoya.

He also bet half a million on the New York Giants to beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship, making the New Jersey gambler one of the biggest bettors from the state.

Despite any gambler’s success though, it doesn’t take much for luck to go away. Thus, even though he won numerous bets, soon he filed for bankruptcy.

Let this be a lesson to everyone who is interested in gambling. And may it be one that you don’t catch the Zs too.

If you want to learn more, why not check out this post that compares music critics to gambling historians.

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