HSP 135-01
Albion College
Fall 02025

Discussion questions for RTB, Ch. 14-15
DLs: Ken & Vanessa

1. “He did not act as a bookmaker, setting odds and taking all comers, but instead…for large bets, taking a commission of between five and fifteen per cent…”  Imagine a casino in today’s day and age, whereby all the games have a house edge of 0, but that is because the owner chooses to make money from commissions off of winners(large bets). Could such a model work?

2. How does the persistence of criminal syndicates challenge the narrative of gambling as purely a regulated, commercial activity?

3. “The economic malaise brought on by the Great Depression led prominent Nevadans, business people and business groups, to increasingly embrace wide open gambling.”  What does this excerpt reveal about how economic crises can reshape moral, legal, or social boundaries?

4. How does socioeconomic class shape the portrayal of gambling in the chapter?  Does risk look different for the wealthy than for the poor?

5. Las Vegas reinvents itself repeatedly (mob era → corporate era → mega-resort era).  Why is reinvention so necessary for the city’s survival?