1744
-
- The first British North American colonial government lottery is held for financing public works. Massachusetts holds a lottery to raise 7500 pounds to protect the sea coast and northern borders against the French. [187.143]
1745
-
- British parliament prohibits E/O, a roulette-like game of guessing even or odd, and outlaws hosting or playing at a gambling house. [187.133]
1746
- December 6
- The government of the colony of New York authorizes a lottery to raise 2250 pounds for advancement of learning and toward founding of a college. This is the start of Columbia University. [819.74]
1750
-
- In London, England, the first major gamble on a boxing match is made. Duke of Cumberland bets 10,000 pounds sterling on Jack Broughton to win versus Jack Slack. Broughton loses. [565.18]
1753
-
- The British Museum is funded with lottery proceeds. [39]
1754
-
- In France, the Loterie des Enfants Trouvés (Orphans Lottery) begins. [187.90]
1757
-
- French State Council approves a new lottery for the École Militaire, a French military school, run by Giacomo Casanova and Giovanni Antonio Calasbigi. Drawings are made of five balls from a cage of 90. [187.90]
1762
-
- In France, the Loterie de la Pitié begins. [187.90]
- Cardinal Jean-Theodore of Bavaria, also Prince-Bishop of Liege, grants exclusive privilege to a group to build a casino at Spa. [811.79]
1765
-
- The Redoute casino opens at Spa. [811.79]
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^^^ advertisement ^^^
- Frenchman Chevilly builds a Promenade House at Baden Baden and is granted a gambling concession. [811.100]
1769
-
- British government decrees an end to colonial lotteries. [187.144]
- The Redoute two-story casino opens in Liège, France. [187.187]
1770
-
- A second gambling casino opens at Spa, the Vaux Hall. [811.80]
1772
-
- King George III of England abolishes the office of the groom porter, whose main job for over 250 years was to facilitate gambling for the royalty. The king decrees no card-playing amongst the servants. [187.65]
1773
- August
- Duke of Lauzun and Count Branicki begin running horse races on a track between Spa and Verviers, the first such enterprise on the European continent. [187.187] [811.70]
1774
- October
- The Continental Congress Articles of Association declares horse-racing, cockfighting, and "all kinds of games" would be discouraged. [187.146]
- November 27
- The Great Council of Venice votes 720 to 21 to close the Ridotto, ending legal public gambling, due to growing impoverishment of its aristocratic families. [187.95]
1776
-
- King Louis XVI of France transforms the Loterie de l'École Royale Militaire into the Loterie Royale de France, with twice monthly drawings. [187.90]
- General George Washington issues orders to army "All officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers are positively forbid playing at cards, or other games of chance." [565.152]
- The Continental Congress authorizes a lottery to raise $10 million, but is postponed several times and abandoned. [819.74]
- November 18
- The Second American Continental Congress sets up a lottery to aid in the war effort. [187.146]
1777
-
- General George Washington tells men "gaming of every kind is expressly forbidden, as being the foundation of evil." [565.152]
1780
-
- (approximate year) Spa casino begins offering games of trente-et-quarante. [811.80]
1784
-
- Noel J. Leviz begins building a gambling casino in Liege on the road between Pouhon Peter the Great and the Vaux Hall. His intent is only to blackmail the owners of the Redoute and Vaux Hall into buying him out. [811.88]
1785
- August 13
- Fire destroys a wing of the Redoute casino in Liège, France. Burning playing cards cause up to fifty thatch-roofed houses in Sauveniere to burn down, killing three people. [187.187] [811.79]
1789
- June
- Thomas Whaley returns to Dublin, Ireland, from Jerusalem, having set out from Dublin October 7, 1788 on a bet that he could not return safely within two years. He wins 25,000 pounds sterling with 8,000 pounds of expenses. [565.35]
- (month unknown)
- (approximate year) Spa replaces games of faro, hazard, and biribi by roulette with two zeroes. [811.80]
1790
-
- (approximate year) Wilhelmsbad hotel/casino, outside Hanau in Hesse-Cassel, opens. [811.131]
1793
-
- The French national lottery is outlawed. [187.90]
- The US government runs Federal Lottery No. 1, selling 50,000 tickets at $7 each, to finance the building of Federal City in the District of Columbia. George Washington buys the first ticket. [565.152]
1797
-
- The French Directoire re-establishes the Loterie Nationale. [187.90]
1801
-
- Ireland enacts prohibition on state lotteries. [187.129]
1802
-
- South Carolina passes an act outlawing all gaming in taverns and other public places, and criminalizing use of gaming tables in public and private. [807.9]
1804
-
- Kentucky state law prohibits gaming "in which one player is continually opposed to all the others". [187.152]
1805
-
- A horse race takes place between Truxton (Andrew Jackson's horse) and Greyhound, at Huntsville, Tennessee. Truxton wins. Jackson bet US$5000. One of the biggest horse races in history. [187.153]
- Pennsylvania State in the USA passes a law forbidding lottery offices from insuring for or against the drawing tickets, the first US law against policy/numbers gambling. [819.95]
1806
-
- French emperor Napoléon legalizes several gambling rooms in France. [187.104]
1809
- April 18
- First run of 2,000 guineas horse race at Newmarket, England. [1]
- June 1
- Captain Robert Barclay begins a walk of 1000 miles at Newmarket Heath, to attempt to win a bet made with "Bold" Webster in October 1808, of walking 1000 miles in 1000 hours for 1000 guineas. Each hour, he walks a 1/2 mile round trip walk from his home. [1] [565.39]
- (month unknown)
- A Jesuit College is rebuilt at Baden Baden, with gambling facilities. [811.100]
- July 12
- Captain Robert Barclay completes the 1000th mile of his 1000 hour walk, winning a bet and collecting a total prize of 16,000 guineas. [565.40]
1811
-
- Louisiana territory (USA) passes a law prohibiting gambling anywhere in the state. [80.300] [187.248] [819.111]
1814
-
- Louisiana state legislature allows legal gambling in New Orleans, under municipal authority. [187.248] [819.111]
1817
-
- Great Britain enacts a law regulating (banning) several popular forms of gambling in British North American colonies, including cards, dice, checkers, shuffleboard, and bowling. [187.239]
1819
-
- New York State passes a law licensing sellers of lottery tickets at $250 per year. [819.82]
- New York State legislature passes law prohibiting policy gambling game under penalty of $2000 fine or a year in jail. [819.96]
1820
-
- Louisiana legislature again outlaws gambling statewide. [187.248] [819.111]
1821
-
- New York State amends the State Constitution to include a declaration that no new lottery be authorized, and sales of all lottery tickets in state be prevented by law. [819.82]
1823
-
- Louisiana passes a law permitting New Orleans to license six gambling houses for a fee of US$5000 per year each, 80 percent to benefit Charity Hospital, 20 percent to benefit College of Orleans. [80.300] [187.248] [819.111]
- British parliament votes to end the state lottery. [187.128]
1826
- October 18
- In England, the last state lottery draw is held. [187.128,150] [565.49] (July 18 [40.12])
1827
-
- John Davis opens a gambling house in New Orleans, Louisiana, styled like luxurious West End London clubs. This is the first legal gambling house in the USA. [80.300] [187.248] [819.113]
1828
-
- William Crockford opens his own gambling house, Crockford's Gaming Club, at 50 Saint James' Street, London, England. The private club features mainly hazard and whist, with cock fighting downstairs. (This becomes London's leading club of the 1830s.) [187.163] (1827 [80.297])
1831
- Year
- Eight US states run 420 lotteries, selling US$66 million of tickets. [807.10]
1832
-
- Louisiana removes limit on number of gambling licenses it issues, and sets the annual fee at US$7500. [80.300] [187.248] [819.115]
1833
-
- Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts end state-authorized lotteries. [39] [807.10]
1834
- January 1
- The final lottery in New York state is drawn, as a ban on new lotteries comes into effect. [187.150] [819.82]
- November 1
- First published reference to poker (as Mississippi riverboat game). [1]
1835
-
- British Parliament bans cockfighting and other forms of animal fights. [187.171]
- In New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, five rich gamblers begin a game of poker, to be played until one remains with money to play. After 30 hours two leave. Another leaves after another 15 hours. After total 55 hours of play, one of the remaining two falls asleep, ending the game. [819.24]
- Tennessee State, USA, enacts a law against policy gambling game. [819.96]
- July 6
- In Vicksburg, Mississippi, local militia hangs five gamblers following months of trouble, culminating in the murder of a doctor and armed resistance to the law. [187.252] [565.59] [819.223]
- July 8
- In Clinton, Hinds County, Mississippi, USA, notice is posted informing gamblers found after 12:00 noon would be hanged. [819.227]
- July 21
- In Mobile, Alabama, USA, citizens issue a resolution against gambling and gamblers, resolving to expell them from the city whenever identified. [819.226]
- July 23
- In Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, a mob forms to burn gambling houses and hang gamblers, but the mayor intervenes by closing the saloons and swears in a police force of 500 men. [819.227]
- July 26
- In Covington, Kentucky, USA, a mob razes a gambling house after one gambler had killed another in a dispute over 12.5 cents. [819.226]
- In Lexington, Kentucky, USA, a mass meeting issues order for all persons without honest livelihood to leave within 24 hours. [819.226]
- (month unknown)
- Louisiana legislature repeals gambling licensing acts of 1823 and 1832. [187.273] [819.116]
1836
- June 17
- Government of France resolves to close gambling clubs December 31, 1837. [187.192] [811.101]
- (month unknown)
- In France, the Loterie Nationale ends. [187.90,150]
1837
- December 31
- The Chamber of Deputies of France bans all games of chance. All gambling clubs in the country close. [187.91,105,185,192] [811.101]
1838
-
- François and Louis Blanc open a casino in Luxemburg. [811.137]
- Louisiana State, USA, abolishes lotteries. [819.82]
- Mississippi and Indiana, USA, enact laws against policy gambling game. [819.96]
1840
-
- Virginia State, USA, abolishes lotteries. [819.82]
- Missouri and Arkansas, USA, enact laws against policy gambling game. [819.96]
- July
- Landgrave Philip August grants a gambling concession to Louis Blanc in Homburg. [811.138]
1841
- May
- Construction begins on a casino in Homburg, with first gambling taking place in a temporary building. [187.207]
1842
-
- Lotteries are banned in Japan. [187.449]
1843
- August 16
- Opening of Kursaal casino in Homburg. Operators François and Louis Blanc run roulette with one zero instead of two, and also with improved players' odds at trente-et-quarante. [187.208] (August 17 [811.128])
1844
- May 25
- The British government makes a law that police may enter any gaming house on a request by any two householders. [80.298]
- (month unknown)
- A Select Committee of the British House of Commons investigates gambling. [187.164]
1845
-
- Illinois State, USA, enacts a law against policy gambling game. [819.96]
- August
- British Parliament passes the Gambling Act, tightening sanctions against professional gambling houses. Gambling debts can not be recovered by legal action. [80.50] [187.165]
1846
-
- Ohio State, USA, enacts a law against policy gambling game. [819.96]
1848
-
- The El Dorado gambling house opens in San Francisco, operated by Thomas Chambers, rented for US$40,000 per month. (At its peak, it makes US$100,000-200,000 monthly profits.) [187.252]
- Kentucky State, USA, enacts a law against policy gambling game. [819.96]
1849
- January
- The German National Assembly resolves that all gambling would cease as of May 1. [187.212]
1850
- June 21
- First organizing meeting held in New York of a group to form the New York Association for the Suppression of Gambling. [819.194]
1851
- July 8
- In Oregon City, USA, eight men playing cards are killed by lightning. [819.196]
- July 10
- New York State legislature enacts a law prohibiting gambling under penalty of imprisonment and fine. [819.195]
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