Bad Bet: The Inside Story of the Glamour, Glitz, and Danger of America's Gambling Industry

by Timothy L. O'Brien

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812928075
• ISBN13: 9780812928075
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Crown Business
• Length: 339 Pages
• Weight: 0.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

A balance book ahead of its time

I read this book this year (2006) and was staggered by its accuracy in describing the events of the last eight years in the gaming industry. It is far more insightful than most accounts written after the fact. O'Brien takes a historical perspective, inspired by a genuine appreciation for gamblers and gambling along with a rare cool-eyed and unsentimental realism about the casino business. Too many other authors, horrified by the crime and corruption associated with the business, forget that the urge to gamble is deep and ancient; the opposite camp too often uses romantic gambling fiction to distract from the undeniable rottenness that suffuses the legal and illegal industry. O'Brien tells the stories of gamblers of various stripes, from hapless victim to celebrity successes, types who rarely coexist in the same book. Entrepreneurs are featured as well, weak crooks, clever crooks and genius visionaries. He cites in damning detail the negative effects of legal gambling on local economies, society and political institutions; but there is no suggestion of throwing out the baby with the bathwater, this book is the beginning of a blueprint for how to reform the industry, not outlaw it (or even less plausibly, to stop gambling). If all of this makes the book sound like a dull policy text or dated account of once-current events, it's not. It's an entertaining read, and more relevant now than when it was written.

Anyone who thinks casinos are innocent fun should read this

I live near one of the big casino riverboats mentioned in O'Brien's book and I read this book out of curiosity more than anything. Prior to reading this, I had NO idea how much intense lobbying - as well as graft and corruption - were behind the gambling industry. One tidbit I found especially disturbing is the story behind how gambling was legalized in my home state."Bad Bet" tells of a former Midwest governor who was in power when Argosy Gaming made it's big push to get gambling legalized in this state. (Argosy won) Now that we have riverboats all over our state, this former governor now *works* for Argosy Gaming. Rapes and robberies went up 33% in Atlantic City, New Jersey after the casinos opened there. "Bad Bet" it tells of the subtle and overt techniques casinos use to lure people in and entice them - to keep the money flowing. Even the layout of casinos is done with much forethought as to the best way to separate people from their money. And O'Brien talks about how the gambling industry goes looking for communities in economic straights to set up shop. (which is exactly what happened in our city) This is a powerful book. I think every local or civic leader that has a casino in their community or is even considering allowing casinos in, should pause and read this book. It'll open their sleepy eyes to some hard ugly truths. Having lived in a community that invited the riverboats in, I see firsthand that O'Brien is telling the truth about what to expect when big gambling comes to town. It's a sad affair.

Rare inside insights

It may not be apparent to some readers, but getting inside the head -- even getting access to -- a poker player of Chip Reese's stature is freakin' difficult. The stuff in this book on Reese is rare, a treasure to read, and a compelling profile. O'Brien did some unbelievable digging here, matched with brilliant writing and analysis. Too bad the title of this tome is so horrendous...who thought that one up? A great book anyway.

Very slick. Very cool.

I disagree with the previous post. I think this was a great book, and it hardly reads at all like an economics abstract. In fact, the numbers are used artfully to support broader themes. The pace of the book is very brisk because the writing is so lively and engaging. I think Bad Bet is top-tier investigative reporting and social history. In other words, a great work of non-fiction by a journalist in top form. Kudos to Mr. O'Brien

Bad bet is the best bet I've made this year

Tim O'Brien has written a can't-put-it-down book. I read a lot -- two or three books a week -- but rarely buy books (to be quite honest) because cash is usually short. But after flipping through "Bad Bet" at the bookstore for just five minutes I found myself at the cash register ponying up the entrance fee for the most fascinating read I've had this year. O'Brien has written the book I thought nobody ever would: Through deft and often hypnotic story telling, he takes us on an almost magical tour of the gambling world, with all its colorful characters, from weird to pathetic to greedy to swashbuckling. It is obvious he has done his research; the tone is authoritative throughout. But he doesn't pile on detail; he weaves it into his narrative. And that is the key word: narrative. Too many books bore you to death with their expertise; "Bad Bet" is simply a terrific tale, or rather collection of tales, held together with a strong point of view that nevertheless recognizes the many nuances of the gambling phenomenon. Thank God, it is never preachy; indeed, the only thing I question about the book is the title, as it honestly explores the positive side of gambling. Anyhow, I give this book five stars, the only one I've read in many a moon to rank that many.