Bad Bet on the Bayou: The Rise and Fall of Gambling in Louisiana and the Fate of Governor Edwin Edwards

by Tyler Bridges

Book Overview

An outrageous tale of fast cash, dirty politics, and extravagant greed in the Bayou State. Louisiana is our most exotic state. It is religious and roguish, a place populated by Cajuns, Creoles, rednecks, and Bible-thumpers. It is a state that loves good food, good music, and good times. Laissez les bon temps rouler -- let the good times roll -- is the unofficial motto. Louisiana is also excessively corrupt.In the 1990s, it plunged headlong into legalized...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374108307
• ISBN13: 9780374108304
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 422 Pages
• Weight: 1.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Where was "60 Minutes"

This book is excellent because it is supported by hard evidence of Louisian-style corruption.. For example, the author reports that former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Eddie Jordan, had a videotape of Gov. Edwards delivering a $20,000 bribe to former U.S. Representative Cleo Fields (D LA). Over the objection of his staff, Jordan declined to prosecute Fields or Edwards because , in his opinion, the evidence was insufficient. The Clinton Justice Department did not overrule Jordan's decision. How much more evidence did Jordan need? The real reason that Jordan decl;ined prosecution is that Fields and U.S. Representative William Jefferson (D LA) were both members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Jefferson and Jordan worked together in the same law office. Jordan could not prosecute his enemy, Edwards. without prosecuting his friend, Fields. The bitter irony of Edwards' criminal activity is that the U.S. Court of Appeals will probably reverse his conviction on legitimate grounds. Both the prosecutors and the trial judge overreached by dismissing during jury deliberations the only juror who was voting for acquittal and by ministrepreting the RICO statute. In any event, the question remains: why did "60 Minutes", "20/20", and "Prime Time" fail to cover the Fields bribery case? Dan , Tom and Sam, "What's the answer?"

Beguiling Cajun Seduces Louisiana

I was born, and raised in Louisiana. I had to take Louisiana history in junior high school. It was a waste of time, because it taught about Thomas Jefferson, Napolean, Bienville, spanish-french archetecture, Iberville, etc. Two books that are a must read if you want to know anything about Louisiana: "Just Taking Orders", and "Bad Bet on the Bayou".

Bad Bet on the Bayou

As a writer of fiction, NOTHIN' LEFT TO LOSE, Summerhouse Press 1999, I am always pleasantly surprised when I find non-fiction books that carry me along with the interest and appreciation of good writing that I find in exceptional novels. Tyler Bridges has achieved this in BAD BET ON THE BAYOU. Having been involved in a professional situation with the gaming industry when the question came up in Louisiana, I was very familiar with some of the events that took place. Mr. Bridges covers these events accurately and his penchant for detail is exceptional. With the number of players involved in this story, the author faced the difficult task of keeping the lineup straight for the reader. He has done a masterful job of this. Beyond the journalistic aspects of the book, I was most impressed with Mr. Bridges style and the development of the characters that were involved. Edwin Edwards is obviously more than a money-hungry, political buffoon, and the author did a tremendous job of exposing the dichotomy that is the former governor's personality. Clear pictures of the many paradoxs within the man emerged through the author's writing. Even the lesser characters became more than just who's who of the underbelly of Louisiana politics. I congratulate the author on a difficult job well done.

Let the Slime Times Roll

You go to Louisiana for the food, Mardi Gras, or jazz; you do not look to Louisiana for political ethics. Edwin Edwards, a man of intelligence and wit, was elected four times as governor. He could have been the state's best governor (although that might be damning with faint praise), but he turned out to be at least among its worst. His tragedy was inextricably linked with personal and corporate gambling, and it is told with all the fascination of a mystery novel in _Bad Bet on the Bayou: The Rise of Gambling in Louisiana and the Fall of Governor Edwin Edwards_ (Farrar Straus and Giroux) by Tyler Bridges. It is a memorable account of the worst in politics.Louisiana had had sometimes scandalous connections to gambling long before it became a state, but overt gambling had been suppressed, especially in the seventies with the oil boom. When the boom went bust in the nineties, there was a scramble to boost state coffers, and especially those of New Orleans, and Edwards was determined that gambling would boost construction, increase employment, and bring money in from out of state. It looked unseemly for someone with an obvious love of gambling to get on the casino bandwagon, but Edwards was never regarded as a beacon of moral purity. When he ran against Klansman David Duke in 1991, bumper stickers read, "Vote for the Crook. It's Important," and Louisianans did so overwhelmingly. The first two-thirds of _Bad Bet_ tells in amazing detail the ins and outs of the corrupt means by which gambling was brought to the rivers of Louisiana and specifically to the French Quarter. But it is in the spellbinding final third that the book takes off, showing how the FBI brought Edwards down. The Harrah's casino went bust in 1995, when Edwards went into official retirement, but he kept busy with his usual money ploys and influence. The FBI started investigating the bribes that had been paid to get a juvenile prison built, and found that Edwards had gotten the money. Rather exciting descriptions ensue of FBI informants wearing wires to talk with Edwards, and of the difficulties of installing microphones and cameras in the former governor's office. Edwards was approaching seventy, he had a wife almost four decades younger, and he was for the first time in his life starting to take it easy. Unfortunately for him, he also let his guard down, allowing an informant to get him talking. The years of payoffs when he was promoting gambling were to come back on him, resulting in convictions on extortion and money-laundering, among other crimes, and probably federal prison for what remains of his life.The tragedy of Edwards is shown by his enormous political skill run amok. The book gives examples of deal making that he arranged that would have been excellent politics, if the deals had not been crooked. He had an ability to read people and meet their needs that could have well served his constituents. He knew how to make fun of himself, and the many funny jokes

Winner

If you've ever wondered how things happen behind the scenes this book transports you to the highways and byways of the murky political landscape. Bridges has crafted a top notch replay of the high stakes sweepstakes that became gambling in Louisiana. A must read for anyone interested in politics, business and gambling.