History of Riverboat Gambling

by Bodog Casino | Mar 23 2009

Back in the day before you could hop online and play Blackjack with sites like Bodog or drive out to an Indian reservation, riverboats were the only place where you could legally get your game on besides Vegas and Atlantic City.

If you’ve ever stepped inside a riverboat, you’ll notice it usually boasts a pretty old-school, western theme. That’s because riverboat gaming has been around since the early 19th century. Professional gamblers came from all over America to play on Riverboats on the Mississippi River, mostly because the river was a major trade center for wealthy farmers and merchants.

Unfortunately, in 1835 the popularity of riverboats took a huge hit when five high-rolling gamblers were hanged in Mississippi for card manipulation. It also didn’t help that the American Civil War began just 26 years later, basically eliminating riverboat travel completely during the war’s four-year existence.

Once the war ended Riverboat gambling in America became a rarity. Riverboats didn’t reappear on the gaming map until 1989, when Iowa found a way to bypass America’s strict gaming laws without having to sell themselves to Las Vegas or Atlantic City.

The loophole was this: as long as, at some point, the boat sailed three miles out (which would put the casino in international waters) it was perfectly legal to offer casino gaming. Eventually, many states even loosened up those laws and many Riverboats today have become stationary. Because of this Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina and Texas would soon establish and re-establish boat casinos of their own. With the success of these water-bound casinos, cruise lines such as Crystal Cruises and Carnival Cruises began offering gaming on their ships as another form of daily entertainment.

The types of casino games available in riverboat casinos vary from one state to another. You can usually play slot machines and classic table games such as Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, and Baccarat. However, some of the riverboat casinos also allow poker tourneys where passengers can play Texas Holdem against each other.

Although nowadays there are plenty of options to feed your gaming fix, we suggest giving riverboats a try if you’re looking to get out on the water and gamble like you were back in the 19th century.

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