Gambling
Wagering as an architecture, from knucklebones and dice to loot boxes. The games and the rooms they are played in: cards, casinos, Las Vegas, Macau, the slot machine from the Liberty Bell onward, pachinko parlours, bookmakers and the racecourse, poker, and the move online. Alongside them the forms that are not legally gambling but work the same way on the same reward circuitry, and which children meet first: the booster pack as a randomised purchase, Pokemon and football stickers, card breaking, the claw machine and the coin pusher, the fairground and the seaside arcade, loot boxes and gacha and skin markets. Then the advertising and shirt sponsorship that carry all of it, the regulators and courts that have ruled on it, and what the research says about harm. Findings are cited as findings and allegations as allegations; the industry's own language for itself appears only in quotation.
A chronological documentary of 1,661 moments spanning 1350–2026 on Loreline.
Curated by Olivier · last updated 2026-09-20
Eras
- Dice, Knucklebones and astragali, the cube once it was standardised, and the long history of casting lots for money in Rome, China and medieval Europe, including the prohibitions aimed at it.
- Cards, Playing cards arriving in Europe in the late fourteenth century and the games built on them, from tarot and faro to the modern deck.
- Lotteries, State lotteries and the public works they funded, the ticket as an object, and the scratchcard.
- Machines, The slot machine from Charles Fey's Liberty Bell onward: fruit machines, video slots, and the fixed-odds betting terminals that regulators later capped.
- Regulation, The law and the regulators: licensing regimes, the 2005 Gambling Act and the Gambling Commission, the state-by-state American legalisation that followed the fall of PASPA, and the rulings on game mechanics.
- Casinos, The casino as a building and a business: Monte Carlo, Atlantic City, the floor and the way it is laid out.
- Bookmakers, Bookmaking and the tote, the shop, the board, and the move to in-play betting on a phone.
- Arcades, Seaside penny arcades, coin pushers and ticket redemption, and the machines that pay out in prizes rather than cash.
- Pachinko, Pachinko and pachislot in Japan, the parlours, and the legal fiction of exchanging prizes off the premises.
- Fairs, Fairground games, tombola, hoopla, raffles and school fetes, and the odds behind the stall.
- Claws, Claw machines and crane games, the manufacturers, the Japanese prize-value rules, and the long argument about whether they are games of skill or chance.
- Macau, Macau, which overtook Las Vegas in gaming revenue, and the junket system that fed it.
- Documentation, Films, investigations and journalism about the industry.
- Pokemon, Pokemon cards, the pull, the chase card, and the secondary market that formed around them.
- Packs, The booster pack as a mechanic: a fixed price for an unknown outcome. The structure is the same one the rest of this archive documents, sold to children without being called gambling.
- Harm, Addiction, debt and the research into both, the litigation, and treatment. Stated once and factually, with the body making each finding named.
- Racing, Horse and dog racing as objects of betting: the track, the tote board, and the crowds.
- Vegas, Las Vegas, the Strip, and the resorts that turned a desert town into the reference point for the whole industry.
- Gacha, Gacha games and mobile free-to-play monetisation: pity systems, published rates, and the design talks in which studios explain the mechanics themselves.
- Advertising, Broadcast advertising, in-play odds read aloud during coverage, celebrity endorsement, and betting advertising around content children watch.
- Stickers, Panini and football sticker albums, baseball cards, and the album completion mechanic that makes the last few the most expensive.
- Lootboxes, Loot boxes in games, and the regulators who have ruled on them, including the Belgian and Dutch positions of 2018 and the disclosure rules introduced in China and elsewhere.
- Skins, Counter-Strike skin markets and the skin gambling sites, the 2016 scandals, and the litigation and platform responses that followed.
- Online, Internet casinos and the mobile app, and what happens when the room is in a pocket.
- Sponsorship, Shirt and stadium sponsorship, club partnerships, and the sportswashing argument around them.
- Breaks, Card breaking as a livestreamed product, box breaks sold by the slot, and the grading and slabbing industry that prices the result.
- Poker, Poker, the World Series, and the televised boom that followed hole-card cameras.
- - Buzurgmihr-nard. Buzurgmihr demonstrates the game of nard to the Indian rajas.
- - Hand scroll fragment of the Komakurabe gyōkō ekotoba Spectators at the Ceremonial. People view "Komakurabe"(Horses Race).
- - Prince-castracani-fibbia. The painting depicts Prince Francesco Antelminelli Castracani Fibbia (1360-1419) with a deck of Tarot cards, tarocchino bolognese. The Queen of Batons can be seen, bearing the Fibbia arms. There is no historical evidence that Tarot had been invented until two decades after the Prince's death.
- - French playing cards with suit of crescents. Late 15th century French playing cards with a suit of crescents. This suit symbol failed to compete against carreaux (tiles, known as "diamonds" in English), which proved more popular. These cards originate from the formative period of French suits during the abandonment of Spanish suits.
- - Cary-Yale Tarot deck - Seven of Arrows. Seven of Arrows (that replace Clubs in this deck) from the Cary-Yale Visconti tarot deck.
- - Cary-Yale Tarot deck - Six of Arrows. Six of Arrows (that replace Clubs in this deck) from the Cary-Yale Visconti tarot deck.
- - Cary-Yale Tarot deck - The Empress. The Empress, from the Visconti tarot deck.
- - Cary-Yale Tarot deck - The Emperor. Emperor from the Visconti tarot deck.
- - Cary-Yale Tarot deck - The Lovers. Lovers from the w:Visconti tarot deck.
- - Cary-Yale Tarot deck - Seven of Cups. Seven of Cups from the Visconti tarot deck.
- - Cary-Yale Tarot deck - Chariot. Chariot from the Visconti tarot deck.
- - Cary-Yale Tarot deck - Death. Death from the Cary-Yale Visconti tarot deck.
- - Cary-Yale Tarot deck - Seven of Coins. Seven of Coins from the Visconti tarot deck.
- - Cary-Yale Tarot deck - World. World from the Visconti tarot deck.
- - Cary-Yale Tarot deck - Judgement. Judgement from the Visconti tarot deck.
- - Cary-Yale Tarot deck - Seven of Swords. Seven of Swords from the Visconti tarot deck.
- - Cary-Yale Tarot deck - Strength. Strength from the Visconti tarot deck.
- - Cary-Yale Tarot deck - Hope. Hope. A card from the Visconti tarot deck.
- - Cary-Yale Tarot deck - Charity. Charity. A card from the Visconti tarot deck.
- - C Theologia XXX. 30 ; C Grammatica XXI. 21 - estampe - Maître de la Série E -. Sujet: Théologie -- Allégorie Grammaire -- Allégorie Jeux -- 15e siècle Figures allégoriques -- 15e siècle [Theologia] [Grammatica] Référence bibliographique: Lambert, 306 Référence bibliographique: Lambert, 297.
- - C Poesia XXVII. 27 ; C Geometria XXIIII. 24 - estampe - Maître de la Série E -. Sujet: Poésie -- Allégorie Géométrie -- Allégorie Jeux -- 15e siècle Figures allégoriques -- 15e siècle Collectionneur: Gatteaux, Jacques-Édouard (1788-1881). Collectionneur [Poesia] [Geometria] Référence bibliographique: Lambert, 303 Référence bibliographique: Lambert, 300.
- - C Philosofia XXVIII. 28 ; C Rhetorica XXIII. 23 - estampe - Maître de la Série E -. Sujet: Philosophie -- Allégorie Rhétorique -- Allégorie Jeux -- 15e siècle Figures allégoriques -- 15e siècle [Philosofia] [Rhetorica] Référence bibliographique: Lambert, 304 Référence bibliographique: Lambert, 299.
- - C Musicha XXVI. 26 ; C Aritmetricha XXV. 25 - estampe - Maître de la Série E -. Sujet: Musique -- Allégorie Arithmétique -- Allégorie Jeux -- 15e siècle Figures allégoriques -- 15e siècle Collectionneur: Gatteaux, Jacques-Édouard (1788-1881). Collectionneur [Musicha] [Aritmetricha] Référence bibliographique: Lambert, 302 Référence bibliographique: Lambert, 301.
- - Broadside- E.H. Goulding and Co., pre-Christmas lottery, prizes jewelry, clocks,. A sheet announcing the scheme and the prizes attached.
- - A fragment of a post medieval bone dice. Gaming pieces cut from bone, worn from handling.
- - A Post Medieval bone dice. Dice recovered from an excavated site.
- - Kent-16EBB7. Cage bird water container or dice shaker. Front view. A dice cup and the cubes shaken from it.
- - Medieval bone die. A medieval bone die. The die is cuboid and each value is marked by a incised dot, which range from 1 to 6. Opposite sides add up to 7. It is brown and measures 7.8mm (length) x 7.8mm (width) x 7.4mm (thickness) and weighs 0.89g.
- - ESS-279462 Post Medieval die. Post Medieval lead die. The faces are marked with dots, with opposing faces arranged 6 - 2, 4 - 3, and 5 - 3. There is no number 1. The cube measures 14.32mm by 14.44mm by 13.55mm. It weighs 25.1 grams.
- - Game box. Opening casket with relief inlaid scene of war on one side and chess fields on the other side. Inside is inlay of backgammon game fields. Decorated with rippled moldings (flammleiste).
- - Pferderennen. 2 Traber im Rennen. Zwei Trabrennpferde an einem Pferderennen (Ort unbekannt).
- - Pferderennen. Einspänner. Einspänner an einem Pferderennen (Ort unbekannt).
- - Pferderennen. 2 Einspänner. Zwei Einspänner an einem Pferderennen (Ort unbekannt).
- - Spel handgeschreven kaarten met spreuken. A hand fanned open by its holder.
- - Handgetekend kaartspel. Objectgegevens Titel: Handgetekend kaartspel Trefwoorden: kaartspel, gezelschapsspel, spel, ontspanningsmiddel Datering: 1750 - 1850 Materiaal: papier Afmetingen: (cm) hg 8,5 / br 5,8 Associatie: spelen Inventarisnr: Museum Rotterdam 32261.
- - Tarot-cary-collection-ita-sheet-3s-c1500. Sheets of uncut cards as they came off the press.
- - Tenshō karuta. Incomplete card set of Tenshō karuta, around the Genroku era (1688 1704), woodblock-printed and hand-colored.
- - Card Table (image 2 of 3). United States, Charleston, 1785-1800 Furnishings; Furniture Mahogany, various inlays, ash, pine 29 3/4 x. (75.57 x. Murray Braunfeld (M.2006.51.11) Decorative Arts and Design.
- - Cartes de jeux divers au portrait de Paris : jeu de cartes, estampe. Ancien possesseur: Merlin, Romain (1793-1871). Ancien possesseur.
- - Theater Weissenbach (Jahrmarktbude). Jahrmarktsbude in Zürich, vermutlich am General-Guisan-Quai (bis 1960: Alpenquai), in der Nähe des Weissen Schlosses.
- - Black ballet five of clubs playing card, 1850-1900. Black five of clubs card, illustrated with three dancing women and two men at bar.. [PD] This picture is in the public domain.
- - Portrait, Ada Zingara. Portrait of Ada Zingara (Harriett O. Shipley), sideshow performer, snake charmer.
- - A cigarette card of Sir Arthur Aston. Battle of Drogheda [September 3rd, 1649]. (Sir Arthur Aston; the Millmount; the barracks on the mount in which Sir Arthur Aston was slaughtered by Cromwell; St. Laurence's Gate.).
- - Bowes Ryther map playing cards. Cards from a pack illustrating counties of England and Wales. The maps were largely copied from an atlas by Christopher Saxton.
- - The 1592 Lottery in Aid of the Lunatic Asylum. Schilderij; sport en spel; loterij; Dolhuis; stadsgezicht; stadsgezicht Amsterdam; geschiedenis Amsterdam; trekking loterij Dolhuis; Oudezijds Voorburgwal; Kleine Groentemarkt.
- - Giochi di carte bellissimi di regola, e di memoria. Cover for the book "Giochi di carte bellissimi di regola, e di memoria".
- - Valsspelende kaartspelers PK-T-3693, PK-T-2481. Ator: Baburen, Dirck van (ca. 1595-1624) PK-T-3693 Language: No linguistic content Country: No place, unknown, or undetermined Published: 17e eeuw Persistent URL: Published (digital): Universitaire Bibliotheken Leiden, Extent: elektronische bron.
- - Vischer Basel Volksfest 1598. Darstellung eines Volksfest durch Hieronymus Vischer. Lavierte Federzeichnung, 1598. Im British Museum, London.
- - Roman (Possibly) Die. A cast copper alloy die of Roman to early post-medieval date. The cube-shaped die measures 8.3mm by 7.4mm by 7.1mm and weighs 3.2g. The numbers are stamped in the form of ring-and-dots. Opposing faces add up to seven.
- - Heinsius Daniel Cupido 004. Astragali, the ankle bones cast before the cube was standardised.
…and 1,611 more moments.
Full text archive: /loreline-text/gambling.md
