American Gambler Book Club

David Hill
  • 5.0 (7)
  • History
  • Updated Weekly

Each week I invite friends and guests to discuss a gambling-themed book (however loosely-defined) and whatever else may come up. Writers, entertainers, bon vivants and other smart and interesting people help me figure out what all belongs in the canon of books about gamblers as I work on my own contribution to whatever that is. Presented by InGame.com. davidhill.substack.com

  1. 4d ago

    The House of Mirth with Kate Knibbs

    Edith Wharton’s tragic 1905 satirical novel The House of Mirth is about the commodification of women, the hypocrisy and false moral rectitude of the rich, and the conflict between art and romance and the strict social order of the Gilded Age. It’s also about gambling - on cards, on stocks, and on love. I’m joined to discuss this American classic by the writer Kate Knibbs. Kate is a senior writer at Wired who covers, among other things, the prediction market beat. We discuss Wharton’s novel as well as the current state of gambling and prediction markets in the United States. Buy The House of Mirth Read Kate Knibbs at Wired Theme music by TRØN THE ARCHER Check out Edge Boost (use promo code AGB for $100 deposit match) The EDGE Boost Visa® Debit Card is issued by Cross River Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. EDGE is not a bank and is not FDIC-insured. Deposits to EDGE Boost are eligible for FDIC and/or NCUA deposit insurance up to $10,000,000 or more through Cross River Bank, Member FDIC, and Participating Institutions. Learn more about IntraFi® Network Deposits℠ and the network banks eligible to receive your funds. The $100 deposit match is a promotional credit issued by Edge Markets; match funds are no-withdrawable, have no cash value, and expire 60 days after issuance. Real-time transfers available for eligible account tiers; new accounts are subject to initial hold periods. See Terms of Service and Cardholder Agreement at EdgeBoost.io American Gambler is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidhill.substack.com/subscribe

  2. Sep 22

    Good Vibes with John Reeder

    John Reeder is the host of the podcast Risk of Ruin (“the This American Life for gamblers”) and a scholar of all things gambling-related. He joins me this week to discuss Jay Cronley’s 1979 darkly-comic novel Good Vibes, which was the inspiration for the 1989 film Let It Ride. Listen to Risk of Ruin Read Good Vibes by Jay Cronley Theme music by TRØN THE ARCHER Check out Edge Boost (use promo code AGB for $100 deposit match) The EDGE Boost Visa® Debit Card is issued by Cross River Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. EDGE is not a bank and is not FDIC-insured. Deposits to EDGE Boost are eligible for FDIC and/or NCUA deposit insurance up to $10,000,000 or more through Cross River Bank, Member FDIC, and Participating Institutions. Learn more about IntraFi® Network Deposits℠ and the network banks eligible to receive your funds. The $100 deposit match is a promotional credit issued by Edge Markets; match funds are no-withdrawable, have no cash value, and expire 60 days after issuance. Real-time transfers available for eligible account tiers; new accounts are subject to initial hold periods. See Terms of Service and Cardholder Agreement at EdgeBoost.io American Gambler is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidhill.substack.com/subscribe

  3. Aug 19 ·  Bonus

    A Brief History of Sports Gambling in America

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit davidhill.substack.com This is the talk I gave at Bet Bash earlier this month. As I state at the beginning, this isn’t a comprehensive history or even a scholarly one. It’s merely a collection of anecdotes and stories I found surprising and interesting as I’ve researched this topic over the last couple of years. Folks at Bet Bash seemed to enjoy it and encouraged me to do it again, so I’ve recorded it here for paying subscribers. If you’re not already a paid subscriber and you’d like to watch, you can sign up with this link: If you’d like a more involved or comprehensive treatment of this topic, here’s a short bibliography of books I mention in this talk or that I found useful while researching it: Over/Under: An Unexpected History of Sports Betting by David Bockino Sports Betting and Bookmaking: An American History by Arne Lang Roll the Bones: A History of Gambling by David Schwartz Play the Devil: A History of Gambling in the United States from 1492 to 1955 by Henry Chafetz And don’t forget you can buy any of the books mentioned here on this substack or on the podcast at our bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/american-gambler-book-club

  4. Jul 29

    Odds Man Out with Jay Cohen

    Jay Cohen was one of the founders of World Sports Exchange in 1997, the first ever fully online sports betting site. In 2000 he was the first person ever convicted of violating the federal Wire Act for running an online sportsbook, despite the fact that his company was fully established and licensed in Antigua and that he built it with the advice of an army of lawyers, accountants and consultants to make sure he wasn’t breaking any American laws. Cohen was the only American offshore operator to come back to the United States and plead Not Guilty and fight the case. He lost and served 18 months in federal prison. Odds Man Out is the story not only of how he built World Sports Exchange, but of the years-long trial where he did battle with the U.S. government and the major sports leagues to defend his business and clear his name. Buy Odds Man Out Get your tickets to Bet Bash Subscribe to my Substack American Gambler is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidhill.substack.com/subscribe

  5. Jul 3

    Over/Under with David Bockino

    Elon University professor David Bockino’s new book on the history of sports gambling makes the case that sports in America aren’t corrupted by gambling - but owe their very existence to the undeniable American urge to gamble. He joins me on this episode to discuss his book and his research. Buy Over/Under: An Unexpected History of Sports Gambling American Gambler is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidhill.substack.com/subscribe

  6. Jun 1

    The Natural with Charles Star

    I finally broke my standing rule of “No Fiction” in this episode to read Bernard Malamud’s debut novel The Natural. If you’ve seen the 1984 film adaptation starring Robert Redford but, like me, had never read the novel, you will be shocked at how radically different the story in the 1952 novel is from that of the feel-good film. Joining me to discuss is the co-host of the No Homework podcast Charles Star. We recorded this episode live from the cheap seats at a Mets game with terrible microphones, so just pretend it’s 1952 and cut me a break if it sounds bad. Listen to No Homework Buy The Natural American Gambler is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidhill.substack.com/subscribe

  7. May 25

    On the Edge with Jennifer Shahade

    Nate Silver’s 2024 bestseller On the Edge: Risking it All is a deep-dive into the philosophical and cultural underpinnings of our modern-day gambling-obsessed America. In nearly six hundred pages he examines everything from poker to cryptocurrency to AI, and presents an ontology that divides American elites into “The River” and “The Village”: risk-takers and risk-averse. Joining me to discuss it is the chess and poker player Jennifer Shahade, author of the new book Thinking Sideways: How to Think Like a Chess Player and Win at Life. Buy Thinking Sideways Buy On the Edge Subscribe to Jen’s Substack Donate to Chess in the Schools American Gambler is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidhill.substack.com/subscribe

  8. May 8 ·  Bonus

    Book Club: Something for Nothing Chapters 4 & 5

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit davidhill.substack.com Our current book club pick is Something for Nothing: Luck in America by Jackson Lears. We’re trying something new for this book: weekly livestream discussions. Tune in live each week to watch for free or subscribe and get access to the archived videos. This week we continue with a discussion of Chapters 4 & 5. American Gambler is a reader-supported publ…

    Book Club: Something for Nothing Chapters 4 & 5
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Ratings & Reviews

5
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About

Each week I invite friends and guests to discuss a gambling-themed book (however loosely-defined) and whatever else may come up. Writers, entertainers, bon vivants and other smart and interesting people help me figure out what all belongs in the canon of books about gamblers as I work on my own contribution to whatever that is. Presented by InGame.com. davidhill.substack.com

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