Anglotopia – When you try to compare Britain and the US in terms of a single aspect of culture – in this case, gambling – there’s a danger that Britain is going to come across as the fusty, grubby, make-do-and-mend Blackpool to the US’s thrusting, glamorous Las Vegas. Think of the two countries’ movie industries, for example. Pick a year at random – say, 2004. America offered the world “Million Dollar Baby”. Britain responded with “Sex Lives Of The Potato Men”. One – nil to the US.
Now think about, say, card games. The US has the World Series Of Poker in Vegas. Britain has my mum’s kitchen table (£2 buy-in). That’s not fair of course. In fact, the UK has a number of proper poker tournaments, including the Grosvenor Poker Tour, held in… er… Blackpool. Again, unfair; the GUKPT takes place in a number of superbly exciting locations, including Manchester. Oh dear; two – nil.
Of course, casino games aren’t really Britain’s thing. Card games like poker and blackjack are culturally American, though they’ve achieved huge popularity in the UK in the last few years. Roulette isn’t British either – it’s a European thing, developed in France after the Revolution. Most states in the US (not including Utah, which bans all forms of gambling) have at least a few casinos.
