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19th Century Gambling in New York
Liquor in the 19th century evoked more concern than any of the other 'evils' because of its reputed popularity among the people, particularly among the rapidly expanding class of urban poor. Reformers such as Horace Greely led what began as a temperance movement in the 1830s and reached a peak of total abstinence by the 1850s.
Gambling underwent similar treatment during the reform era. In 1851, the New York Association for the Suppression of Gambling was established. Founded by Greely and led by Jonathan Green, this organization sought to 'expose' gambling establishments.
The 'Green Law' of 1851 represented New York's toughest gambling law up to that time, mandating minimum fines for anyone found guilty of keeping a gambling establishment, exhibiting gambling devices, or assisting in any banking game.
The law also called for the destruction of gambling devices.
Despite its tough language, the Green law failed to achieve its goal of eradicating gambling. The continued popularity of the activity under attack led both public officials and citizens to defy the law.
Moreover, gambling was not just a favorite pastime in urban areas. An estimated 6 percent of all New York City dwellers looked to the gambling industry for their employment.
Between 1825 and 1855, New York State experienced a doubling of its population, primarily as a result of immigration. Many immigrants came from Eastern Europe with a Catholic background, and they brought with them none of the Protestant tenets against gambling.
Further, the bulk of this increase occurred in urban areas. By 1855, one-fourth of the state's population and nearly one-half of Manhattan's inhabitants, were foreign-born. The majority of them came from Ireland and Germany. Densely populated enclaves of immigrants developed in the cities.
The crowded conditions in which they lived, their poverty, the difficulty of coping with a new language, and cultural barriers contributed to making these people prime supporters of the corrupt machine politics that were to characterize many of the government agencies of New York City and state throughout the last half of the nineteenth century.
The courts were liberal in determining which of a wide variety of schemes constituted Policy; however, it was not statutorily defined until the 1865 Penal Law declared 'Policy' or the 'the number's game' a lottery in which the outcome is not determined by any act of the players or promoters.
Despite the laws on the books, Policy continued to flourish in New York City, primarily because it was ingrained in the ghetto neighborhoods of the cities.