A Mug’s Game: A History of Gaming and Betting in Australia by John O’Hara

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good to near fine condition. Minor wear to book edges and corners. Small mark on top foredge. Dust jacket is in very good condition with very slight wear to edges. Bookplate with ownership by Geoffrey Bolton (AO - one of Australia's most eminent historians).

Almost ninety per cent of Australians gamble, anything from two-up to the Melbourne Cup sweep, from the 'pokies' to the glittering casinos; from the Harold Park trots to frog jumping contests in Queensland.

Gambling is our national obsession and has been an integral part of our history since the first convicts and settlers gambled with coins, cards and dice.

In the nineteenth century, gaming and betting of one sort were enjoyed by all sections of society, whether at the race tracks, in the gentlemen's clubs or the bars and taverns at night.

Despite opposition by the wowser element, the voice of moral concern determined to eradicate society of this evil, the passion for the tum of the card, the swiftness of the steed or the throw of the dice flourished into the twentieth century, even in the face of restrictive legislation.

A Mug's Game is the story of this remarkable aspect of Australia's history, a fascinating picture of the struggle for dominance between classes with differing values and of individuals of infamy and notoriety. It is a complete history of the extraordinary relationship between Australians and gambling. (book flap)