1982: Why do we Gamble? | Fields of Play: Playing the Odds | BBC Archive

This programme contains attitudes of it's time. About 93 million Americans gamble around 500 million dollars each year, only 20 per cent of it legally. In England, nine out of ten people will gamble at some time in their lives, mostly legally, in betting shops, at bingo and on the pools. Why do so many people gamble? The first half of this programme focuses on the packed casino floors of Atlantic City, transformed from decaying seaside resort to boom town since casinos were licensed there in 1978; where houses now make way for hotels and where ironically the game of Monopoly was first modelled in the 1930s. In the second half, the film moves to Liverpool, following punters around the city, on the racecourse, in betting shops, and workers at the football pools, during the weekend of last year’s Grand National, the world’s most famous and heavily wagered steeplechase. Clip taken from Fields of Play: Playing the Odds, originally broadcast on BBC Two, 30 March, 1982. You have now entered the BBC Archive, a time machine that will transport you back to the golden age of TV to educate, entertain and enlighten you with classic clips from the BBC vaults. Make sure you subscribe so that you never miss a single stop on our amazing journey through the BBC Archive - https://www.youtube.com/c/BBCArchive?... You can also dive into plenty more BBC Archive on our website - https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive