Sinners and Saints

Gambling

Native American tribes had been gambling on games and footraces long before Whites arrived in Kansas. However, gambling was not perceived as a moral issue until the Texas-to-Kansas cattle drives brought hundreds of cowboys to Kansas railheads beginning in the 1860s.

The cowtown gamblers were a diverse group. Some gambled at the end of the trail drive and returned to Texas. Others stayed in the cattle towns making livings as buffalo hunters, saloon owners, and even lawmen. All wanted to make money.

In Dodge City, Luke Short (pictured at right) was known as a well-dressed and handsome gentleman. He also was a gunfighter and professional gambler. In 1883, he became part owner of the Long Branch Saloon, but was soon driven out of Dodge when he fell out of favor with the new mayor.

Learn more about popular 19th century gambling games.

As early as 1868 Kansas had outlawed games of chance for money. To get around these laws, manufacturers created "trade stimulators" (right). These machines were designed to pay out prizes in cigars, gum, or stamps. Many owners, however, gave out money prizes. Appearing around the 1880s in saloons, these machines were placed beside cash registers to encourage or "stimulate" customers to spend their spare change before leaving the store. This practice agitated citizens who opposed gambling.

Read about trade stimulators.

Although gambling was a popular leisure time activity, reformers believed it to be a vice. Gamblers were accused of laziness, stealing from their employers to support their habits, and leaving their families destitute.

Many Kansans believed gambling to be just as immoral as drinking and smoking. Like drinkers, gamblers were accused of spending their money on entertainment instead of their families. Gambling also attracted women and youth, groups reformers felt needed protection from the ills of society.

As illustrated in this poster (left), sulky races were popular in many Kansas communities. An 1895 state law permitted limited gambling on horse races at fairs. The Grange, an agricultural society, objected on the grounds that racing detracted from the fairs' mission to educate and promote agriculture.

Reformers wrote letters to their city governments and signed petitions in an effort to eliminate gambling. Around the turn of the 20th century, reformers across the United States got laws passed to ban gambling on the state and local level. They successfully convinced lawmakers that wagering was linked to other vices, and argued that gambling houses were often host to drinking and prostitution.

Here's a timeline of gambling initiatives in Kansas.

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