zlacker

Most of Europe is more secular / less religious than America, so I don't know why it would be surprising that they have more lax gambling laws. That only supports my point. It has nothing to do with the geographical Old World.

>>keifer+(OP)
Even in Europe's religious past, gambling was tolerated. The prohibitions on gambling are uniquely american. In general, America is very puritanical about a wealth of topics (and not just socially conservative ones), which is -- in my opinion -- a result of the descendants of the puritans losing their religion but not their genetic predisposition towards fanaticism.