The 1782 Gaming Bill and Lottery Regulation Acts (1782 and 1787): Gambling and the law in later Georgian Britain

This article brings forward new evidence regarding the circumstances surrounding the origins and authorship of the Gaming Bill of 1782, which was designed to suppress the roulette-type game of ‘Even and Odd’. Hitherto, this Bill has presented something of a puzzle, not only in terms of why it was proposed, but its strange fate; it was never signed into law. The Gaming Bill is viewed alongside a parallel series of parliamentary measures from the 1780s aimed at regulating more tightly the official lottery and derivatives thereof, including, most controversially, lottery insurance, one aspect of which was betting on the outcomes of the lottery draw. By placing these initiatives within a single analytical frame, much can be learnt about the role of parliament and the law in regulating gambling in this period, but also the profound limits of the law in this sphere.