The Day Gambling Died in Walla Walla
New state legislation turns the tide on local gaming as businesses scramble to pull slot machines and shut down tables.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Open gambling is dead in Walla Walla. For the first time in many months, there is not an open gambling game in existence in the city. The new law making gambling a penitentiary offense went into effect at midnight last night, and promptly at that hour, every gambling place in the city shut down. Gaming tables have been thrown into the cellar and paraphernalia has been packed and stored away. The closing hours at the various gaming centers last night saw an animated scene as dealers attempted one last cleanup. It is thought there will be no immediate effort to evade the law, as the 'sporting fraternity' of the state intends to wait for a test case to be brought by Spokane gamblers. Furthermore, every cigar dealer in the city has removed merchandise slot machines from their shops, with some owners expressing relief that the 'nuisance' of crowds gathering to watch play has finally ended.
“Gaming tables have been thrown into the cellar and paraphernalia has been packed and stored away to wait for better days.”
Long before Washington established a state lottery or legalized tribal casinos, the state legislature engaged in periodic 'cleanup' campaigns to rid cities of local gaming dens. This 1903 shift reflects the eternal tension in Walla Walla between the desire for moral regulation and the persistent underground economy of the 'sporting fraternity.'
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