American sweepstakes: how one small state bucked the Church, the Feds, and the Mob to usher in the lottery age

Long banned in the United States, the Federal government told New Hampshire in 1963 it couldn't start a lottery - not without breaking a score of laws and courting infiltration by racketeers. Led by a motley group of characters - including a governor betting his political career and a celebrated FBI agent - they pushed ahead anyway. That set the first state-operated lottery on a collision course with the Feds, the media, and the church.The New Hampshire Sweepstakes wasn't a scratch ticket or a numbers draw; it was one glorious horse race. Thousands flocked to the state to buy tickets. Some were arrested...American Sweepstakes tells the forgotten tale of how this small state fought all-comers, ushering in the modern lottery age and creating the American daydream