Gambling: Vice as Industry

Gambling permeated Belle Époque entertainment. From elegant casino rooms to backstreet card games, Parisians wagered on everything. The Pari Mutuel system, legalizing racetrack betting, generated enormous revenues. The Grand Prix at Longchamp became society's supreme event, where fortunes changed hands amid fashion displays.

Women gamblers challenged gender norms. The casino at Monte Carlo (technically outside France but spiritually part of Belle Époque culture) welcomed female players. Some, like the mysterious "La Belle Otero," won and lost fortunes. Others, like the American Alice de Janzé, used gambling as escape from restrictive marriages.

The lottery democratized gambling hopes. For one franc, a worker could dream of wealth. The elaborate drawings, held at the Opéra, became theatrical events. Winners' stories filled newspapers—the seamstress who bought an apartment, the clerk who opened a shop. These tales encouraged others to risk scarce resources on improbable dreams.

Illegal gambling flourished despite police efforts. Tripots (gambling dens) operated throughout Paris, protected by bribes and political connections. These ranged from elegant private clubs serving aristocrats to sordid basement rooms where workers lost weekly wages. The apache gangs controlled much illegal gambling, enforcing debts through violence.