ECON 360
The U.S. Gambling Industry
Course description
An in-depth examination of the economics of the U.S. gambling industry. Topics include casino operations, sports betting, lottery markets, regulatory frameworks, and the social and economic impacts of gambling.
Syllabus
ECON 360, Fall 2026
Lecture info
Bellsouth 403
W · 4:00 - 6:45 pm
W · 4:00 - 6:45 pm
Contact
(307) 418-7650 text | call
dougwalker2@gmail.com
Outline & schedule
| Week | Date | Topic | Assignment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 Aug | Course introduction, syllabus, and review of indifference curves | AGA State of the States, 2026 Walker, pp. 263-273 |
| 2 | 26 Aug | History of gambling in the USA | H&C, pp. 2-8 Grinols, pp. 13-18 and 44-45 Walker, pp. 1-5 |
| 3 | 2 Sep | Probability rules and expected value (EV) The lottery | H&C, pp. 9-18 Book review of Cohen, "For a dollar and a dream" Leroy Fick, RIP John Oliver on the lottery |
| 4 | 9 Sep | No lecture (Walker at a conference) | |
| 5 | 16 Sep | The lottery, Prob(winning) and EV | Out of Luck (start at 3:30) Powerball drawing video sage advice from Fox News? |
| 6 | 23 Sep | Roulette, craps, odds & house advantage (HA) | roulette (video) craps (video) How slot machines work Homework #1 | solutions |
| 7 | 30 Sep | Craps, cont. | |
| 8 | 7 Oct | Exam 1 | Homework #2 | solutions |
| 9 | 14 Oct | Economic impacts of casinos | The Simpsons - "$pringfield" CBS News: "Slot Machines: The Big Gamble" Grinols, ch. 4 Walker, chs. 2, 3, 4 |
| 10 | 21 Oct | Empirical evidence on economic growth | Walker, ch. 5, pp. 37-41, 51 |
| 11 | 28 Oct | Negative social impacts of gambling | Walker, chs. 13-15 Grinols, ch. 7 |
| 12 | 4 Nov | Gambling disorder (GD) and responsible gambling. | |
| 13 | 11 Nov | Win limits | |
| 14 | 18 Nov | ||
| 15 | 25 Nov | No lecture - Thanksgiving | |
| 16 | Fri., 4 Dec | Final Exam | 6:00 - 8:00 pm |