Thread: Legal gambling thrives in the underground

I run into this phrase in one of TV shows I am translating. It has always been my understanding that "underground" is something that is not quite legal. Can anyone of you US guys clear up this for me? What is the exact meaning of "undergound" here? A couple of minutes before that, the show host mentioned an "underground card club" (this is just for context)

And, before some kind soul tells me that this phrase means "Легальные азартные игры процветают в подполье", and "underground card clubs" means "подпольный игорный клуб", please don't.

Each time I ask a specific question and provide some context, someone always ends up translating the context for me. This is not what I want, thank you

Maybe it's just a pun and it literally means under ground, i.e. card club is located in some kind of basement?

Originally Posted by DenisM

Maybe it's just a pun and it literally means under ground, i.e. card club is located in some kind of basement?

Doesn't look like that. The show host says about a player that he "represents thousands of people in cities across the country where legal gambling thrives in the underground." So it is more than just one club.

Underground card club - just that, a card club that is not quite legal. A card club that is involved in some sort of illegal activity(and is not well known to the public, or if it is, under some kind of legitimate front).

One more idea: gambling is legal only in a few states ( e.g. in Nevada ). So it is technically illegal in California. But it is allowed on the territory of indian reservations (or maybe even on indian owned property outside of reservations, not sure ). So effectively you can gamble not leaving CA nevertheless, for example here, in Palm Springs, not so far from LA.

I visited what was referred to as an "underground" gambling establishment and it was illegal.You had to know someone in order to get in. There was lots of people in there and it had cocktail waitresses. It, however was not in a basement, it was actually up a narrow staircase. This was in Sydney, Australia, which has, unbeknown to the average Aussie, quite an underworld of crime syndicates reaching into all sorts of activities.
Anyway that is "underground" in the truest sence of the word. But you should know that the word "underground" is also bandied about for late night discos that are on the edge of being illegal to just a nightclub that would more appropriatey be called "alternate", which is usually the case.
There are also places such as the Moose Bar in Dillon Montana where they still play poker quite legally just as they did in Wild Bill Hickock's day. These are not called underground clubs.

You'll see a good example of an 'underground card club' in the first half hour of 'карти, деньги и два ствола'.

Thanks for replies everyone. So I guess it either was a slip of the tongue on the part of announcer or else he "swallowed" the first syllable in "illegal".

"Underground" can also mean that, though not illegal, it is not recognized as an official club or publication. For instance, an "underground" newsletter would have points of view presented that would most likely not be condoned by whatever business the authors belong to, and the authors also would most likely remain anonymous.

And as for gambling in the United States, all states but Utah and Hawaii have legalized some form of gambling. Don't think Nevada is some unique wacko hotbed of immorality. Hawaii, incidentally, just had a huge police raid of several "underground" gambling establishments. Therefore, the 30% of the United States population that has no inclination to gamble whatsoever in all likelihood resides entirely in Utah.

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Any other questions will be fielded by either me or my distinguished colleague Dogboy, Saturday, January 22, between 2:15 PM PST and 2:16 PM PST, on this forum.

O, Nevada, wicked state! Cut the gambling, ere too late! Throw the craps game in the fire, lift yourself out from the mire!

Wow, I can't believe I wrote a whole post without referring to it by its proper name...
GAMING!

The object of the gaming industry is to maximize profits, and don't you ever forget that one, buddy.

So, like... anybody from Singapore?