Gambling

"During the big depression of the 1930's, people looked desperately for inexpensive leisure pursuits, as their spendable income decreased dramatically. Parlor and board games, as well as stamp collecting became popular hobbies. When Parker Brothers introduced the game of Monopoly in 1935, 20,000 sets were sold in one week. Additionally, interest in spectator sports, such as baseball, grew making stars of players like Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio.      

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/picturepages/PP-Gambling-Poker1930s-14.html

Racing Renaissance
In the 1930s impoverished state governments, in search of ways to increase revenues, returned to the potential honey pot of horse racing. In exchange for legalizing betting on the sport, one
state after another exacted steep taxes on racing revenues. The deal was mutually beneficial to private investors and government tax collectors, and led to a 70 percent increase in the number of tracks across the country. At the racetrack, crowds turned up as large as any that had ever assembled to watch horse racing. 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/seabiscuit-racing-depression/