History: (Green Lantern I #12) - The day after high school graduation Steven Sharpe proposed to his girlfriend. She refused to marry him unless he could prove he was not a compulsive gambler like his father and grandfather. She soon ran off with a local boy who won a fortune gambling on the sweepstakes. Steven decided to start a new life for himself when, as fate would have it, an armored car crashed feet away from him. He helped himself to the money that spilled from the van, and vowed that from then on he would take whatever he could from life. He dubbed himself the Gambler in remembrance of his grandfather, and spent several years at a traveling carnival learning the art of disguise and knife-throwing. Using these skills he embarked on a life of crime, soon becoming one of America's most wanted. Gambler and his gang arrived in Gotham City and targeted the stock exchange. One of his men dressed up as a clerk and put disastrous new stock prices up on the blackboard. In the confusion Gambler and his men made off with large bills and bonds. Green Lantern tried to stop them, but Gambler blinded him with a gun that shot ammonia gas. The Gambler robbed a quiz show, and when GL arrived he turned his gun on the audience, but said he'd leave if GL bet with him. He spun a top with win and lose printed on it, but GL's sidekick Doiby Dickles stumbled into the studio, and knocked Gambler back when he opened the door. Gambler shot a smokescreen, and escaped, but bet that GL couldn't stop him from robbing the track. Gambler set off magnesium flares panicking the horses and endangering the spectators, but GL used his power ring to harness the horses and had them stampede Gambler's gang. GL turned his power ring on the Gambler, incapacitating him until the police arrived, and the hero wondered if that was the last they'd hear of the villain.

(Starman II #22) - <1944> Gambler was hired by Albert Mellow, an art collector, to commit insurance fraud. The scheme was foiled by Starman and Sandman.

(Green Lantern I #20) - The Gambler sent GL and Doiby a letter from jail, betting that he could escape at the crack of dawn. They investigated, and Gambler had disguised himself as Doiby to cause confusion, using a skeleton key to unlock his cell and freeing prisoners to distract the heroes while he made his getaway. They found him aboard a gambling ship, where he'd broken the bank and won the ship as well. He escaped again, showing GL a derby and bluffing that he had Doiby as a hostage. Gambler later outfitted the ship as a dreadnaught, running crooked gambling games with the help of his goons. GL entered the gambling den, and Gambler wagered his freedom versus GL's life on a game of roulette. GL accepted, and seeing as all the games were rigged he used the power ring to win. Gambler accused him of being a cheater, not appreciating the irony. GL used his power ring to transport the entire dreadnaught to the local prison, making it their new annex. Gambler wagered he'd find a way to escape again.

(Green Lantern I #27) - Gambler was sentenced to death for the murder of Rocks Morton, and he tried to bet the judge that he'd escape jail before the execution. The press interviewed him, and he upped the stakes, betting that on the night of his execution GL, Doiby and the warden would all die instead of him. The city was enthralled by his brashness, and a gambling syndicate was built around the Gambler's wager. GL wanted to crack the syndicate and staged a plan to fake his own death. The electric chair technician was Lamont, one of Gambler's men, and he'd rigged the switch to kill the Warden, Doiby and GL. GL disguised himself as Lamont, showed Gambler the "bodies," which were really dummies, and helped him toss them out the window to craggy rocks below. Gambler took the disguised GL to his safehouse, revealing that he'd been running the gambling syndicate from prison, and had netted millions of dollars, which he intended to take to the casino. GL revealed himself, but the Gambler got away, and gave out disguises at the casino so everyone there looked like him. GL knew he used to be a carney, so when he shouted "Hey, rube" the real Gambler gave himself away. Gambler bet GL a box of cigars he still wouldn't be executed. GL lost the bet when Rocks turned out alive, he'd faked his death to help Gambler pull off his gambling syndicate scheme.

(Green Lantern I #30) - The Gambler met philanthropist John George, famed surgeon Dr. Rinemetz and diver Claire Conway at the Skytop ski lodge, and roped them into gambling their fortunes and lives versus his. Gambler won, and instructed them to leave him as the beneficiary in their wills and commit suicide. All three reneged, so Gambler disguised himself and shot Grange off a rooftop during a gala and stabbed Rinemartz during surgery. He set a net to down Conway during a diving exhibition, but GL saved her. GL took her skiing at the Skytop to act as bait, and Gambler's gang captured both of them. He tied them to a bumper in a giant pinball machine he'd made, and set the balls loose. GL freed his bonds, and rode off the machine with Claire. Gambler said he bet he'd never face justice, and jumped out of a window.

(Green Lantern I #35) - The Gambler called the leaders of gangland, offering for the tune of $25,000 to spin a wheel that had obstacles to various big payday crimes and remove it. Crimelord Bowie was the first to take him up on his offer, and landed on the security system of Gotham City Bank. Gambler was true to his word, and arranged for a way to distract GL and the police so the job could be finished successfully. He sent a note to GL saying he bet every bank robber in town would be at the city bank that night. GL and the police stood guard at the bank entrance when GL noticed one of the officers going on about betting odds, and took off his mask, revealing him as Gambler. He was taken to police headquarters, but GL realized the Gambler was too smart to give himself away so easily, and tugged off the "Gambler's" mask, revealing him as a decoy criminal. While the hero was occupied Gambler and Bowie's gang robbed $100,000 from the bank. The next crook to spin landed on Green Lantern, so Gambler put his plan to eliminate his archenemy into motion, sending a note to him announcing he'd kidnap him from his own station. During the GL show two gunmen opened fire, and GL pursued. He saw "Doiby" in his cab, but realized it was the Gambler disguised as his sidekick. GL disguised Doiby as himself to see where the Gambler's scheme was going. Gambler knocked out "GL" with sleeping gas and drove him back to his hq with the real GL secretly following. Gambler put "GL" in a giant roulette ball, releasing him onto a giant roulette wheel where every slot was rigged with explosives. The real GL revealed himself, saving the disguised Doiby and taking Gambler and the underworld heads into police custody.

Gambler fought Green Lantern many times over the years, and later joined the Injustice Society of the World to combat the JSA, but he was always recaptured and sent to Gotham Penitentiary. After being paroled he went to gamble in Las Vegas’ Taj Mahal Casino, but the games were fixed and Gambler lost all his money. This final defeat proved to be too much for him, and he committed suicide, shooting himself in the head. His legacy was continued by his granddaughter Rebecca Sharpe, also known as Hazard.