John Scarne, 82, Author of Books on Gambling, Dies

John Scarne, an expert on games of chance who wrote 28 books on the subject, has died here at age 82.

Scarne, president of John Scarne Games Inc. in North Bergen, died Sunday at Englewood Hospital.

He wrote his first book, “Scarne on Dice,” in 1945. Other books include “Scarne’s New Complete Guide to Gambling,” “Scarne’s Guide to Casino Gambling” and “Scarne’s Encyclopedia of Games.”

He contributed to the Encyclopaedia Britannica and the World Book Encyclopedia.

Scarne was born in Steubenville, Ohio, on March 4, 1903. He moved to Fairview as a youth and later lived in North Bergen.

Scarne is survived by his wife, Steffi Norma.