A SHORT CASINO HISTORY OF GAMBLING

The history of casinos is intertwined with historical and social change, and for as long as civilisation has existed, they’ve appeared in one form or another! This is mostly because gambling is as old as time itself. Let’s take a walk down memory lane in this article on the casino history venues!

ANCIENT HISTORY

Evidence of basic games of chance has been detected in ancient China, while the oldest known dice date back to ancient Egypt. In Ancient Rome and Greece, people were also known to enjoy playing gambling games, even though these activities were often outlawed. 

The earliest records of gambling can be found circa 2,300 BC out in China. Around 1,500 BC, there is evidence that dice games were played in Egypt. Naturally, there was no designated building at the time, so gambling was once an activity played among family and friends.

EARLY CARD GAMES

The history of playing cards started in Europe. Games like blackjack were developed in France in the 1300s, initially derived from Eastern traditions. These traditions formed the basis of popular casino games at the time like Trente et Un, which translates to 31 in French —  ancestor of blackjack! Other historical card games also included the Chinese ‘leaf’ game, and Karnöffel.

THE GOLDEN AGE OF GAMBLING

In Europe, the first land-based casino was called ‘Il Ridotto‘, established in the 17th century in Venice, Italy. ‘Casino’ is an Italian word meaning ‘a small house’. The idea was to provide a controlled gathering point for gambling, and by the 19th century, European casinos started popping up everywhere.

The introduction of the first casino was welcomed by the state as it signified high taxes on profits from the establishment. However, the Church took a negative view of gambling and made it illegal, thus forcing Il Ridotto to close it doors for good.

At the same time, the US had started its own journey in much more informal gambling houses, with the first games featured in these land-based casinos being popular games like roulette and poker. The first slot machines weren’t introduced until the late 19th century. 

CLASSIC CASINO RULES

Here are a few regulations that had to be adhered to:

1. The visitors of the establishment must follow a dresscode.
2. Visitors were expected to behave accordingly.
3. The players had to order certain dishes from the menu.

THE INVENTION OF THE SLOT MACHINE: A GAMECHANGER

Among the most popular casino games in the world today, slot machines owe it all to the man behind the first set of reels, Charles Frey. The first slot machine appeared in the late 1890s. By nature, they are hard to predict compared to poker, craps or other table games. Despite this (and perhaps because of it), slot machines are some of the most popular casino games among players, with their vast array of possibilities and themes.

LAS VEGAS – WORLD CAPITAL OF GAMBLING INDUSTRY

Born in 1905, Las Vegas has become the ultimate casino capital of the world. It all started with a group of railroad workers who wanted a way to relax and spend their evenings (and money) after the arduous rail work of the day.

In the beginning, there was no licensing framework for the first casinos, which meant that Las Vegas became rife with gambling-related problems, pushing Nevada to outlaw the practice in 1910. However, it was later legalised again in 1931, leading to the authorities legalising casinos. The first licensed venue came a decade later, named El Rancho Vegas.

DOMINATION OF ONLINE CASINOS

In the 1990s, the internet spurred the first online casinos into action. Between six and seven hundred online casinos were online by the end of the decade, which made the online gaming industry reach an estimated worth of  $1b in the blink of an eye.

It is important to note that the first online establishments were created after Microgaming (one of the largest casino and game developers today) developed the first fully functional gambling software. With that, safe transactions were made possible, which led to the proliferation of this new form of gambling.

In 2003, Playtech introduced the first-ever Live Casino with live dealers, a hybrid between brick-and-mortar casinos and the virtual world. Hand in hand with technological advancement, online casinos grew even more popular and sophisticated, which saw many people switching from the land-based casino experience to a more diverse and attractive form of gaming on the internet. 

As the number of venues kept rising, the need for new casino games started to appear. Game providers saw this as an opportunity to create unique and exciting casino games that would satisfy the needs of players and casino operators. Today, some of the best providers include Microgaming, Play’n GO and many others. 

With the rise of online gambling, the importance of regulating these new entities also became apparent. These issues saw the creation of regulatory bodies responsible for licensing and regulating online casinos. The most trusted regulatory bodies are the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association (GBGA) and Curacao eGaming.

Today, there are thousands of active online casino sites, all part of the $230b industry. With just a single look at these numbers, there’s no denying the unstoppable popularity of online gambling.

MOBILE GAMBLING

With the evidence showing that more and more people are switching from desktop to mobile devices, the online gambling industry saw an opportunity to adapt the gambling experience to handheld devices. Games like craps, roulette and baccarat are all playable on mobile, so players can spin a roulette wheel or place a bet on their favourite slot anywhere, anytime.

Today, every reputable online casino utilises the latest HTML5 technology, which helps optimise sites for Android and iOS devices. Most casinos today have even started to develop and create their own mobile applications.

FUTURE OF GAMBLING

Gambling has seen drastic changes throughout casino history, and we expect to see the gambling industry evolve even further.

Currently, over 70% of all casino players across the world prefer slots, but we see a noticeable shift to live gaming. With the ongoing development of VR technologies, we can only speculate what the future will hold. 

Perhaps, visiting a Live Casino with a VR headset would be no different than grabbing a seat at a land-based casino, but our guess is that the next steps in the evolution of casino gaming will be within game development. A large number of new and veteran providers continue to wow us with extraordinary games, and we can’t wait to see what other surprises they have in store for our players. 

BLOCKCHAIN GAMBLING AND CRYPTO CASINOS

Today, the casino industry is still evolving to fit our social and cultural infrastructure. Blockchain technology is the new frontier of online gambling as cryptocurrencies are becoming more popular as a payment system. It also allows quicker withdrawals and deposits of winnings and the option to gamble anonymously. Could this be the future? We guess we’ll find out!