Casino History

Gambling has been prevalent in different forms throughout the history of mankind. It has been a source of entertainment for the rich and poor alike. Gambling played a major role in history where kings have lost their kingdoms and the bold won it all. Games of chances have been played all over the world. The poor gambled to make a 'quick buck' with not much to lose, and the rich did not care what they lost.

In 1020 A.D. King Olaf of Norway and King Olaf of Sweden rolled dice to decide on the ownership of an isolated district of Hising. In India a king lost his kingdom and all his riches to his cousin on the roll of dice and was banished to the forests.

In 1700 lotteries were established to bail out British colonies. Later, America used state-wide lotteries to sponsor the founding of National Educational Infrastructure.

Poker is a very popular game and very quick at making or breaking fortunes. Besides Poker there is Blackjack and Craps that are very popular and are seen played in movies or read about in books, besides being in every casino. Las Vegas in the state of Nevada was the first to legalize gambling followed by Atlantic City. Slowly other states are following suit.

Casino History

History of Playing Cards

The origin of playing cards has not been accurately identified. The earliest cards found, dated to the 11th century, came from China. Since the Chinese invented the paper they could have invented some form of cards too. The four decked cards evolved in the Islamic world and were brought to Europe in the 13th century. The French introduced the designed cards that we see today with the four suits namely spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds. Four centuries later these cards became popular when England started mass producing them. America then started making their own with additions like, double-headed court cards, varnished backs, indexes, round corners and the infamous Joker. Different countries have different playing cards based on the game and culture.

History of Blackjack

Blackjack was first played in the beginning of the 18th century in France in the version called 'vingt et un' or twenty one. The name Blackjack was termed when a player received a payoff of 10 to 1 if he had a black jack of spades or black ace of spades. Blackjack came to the west coast of United States from France in the 19th century. In 1931 when gambling was legalized in Las Vegas, Blackjack was the most popular form of gambling.

In 1950s and 1960s books were written to master the Blackjack game, with Dr. Edward Thorp's 'Beat The Dealer' becoming very popular. In 1970s Ken Uston and his friends used hidden computer to win hundreds of thousands of dollars. The FBI found this method fair and legal. Players then rushed to learn this method. To beat this, casinos adopted the multi-decked system to complicate the game. Almost every casino game traditional or on-line has this popular game.

History of Dice

Dice is the oldest form of gambling known to the human race. In the ancient times dice rolling was popular with the Greeks, Chinese, Indians and the Egyptians. It was played as a form of entertainment and also as a means of divination and for predictions. Each country has its own version of the dice game. The original dice were bones and teeth of animals and stones and stick used by witches and shamans for predictions. The Koreans invented the cube shaped dice that was used in a Buddhist game called 'Promotion'. Cheating has always been a part of dice rolling. Augustus, Nero and Caligula were prolific dice cheaters. Even now you hear of cheating with a 'loaded' dice. The dice game became very popular by the 10th century.

History of Slot Machines

Slot machines were invented in America (West Coast) in the beginning of the 20th century. It was invented by Charles Fey in San Francisco. Fey used the four suits from the playing cards as its pictures. With the slot machines becoming very popular, and being mass produced, the pictures changed to fruits. The first slot machines were made of iron and wood. During the 1960s they became electronic and in 1970s the first video slot machine was introduced. The internet offers a variety of slot machines that simulate the working of a machine in the casinos. They offer the players the same odds and excitement found in the traditional casinos. This can be accessed by all and played at anytime.