The History of Casinos
In the technologically-driven climate that we currently find ourselves in, it seems that our experiences are enhanced when things move online. This is certainly true of online casino; the market is forecasted to be worth in the region of 94 billion dollars by the time the year 2024 rolls around. Indeed, with new sites and platforms popping up daily, the industry is showing no signs of slowing down. However, the online casino sector owes a lot to the traditional brick and mortar casino, complete with dusty old rooms and vintage oak croupier tables. With this in mind, we've taken a look through the annals of casino history to see where it all began.
The Beginnings of Casino Houses
It's difficult to pin down exactly where gambling began owing to the fact that wagering is firmly embedded into our human nature. However, one thing we know for sure is that the records can be traced back as far as 2300 BC in Ancient China. The earliest known casino, known as the Ridotto, is believed to have been constructed in Venice, Italy some time around 1638. The word actually comes from the Italian word for "little house," and the earliest establishments featured music, dancing and socializing. The first "modern" casino as we know them today was established in Monaco in 1861 and remains a center for gambling even today day.
The Development of the Newer Casino Games
While card games such as baccarat and blackjack have been around for centuries, slot games and roulette are far more recent developments within the casino sphere. Charles Fey developed the first slot machine around 130 years ago and named it Liberty Bell. This later became the well loved one-armed bandit. In time, technological developments meant that more sophisticated random number generators were used and in turn, this led to the development of online casinos. Many platforms now offer a plethora of themed slots games as well as accompanying bonuses to entice new players. For example, the Wild Jackpots exclusive offer available to Canadian players gives new users a welcome bonus of up to $500 as well as 50 free spins. Similarly, the game of roulette only really caught on in the second half of the 19th century and was stumbled upon by chance by mathematician Blaise Pascal. However, roulette is now considered a casino staple and is immensely popular at a number of online casinos. What's more, themed variants of roulette have started to pop up, as well as ways to play on live stream.
Source: Pexels
The Casino in the Modern Day
While online casinos are currently favored over brick and mortar establishments, the casino continues to enjoy a significant role in pop culture. It's fair to say that there are also some exciting developments on the horizon - virtual reality and augmented reality continued to be experimented with and live casino games mean that you can experience the excitement and tension of playing against real life human opponents without ever having to leave your home. All in all, the casino has a long and illustrious history and the emergence of online casino has ensured that the future looks just as bright.