Gambling has been around in some form or other for hundreds if not thousands of years. It has an inextricable link to the history of mankind.
Indications of some sort of games of chance were discovered on tiles dating back to ancient China, in Egypt the oldest known dice were discovered, even scenes on Greek and Roman pottery which show that betting on animal fights was common and animals would be bred for that main purpose, humans have an undeniable urge to gamble and gobble up every opportunity to do so.
The first ever Casino
The very first official casino was opened in Venice, Italy in 1638. Ridotto, the casino was located in the grand Venice Palazzo Dandolo and the government owned it.
The casino was very popular with both visitors and locals, but was later closed down by reformer Giorgio Pisani in 1774, who stated that gambling didn’t fit in with the high values and prestige of the city; a sentiment that soon echoed worldwide.
The Growth of the Casino
After the opening and closing of Ridotto, casinos soon started to show up everywhere around Europe in the 1800s; and by the 20th century, they were commonly seen in most cities and towns. Cities like Baden-Baden, Monte Carlo and Como were known for their extravagant, luxurious casinos – some of which are still around today. A visit to one of these casinos was restricted to only rich and upper class people. In North America, casinos started to show up with the arrival of saloons. Intended for regular citizens and weary passengers travelling through the night, saloons soon became a common place for people to meet up, play cards and gamble. This was, however, until gambling became illegal thanks to the US government in 1910, and saloons soon began to dwindle. However, In 1931, gambling was legalised in the state of Nevada after a 21-year ban, aimed to provide some economic relief after the hard-hitting depression in the state. Nevada did not hesitate to take full advantage of the lifted restriction, with loads of casinos opening all around. While gambling was still illegal in the rest of the United States, Americans from all over traveled to Nevada, especially Las Vegas, to enjoy gambling once more. Las Vegas is still to this day known as the gambling capital of the world and has the biggest number of casinos in the world.
Casino today
The world of the casino has certainly taken full advantage of technological advancements that have occurred in the past few hundred years. Take Slot machines for example; From pulling a lever to spin five drums in a metal box in a bar, to a completely digital system on a display, to a simple tap on your phone from anywhere in the world. The world of online casinos is thriving in the new interconnected technological environment. Where almost everyone who has a phone or computer can access the games found in casinos and gamble from wherever they are. One can try out online casino games or learn all about them at https://www.indiaslots.com.
