Posts tagged History
History of Online Casino
Sep 2nd
Online casino is a derivation of the land-based traditional casino, also known as virtual casinos or gambling sites and providing diverse games or a single one depending on the website operation, franchise, etc. The online casino offers generally better odds than land-based casinos for games such as slot machines where the chances of winning are regulated by the house, the so-called house advantage.
On August 18, 1995 the world’s first online casino debuted, Internet Casinos, Inc. (ICI) operating with 18 different casino games and for the first time offering also online access to the National Indian Lottery. However, since the early days ICI operates out of the Turks and Caicos Islands, outside the United States to avoid government prosecution.
Also, in the mid 90’s, two other online casino’s made their debut claiming to be the first; The Gaming Club and Intertops casino and sports book, which in fact launched the first online sports book before Internet Casinos, Inc.. Building a reputable service with reliable payouts, high security, efficient customer support, and serving a large number of customers excited with this new gambling modality, the online casino succeeded.
The spring of 1996 brought into the gambling scene a second sports book planning to launch an online casino as they did. The Interactive Gaming & Communications Corp. (SBET), soon becoming a publicly traded company listed on NASDAQ. The financial success of this online casino is not only the internet, but also the acceptance of bettors’ sports wagers via telephone calls to Antigua on a toll free line via satellite.
Due the American gambling laws of regulations, the online casino industry has been developed mainly from the Caribbean Islands nations, as well as from Asian and European countries where even governments have also entered the business holding their own gambling sites, like Liechtenstein’s government operating an online international lottery, not only in German but in six different languages to drive international traffic.
Atlantis, was the first online casino based in Great Britain and licensed by the Isle of Man, an inspirational fact that made Sol Kerzner, its owner, develop a new concept in online gambling; the thematic online casino.
Today, this online casino has become one of a kind offering from five-figure slots payouts and progressives, offering free trips to Atlantis, the Paradise Island in Bahamas, and property of Mr. Kerzner. Atlantis was also the first casino recognizing the importance of players introducing the VIP program, exclusive for London Club’s Members.
According to Rolling Good Times Online, a popular gambling magazine, currently there are 452 gambling-related sites on the internet with thousands of subsidiaries, affiliates, franchises and co-branded sites, and the overall market for online gambling is estimated at approximately $49 billion worldwide on average.
Natalie Aranda is a freelance writer. She writes about sports games and entertainment. For Online Casino safe list, visit http://www.casinosafelist.com.
The History of Gambling
Aug 17th
Playing casino games stays very popular since the beginning of time. The history of gambling goes back to the ancient times and there are much archaeological evidence that gambling was present in all advanced societies of the past: Greek, Egypt, India, China, Roma, etc. Numerous artifacts like dice, inscriptions of game rules and others were found all over the world. Some of them have been dated back to 2300 B.C. But it was the 14th century AD when gambling was considered to be against the law. King Henry VIII of England has banned gambling when he found out that his soldiers were spending more time playing than actually working.
The practice of paper money shuffling in ancient China became the predecessor of the modern game we know as blackjack. The practice has evolved into card playing, which was borrowed by the Mameluke Empire. Mamelukes, being Muslims used various designs somewhat reminiscent of famous Muslim carpets, to decor the cards. Upon its arrival to Europe in the Middle Ages, the players started using royal ranks of men withing the Royal Court to denote the cards. But it was only in the 1500’s, when the French have introduced the Queen to the cards. These cards were known as the “French Pack”, and were the direct predecessor of the modern 52 card deck.
Roulette, as a casino game also has a very interesting history. The word «roulette» means «a small wheel» in French. The game we know today was popular in France in Modern times, and was edited by Francois and Louis Blanc into the form we all are familiar with. They have introduced the “Single 0″ to the game in 1842, and roulette was brought to America in that variation. The Americans have made their own version of the game, introducing the “Double 0″ to the wheel. Thus, there were already two types of roulette – European and American. There are ongoing debates regarding the origin of the game itself. Some people claim that roulette was invented by Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician who lived in the 17th century. Other state that the game was introduced by the Chinese and brought to Europe by Dominican monks. Regardless of its origin, roulette still is the most fascinating casino games today.
Dice have been around for more than 20 centuries, being involved in numerous activities, ranging from gambling to religious rituals. Dice, as we know it now, are very popular due to the game called «craps». This game was highly popular among the rich and famous of the 18th and 19th century England, and was originally called «Hazard». It was imported into France, where it got its modern name. “Craps” has derived from the word “crabs”, meaning “pair of ones”. The game was a huge success in America, where it was simplified into the present form and played on steam powered show boats.
Find Christopher.Skinner@blackjackencyclopedia.com’s other contributions at http://www.120freecasinogames.com/gambling-histoty.html where he gladly shares his opinion on many different subjects and helps people around the globe find a better understanding of the things they’re interested in.
American Casino History
Jun 7th
Early casinos were originally known as saloons. The development of saloons was influenced by four cities; New Orleans, being the first step to Texas, the home of gamblers; St. Louis, the home of fur traders; Chicago, with its large brewing trade; and San Francisco, the entrance to the goldmines. It was in a saloon that you could find somebody to talk to, drink with, and often gamble with.
Initially saloons could be found anywhere, often dug into the side of a hill. They later developed and could be recognized immediately because they were the town’s most imposing structure. Likewise, the saloon’s bartender was easily distinguished because he would be the best-dressed man in the saloon. He could also be found armed with a pistol and most likely a knife because he was both judge and jury to any disputes that regularly broke out.
The main contender for the status of America’s first casino was known as Brown’s Saloon. It was established in 1822 and could be found bordering Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. Typically, saloons followed miners; wherever miners settled, saloons were never far behind.
During the early 20th century gambling became outlawed and banned by state legislation and social reformers. However, in 1931 gambling was legalized throughout the state of Nevada, and Las Vegas spawned America’s first official casinos. Additionally, New Jersey’s Atlantic City joined them in 1978 to become America’s second largest gambling city.
Las Vegas was responsible for putting the glamor and entertainment into gambling, largely through celebrities like
Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. Sinatra and his friends, including Sammy Davis Jnr., and Dean Martin, became known
as the ‘Rat Pack’. They achieved iconic status in the gambling circuit and everybody wanted to share in their oasis of
sophisticated glamor. The original film ‘Ocean’s 11′ was filmed in Las Vegas, and cemented the town’s kudos forever.
During the 1970s the casinos in Las Vegas became notorious for their association with the Mafia. These events were authentically summarized in the 1995 Martin Scorsese film ‘Casino‘, which really says the first and last word about
the glitz and glamor of American casinos during that eventful decade.
Nowadays anyone can experience the sophistication and excitement of a casino in the online world of gambling. Online casino gambling is one of the 21st century’s biggest phenomenons. These days, American casinos are just as likely to be hosted in the real world with a web server, and existing in a virtual format on the Internet.
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The History of the Online Casino
May 12th
It’s always a humbling experience when we stop for a while and look around us. Half of the things we take for granted today were just the stuff of dreams and ambitions just a few decades ago. Take online casinos, for example. How many people wake up, open their computers, log into an online casino, and proceed to play the day away?
Back then, people had to go to Las Vegas just so they could play at a casino. They would travel for miles and miles just to play a single game of blackjack or baccarat. You really have to appreciate how people succeeded in making this happen.
In the Beginning…
Online Casinos started cropping up during the mid 1990’s, although there’s much debate as to who exactly opened the first one. Many believe it to be ‘InterCasino’, an online gambling site which opened in 1996. However, there are some that believe that it was actually ‘Gaming Club’, which opened in October 1995.
It is not unlikely that this is the truth, considering how Microgaming, the owner of the said site, is also the first online gambling software provider to be established. Either way, these new online casinos only received their go signal when Antigua and Barbuda passed an act called the “Free Trade and Processing Act”. This allowed online casinos to open at the said country without fear of litigation.
Of course, though the online casinos were based in the Caribbean, the bulk of their users resided elsewhere in the world. And, due to the very nature of the internet itself, this made all the users prone to exploitation.
This prompted the Kahnawake Gaming Commission to be established in 1996. They regulated the online gaming activity of people and casinos and also issue gaming licenses to the online gambling sites. They aim to keep the online gambling industry transparent and fair. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is based in Canada and, up still provide excellent service to casinos and the users alike.
By the late 1990’s, online casinos were already very much established. However, connectivity issues were rampant and the action in general was rather slow due to the lack of bandwidth. It was only until after the new millennium that this issue was solved. But by then, online casinos had new problems.
The UIGEA
It is impossible to talk about the history of online casinos without talking about the legal fiasco that happened in 2005. Antigua and the US were in a dispute over cross border online gambling.
The World Trade Organization decided to side with Antigua and, as a result, the US passed the UIGEA. This was a last minute addition to their Safe Port Act. The act made it incredibly hard for online gambling sites to cater to the US, so a lot of them just decided to close their doors to US citizens altogether.
Even until now, this piece of legislation is still under debate, especially since it hurt not only the online casinos but the US players as well. There’s a change in the legal climate these days, though, since the European Union seems to be rather supportive of the online gambling industry.
There’s even talk that the US is considering some concessions. Either way, it seems that Online Casinos not only have a colorful past, but a great future ahead too.
Gambling Happy is an online gaming portal offering reviews, news and information from the webs most trusted online gambling sites.
Casino Business History – Reality and Legends – Part Three
Mar 13th
Lucky number “for Sagebrush State”.
In December of 1829 a Mexican merchant, Antonio Armijo, led his caravan to Las Vegas. Though it was winter – it had no effect on the climate of the local deserts: hot sun and burnt earth, scrub and monotonous landscape could drive anyone mad. It is no wonder that the guide at some point realized that they had lost their way! Armijjo was not disheartened and ordering to fix a camp, set a small troop to look for water. One of Antonio’s scouts – Rafael River- decided to take “an individual search” and soon he came across a wonderful source of fresh water – which is priceless in Nevada desert.
Rivera’s finding was of revolutionary significance. California was overwhelmed with “gold rush” and now the potential gold-diggers could considerably shorten the road to the gold-bearing lands.
A quarter of a century later, Mormons came to the source which was given a Spanish name Las-Vegas – which means “meadows”. They settled a fort to protect the Los Angeles-Salt Lake City mail route, they even mined coal, planted fruit trees, cultivated vegetables, but in 1858 they abandoned the settlement much because of the endless Indian raids.
The next stage of history of Las Vegas started only three decades later, when the epoch of conquest of the Wild west was in full swing. Railroad laid its tracks through the Valley, where Rafael once found his water supply, camp site was built for the passengers to have rest during the stops of the train. In a while, workshops, hotels, stores, cigar shops and surely saloon started sprout like mushrooms after the summer rains. In the saloons the passengers could not only have a drink or eat something, but also they had an opportunity to play cards, dice and roulette.
It is difficult to believe but until “sex revolution” in the late 60-s America had much more strict and patriarchal morals than Europe. Even the character of Dreiser’s “An American Tragedy” Clyde Griffiths knew that he could hook up with a foreign lady – as they were more light-minded than American women. The regulators of Nevada banned gambling within its territory under the pressure of the so-called “moralists”. A wild western custom to throw the coin up into the air when paying for the drink was also forbidden. In October of 1910 a local newspaper commented on this epochal event with evident rapture: “Stilled forever is the click of the roulette wheel, the rattle of dice and the swish of cards. ” You will hardly believe today that it was all about Las Vegas.
As the historians state, the ban did not even last a month. The authorities were fighting with illegal gambling houses for more than twenty years, but then simple economics prevailed. Upon the common belief Nevada was not so lucky as other states: it does not have any specific natural resources as in oil-bearing Texas or Oklahoma, no rich lands as in Iowa, no golden beaches and favorable climate as in Florida and California.
Today no one remembers who decided to allow in Nevada what was banned throughout the United states. But the job was done: Prohibited in all other states gambling was legalized in Nevada, and moreover the procedure of marriage and divorces was significantly simplified. The wheel started to spin and now the whole state benefited. Unlike Monte Carlo with its only casino, casinos in Las Vegas were literally sprouted, giving the pas probably to the hotels. Even in the worst times of the Great depression you could find work and earn money here – someone owned a casino, others were selling hamburgers, someone was changing the linen at the hotels and cleaning the ashtrays being grateful to the God for having the job and salary…
Arthur Prudent is the developer of Casino bonus codes , web site covering gambling news, features reviews on Casinos, Poker rooms, bingos, Sports Betting bonuses promotions and more. Casino business history: reality and legends. Part three
