These days, when we think of gambling, it’s all about modern casinos – the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas and the luxury and the sophistication that goes with vacations in places like Sin City. And for many people, that’s part of the allure of gambling at casinos – you get to enjoy an experience totally different from your everyday life and have some fun playing games (and maybe even making money) at the same time.
But casinos and gambling haven’t always been quite like this. Of course, the tradition had to come from somewhere, the origins of the activity of gambling come from all over the world. And, most interestingly, gambling has actually been quite different in different places around the world.
We’re going to go through a list of 5 interesting facts about the history of gambling to give you an idea how it’s changed and evolved around the world and through time!
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1. Origins of Dice in Ancient Mesopotamia
Believe it or not, gambling dates back thousands of years, with evidence of its earliest origins dating back to ancient Mesopotamia, one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Evidence of the use of the classic six-sided dice was found dating back to about 3,000 BC, and they are believed to have been used in a plethora of different types of gambling games. Typically, the dice were made from materials including ivory, bone, and wood.
It wasn’t only six-sided dice that was used, however. There is also evidence to suggest that people used a different type of dice called astragali that were made from the knucklebones of animals and had markings on different sides.
In ancient Mesopotamia, gambling was enjoyed by all – elites and royalty as well as common folk. In fact, gambling was so popular during this period that Mesopotamia even had their own laws and regulations to prevent cheating and fraud.
Interestingly, there were also some religious connotations to gambling and dice games especially in Mesopotamia, with many people believing that rolling dice was linked to seeking divine guidance or making decisions.
2. Playing Cards in China
The Chinese, on the other hand, can be credited with the invention of playing cards that are believed to have been invented during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). These early playing cards were actually more like dominoes, and each card represented a combination of two or more suits. The suits tended to have some kind of relation to Chinese poetry or classical literature.
It was only a little bit later, during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) that playing cards transformed into a form that is more similar to what we’re familiar with today. There were four different suits that represented the money system of the time – the suits were coins, strings of coins, myriads of strings, and tens of myriads.
These playing cards eventually spread to Europe around the 14th century by means of trade routes, most likely via the Silk Road, and have been popular ever since!
3. The First Casinos Were Opened in Europe
Although people had been playing with cards and dice informally around the world for centuries, it was only in the 17th century that the first known casino was opened in Venice, Italy. It was called the Ridotto, and it was a government-owned established. It was opened during the Carnival season which is normally a popular time for gambling. The idea behind it was to be able to enforce some control over gambling to prevent cheating and fraud, but also for the government to be able to make some profit from it – not much has changed, has it?
Later on, France played a significant role in the development and establishment of casinos in Europe. French nobility was known for the fondness of gambling, and the country actually saw a proliferation of private gambling houses during the 1600s. However, it was only in the 1700s that public casinos became more popular, most notably in the towns of Baden-Baden and Homburg.
In the centuries that followed, casinos and gambling moved into Germany and Monaco before eventually spreading into England and other parts of the world.
4. Evidence on Clay Tablets
Especially in ancient Mesopotamia, evidence of the history of gambling was found on clay tablets, the earliest of which dated back to round 2,000 BC in Mesopotamia. They contain records of a plethora of different games of chance and wagers that were made on them, offering valuable insight into the ways in which even back them, gambling was part of daily life and entertainment.
In some places, such as in ancient Sumer around 2,600 BC, tablets describe the history of types of board games that were played by ancient people, involving objects much like dice. These games involved a combination of both luck and strategy, moving it slightly closer to modern forms of gambling that we’re familiar with today.
Tablets similar to these have been found from the time of the Hittite Empire (from Anatolia, modern-day Turkey), Babylon, ancient India, and other parts of the world. While they all held evidence of different types of games, what they had in common was the undertones of gambling.
5. The Development and Evolution of Slot Machines
The first ever slot machine was invented in 1895 by Charles Fey in San Francisco and it was named “the Liberty Bell”. Featuring three spinning reels, this is the prototype that slot machines are still based on – even the cutting-edge creations you find online at Black Lotus casino. It had five symbols – hearts, spades, horseshoes, diamonds, and, of course, the Liberty Bell after which the whole thing is named.
Slot machines quickly gained popularity and were moved into bars, saloons, and cigar shops, and often, players were offered prizes including things like free drinks or even cigars because in many places, anti-gambling laws at the time prohibited cash prizes. Indeed, it was in the early years of the 20th century that the iconic “Fruit Machine” was introduced, featuring its famous fruit symbols that are still iconic and common in modern-day casinos.
