Marinelle Adams
Did you know that archaeological and anthropological data indicate that even the oldest caveman was a gambler? O yes. The history of Mankind and the history of gambling are inextricably linked because no matter how far they go, there are signs that the gambling of a group of people must have taken place. In this article, we will not try to track every twist and turn and discuss the development of gambling. The goal we are trying to achieve is to point out some key points, which should be regarded as milestones leading to today’s gambling knowledge journey.
The first evidence of gambling
Although it is practically sure that a few types of betting have occurred since the beginning of mankind’s set of experiences, the most punctual solid proof comes from old China, where tiles were uncovered, which appear to be utilized in fundamental rounds of possibility. China’s “Book of Songs” mentions “wood paintings”, which implies that these tiles may have formed part of lottery games. We have evidence in the form of keno hyaluronic acid, which was used as some kind of lottery to fund national projects around 200 BC-possibly including the construction of the Great Wall of China. Lotteries have been used for citizenship purposes throughout history-Harvard University and Yale University were both established through lottery funds-and continue to this day.
Romans and Greeks
As we discussed, gambling may have existed long ago. The Greek writer Sophocles guaranteed that the dice were developed by a legendary saint throughout the fall of Troy. The work appeared about 500 BC, but dice are known to exist in Egypt because they were found in a tomb in 3000 BC. Having said that, we know that the Greeks and Romans like to gamble, and they think they can gamble on almost anything. Ancient Rome forbids all forms of gambling, and the punishment imposed on unfortunate souls is four times the bet. The Romans were as clever as they were and designed a system to avoid such fines by gambling with chips. By doing so, they can claim that bets are worthless chips, not actual money. Lottery tickets have been used for civic purposes throughout history. Both Harvard University and Yale University emerged from the use of lottery funds, and they have been used to this day.
Magnificent cards
In the 15th century, according to Askgamblers.com blog post about the history of gambling, it experienced a major turning point with the advent of cards. The maps have originated in Asia since the middle of the 14th century. Barely a century later, cards were already a common occurrence throughout Europe. According to some historians, the symbolic “sacred arrows” used to predict fate in the sixth century in Korea were the forerunners of today’s cards. The Chinese adopted the cards to be as we know them today. Soon the world went crazy for them! In the Middle Ages, gambling was very popular, so some countries forbade soldiers to participate in games because gambling prevented them from performing military duties in an exemplary manner. King Henry VIII of England banned gambling because he determined that soldiers had more time for gambling than for duties. Gambling became commonplace in England during the reign of Charles II, who was known as the “merry ruler” for his propensity for hedonism and debauchery. Of course, he was also known as a passionate gambler!
Gambling modernization
In 1860, the history of gambling was enriched by the emergence of organized betting in France, from where it spread to Great Britain and other European countries, Australia and the United States. The first forms of organized betting were betting on horse, car, motorcycle races, as well as dog races, while the biggest interest and pleasure was shown by the fights of bulls, dogs, and people. After the popularization of betting on horse races, bettors soon had numerous opportunities to participate in sports competitions, which took a serious level of organization in the 1980s (for example, the first national football championship was held in England in 1872). Sports betting has become especially popular due to the special excitement of the bettor, which provides him with an intertwining of the irrational (luck factor) and rational (knowledge of a certain sport) during the calculation of the outcome of the match. The bettor became an observer of a sports event and, in most cases, a good connoisseur of what interests him.
History of Casinos
The earliest gambling venues similar to casinos began in Italy in the 17th century. In 1638, Ridotto (Private Room) was established in Venice to provide a more organized gambling environment during the annual Carnival Carnival. Known to provide Biribi and basetta. Biribi is a lottery game in which players place a bet on one of 70 possible outcomes. Then, the casino employee or “banker” will draw a number from the school bag, and anyone who bet on that number will win the game pot. It has a built-in vibrancy in which players only collected 64 times the original bet. The chance of winning is 1.43%, which means that the house enjoys 9% flexibility. The most popular game there is basetta, which is a mixture of blackjack, poker, and gin. It provided the winning player with 60 times the payout when betting, and was later replaced by faro, which is very popular in the United States. You can read more here.
Internet gambling
From superstitions, caves, and sticks, we have reached online gambling offers. There’s poker, roulette, blackjack, bingo, betting, and everything you can imagine at your fingertips from your comfy armchair while sipping tea, coffee, or some spirits. Today, it is up to gamblers just to prepare a certain amount, move a finger and that’s it. Today, the gaming industry is one of the fastest-growing everywhere in the world, and it is the one that generates hundreds of billions a year!
Fun Fact
According to statistics from the American Gaming Association and Christianson Capital Consultants, legal gambling in the United States spends more than movie tickets, recorded music, theme parks, audience sports, and video games combined. In 2017, total gambling revenue totaled 240 billion U.S. dollars, and the legal bets of gamblers were approximately 2.5 trillion U.S. dollars.