There is no doubt that as technology has advanced, everyday life has become more simple. Everyday life has altered drastically from what it once was, even just 20 years ago. We take a lot of technological developments for granted, however, today, we will be looking at how technology has and will continue to shape casinos from once playing card games at an interval in an Italian theatre to being able to play live roulette at a click of a button.
Back To The Origins
Casinos are a huge industry across the globe worth roughly $163 Billion USD as of 2023. But where did they come from? The first-ever casino was opened in 1638, known as the Casino di Venezia, situated on the canals of Venice. It was originally a theatre in which people would gamble in between shows, providing a spark of genius for buildings to be purpose-built and hold gambling events. The introduction of this casino started a trend in Venice, resulting in over 120 different casinos in the city by 1744. Gambling was huge, and from this point onwards, casinos spread globally, becoming a massive craze. The first casino outside of Italy opened in 1763 in Belgium, highlighting the growth of these new purpose buildings.
Gambling had evidently been around before the first casino in 1744, but when and where did gambling originate? It is unknown when gambling originated as it was before any written history. However, we can safely assume it was at least 3000 BCE when gambling began, with the oldest game believed to be Senet. This game came from Egypt and is as old as 3100 BC. As time progressed, more games became available, and different cultures adopted different forms of gambling, sprawling the industry from there.
The First Form Of Casino Games
The first casino games were played using six-sided dice, which are believed to have been invented in China. The cube was revolutionary and used to build games surrounding the numbers displayed on players’ throws. The dice was the peak of technology in gambling at the time until the development of using cards to structure gambling games. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact year, place and game that caused the introduction of cards into gambling, however, the most popular card game in the world was established in the 1700s in a French casino. The game blackjack took the casino world by storm with new ways to play and gamble, quickly spreading to wider Europe.
An Experiment Gone Wrong
The roulette wheel would’ve been a popular choice for casino games in 1744, with the roulette wheel being invented in 1720 by accident. Blaise Pascal was said to be the inventor of the roulette wheel when he attempted to defy the laws of physics with his new motion machine. Whilst he wasn’t able to defy the laws of gravity, he did invent the roulette wheel, which was adopted as a gambling game. The wheel alternated red and white with a singular green pocket, 37 pockets in total, in which a ball would be dropped whilst it spun, allowing players to bet on the outcome. There haven’t been many notable changes with the roulette wheel over the years apart from the Americans adding a 00 pocket, until recent years when the wheel has gone online and resulted in a variety of different types of roulette.
The First Purpose Gambling Machine
It wasn’t until 1894 that the next technological development came around with the new Liberty Bell Machine. The Liberty Bell machine, now known as a slot, was invented by Charles Fey, completely changing how casinos functioned and what they could now offer. The machine was extremely simple by today’s standards, with the goal of aligning 3 of the same symbols across one line. The machine was revolutionary and started the pathway for the games we play today. Over many years, machines have developed and become more and more interactive with screens, more paylines, and different betting features.
The Rise Of Modern Casinos
In 1931, the most infamous capital of casinos opened its first of many, starting the rise of Las Vegas. To this day, Las Vegas is arguably the capital of casinos, with over 175 located amongst a number of hotels and tourist spots. With the developments of technology, Las Vegas become a modern hub for gambling with the most up-to-date machines, the newest games and bright lights. It was the peak of casino technology and, to this day, remains the most popular destination for casinos.
The Rise Of Online
The introduction of the internet was groundbreaking. People could access information and various sites from a device in their homes without having to pick up a book to discover new information. In 1994, the introduction of online gambling changed the gambling scene forever. The first online casino was launched and featured a limited number of games, but enough for it to take off and develop from that point forward. The modern online slot was developed in 1998, with Cash Splash shaping the future for the games we could play online. As the internet became more and more available, more people could access these games and more games were then created. This damaged some casinos, forcing some to close and many to go online. It changed how people gamble due to the new convenience and ease of access to online casinos. It even got to a point in the 2000s when companies could live stream games for players to interact with online birthing Live Casinos.
The introduction of the internet changed casinos forever, damaging some and bringing opportunity to many. In the future, online casinos are only going to grow with more games available and even the development of new games. The future of casinos is an interesting one with a large potential to grow even more.
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