The ancient times
Gambling appeared back then, in the ancient times. Archaeologists have found some prototypes of dices created several thousand years before Christ. It is believed that initially, these items were used for fortune-telling and magic rituals, and only then became an attribute of gambling.
The mass culture of gambling was formed in antiquity. In ancient Rome, in the 6th century BC, the so-called Circus was created – a public place where visitors were playing craps and making money bets.
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The Adorable First Casino Ever
The history of the real casino began with the first gambling establishment in Europe legally opened in Venice in 1638. The casino was called Il Ridotto. The term “casino” itself was formed from the Italian word meaning “a small house”.
The origin of this word is explained by the fact that before the opening of the first legal casino, gambling was organized in private houses. Often, along with gambling, the audience was entertained by dancing and music. The meals and drinks were also served. It is believed that the Il Ridotto casino was designed to amuse people with gambling during the renowned Venetian carnival. Only the privileged people were allowed to enter the gambling establishment. Respectively, the bets were huge.
There always were certain rules to follow:
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- The visitors of the casino were told how to dress;
- There were behavior patterns to abide by;
- The players had to order some specific dishes from the menu.
The existence of Il Ridotto was beneficial to the state because it had to pay high taxes on its activities.
However, the negative attitude of the church towards this kind of amusement forced the government to make gambling illegal. Due to these laws, the first official casino in the world, Il Ridotto, was closed.
But the casinos could not be conquered
Despite numerous church sermons denouncing “the sinful nature of gambling”, and despite the authorities banning gambling as well, casinos began to spread rapidly outside Italy.
In 1765, the casino fashion reached the neighbor of Italy – France. The first casino opened in this country was, of course, in its capital – Paris. This was possible thanks to Cardinal Mazarin, who hoped to replenish the state treasury with the help of taxes from the gambling business. This casino contained a novelty not seen before – the roulette game, which quickly gained popularity among a large number of players.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the first casinos were opened in other European countries. Thanks to a sufficiently large number of players who liked to participate in such entertainments, the prize amounts were pretty good. The opportunity to earn some decent money attracted the players. This way the popularity of the casino was facilitated.
Getting closer to our days…
The heyday of European casinos was in the 19th century. The interiors were becoming more and more luxurious; the service rose to an unprecedented level of comfort. Each self-respecting person had to appear in a casino, which has also turned into a place of discussion of burning political issues.
Despite the general enthusiasm for casinos among prosperous citizens, by the end of the 19th century, most casinos in Europe, due to amendments to the gambling legislation, were forced to close. The only casino that managed to stay afloat was Monte Carlo, which did not have restrictions on gambling.
Also, from the end of the 19th century, the small principality of Monaco began getting popular. After some time passed, the experience gained in the gambling business has allowed the founding of the recognized capital of gambling in the USA – Las Vegas.
To conclude
Gambling is old and gold. Having appeared in ancient times, casinos have always been up and running these days.
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