Games of chance have been present all throughout history, with the likes of ancient Greek and Roman soldiers spinning swords, shields and chariot wheels and betting on the outcome.
This might’ve been an early form of Roulette, but since then, many games have risen in popularity, becoming staple casino classics as gaming venues opened all around the world.
In 1996, casino gaming changed forever. Enter online casino sites.
The first casino
The very first casino actually opened in Venice, Italy, and still stands famously along the Grand Canal. The Casino di Venezia officially opened in 1638 as a theatre called the Theatre Saint Moses, which had a wing for gambling games during the intermissions of plays.
These became so popular that over time, the Renaissance palace was renovated and turned into the world’s first casino.
This helped spark the casino craze in Venice, and by 1744, there were more than 120 gaming venues.
The rise of gaming venues
Over the following centuries, casinos opened throughout Europe, and games like Blackjack and Roulette were really taking off. The iconic Monte Carlo Casino opened in Monaco in 1865, famously being named the first modern casino of its time.
It was also at this time that French colonists travelled over to North American shores, where many already-popular games could be found in the first gambling houses in New Orleans.
Enter the Internet
Once the world had established its own casino capitals, and Las Vegas was bustling with bright lights, the Internet came along and changed everything.
January 1, 1983 is considered the birthday of the Internet, which was the first step towards the modern-age of technology we’re oh-so-familiar with today.
As previously mentioned, 1996 saw the first online casino site open its virtual doors, with familiar games like Blackjack and Roulette being the first to debut.
It didn’t take long for video Slots to jump on the bandwagon either, and, once the first smartphones were released in the 2000s, the demand for greater bandwidth and faster internet speeds continued to grow.
The games became more accessible than ever before to anyone who was eligible for an account and had internet access, meaning gaming developers could start to get creative.
The evolution of technology
In an industry that advances at the speed of light, gaming developers did not fail to keep up with technology.
In the modern-day, more of a variety of games are available to explore, with plenty of unique variations alongside the classics and themed slot games featuring bonus rounds that you just wouldn’t find anywhere else.
There’s also the live casino, where you’ll find lots of your favourite games available to play, hosted directly from a specialist studio by a real-life professionally trained dealer, in real-time!
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Online gaming truly has stood the test of time, and continues to develop to provide players with an even more authentic casino experience each time.
From Roman weapons to Western Saloons and the Las Vegas Strip, casino games have clearly evolved into the incredible experience we know and love today – right at our fingertips!