Origins of Gambling

Gambling is not just a pastime it is a culture that has been around for centuries. There is not a time in history where you cannot find some association or other with trading bones for wins or throwing sticks or stones to see who the winner is and then paying out forms of money or products to the winner. Gambling has been around for ever, in fact the first bone dice with multi sides dates back as far as AD 1500 whereas the first cards may have come a little later but some claim that China were the originators in AD 900 with shuffling money. It is part of human nature to want to gamble and it cannot be avoided. Developers of land based casinos and more recently online casinos work on realizing the need that is in every person.

Gambling Came with the Puritans to the US

Back as far as the 1600's gambling was major feature of the United States, in fact the French pack of cards was brought over the to US from England with the Puritans who to begin with wanted to outlaw gambling but soon became more lenient and let gambling take place but not in exchange for money. The French pack of cards as it was then known came as a direct development from the original cards which came from Asia and when they reached Europe the Muslim symbols were exchanged for nobility with kings, queens and princes as the symbols. As the population in America grew and spread across the country so did gambling and the South West became a haven for saloons with professional gamblers making their mark. In fact in 1776 it is claimed that the US government used gambling to make money for the crippling government but by the late 1850's gambling had become such a feature in every city and state of America that they government felt the need to outlaw it.

History Repeats Itself but Gambling Goes from Strength to Strength

History is a funny thing as it keeps repeating itself, the Puritans originally tried to ban gambling and then later in the 1850's it was banned again in America but somehow it managed to survive. In fact although many ad hoc casinos were closed down by the authorities, they still managed to function undercover, the famous movie, The Sting is all about an undercover operation with gambling as the main theme. By 1930 the pressure was too great on the US government and they agreed to allow gambling again but this time it was only in certain cities, Las Vegas and Atlantic City were born which to this day remain the centers of land based casinos. At first the land based casino was relatively small and exclusive but as they developed and more and more investors joined in the fad, the land based casinos became more adventurous.

The Development of the Land Based Casino

Even today you can find lavish hotels with casinos which offer weekend breaks to come and play your favorite games. But there was always an unwritten rule with land based casinos that you had to dress up nicely and behave in a certain manner. To this day, this unwritten rule remains in addition to the high entry fees for some land based casinos and the high betting minimums for many of the games. There are land based casinos that specialize in one type of game over another and don’t offer all of the casino games that you can find online. And now we come to the development and widespread acceptance of gambling online.

Online Casinos Begin their Journey

In 1994 the Free Trade and Processing Zone Act was passed which meant that entrepreneurs could start developing ways to trade online and just a year later the first online trading companies were opening which followed in 1996 with the first real money bet that was placed. Online casinos took off quicker than the land based casinos simply because of their utmost convenience. At first the level of gaming was not as sophisticated as it is today. Take English Harbour casino which has been there from the beginning in 1997, the games that it offers today are much more advanced and interesting than the basic games which were offered when they first opened. The first games to be played on the internet were Video Poker games which were transferred from the computerized version which had developed a decade before.

Strength over Legislation

Over the years online casinos have suffered many drawbacks, in 2003 the US government introduced a law that banned credit cards and other commercial payment systems from being used for online casinos but casinos like English Harbour casino managed to get around this law as they are registered outside of the US. This together with the great customer service, security, games offered and security provided by eCOGRA, (ecommerce online gambling regulation and assurance body) have made English Harbour one of the best online casinos that there are today and they still accept US Players.

Gambling is in Every One of Us

From Henry VIII who banned his soldiers from gambling because they spent too much time on it rather than their drills to the Puritans to modern day governments, gambling has always survived. Gambling is in human nature, you can see kids playing simple games like casino war in the street, throwing dice to see who gets the best score, spinning wheels to see where they land and so on; gambling is here to stay and it is best to embrace it and enjoy it at casinos like English Harbour where it is regulated and supports responsible gaming.