A History of the Modern Casino.

Today, casinos can appear to be the modern day castles, often they are majestic looking buildings, twinkling like jewels in the moon light, they are amongst the worlds most opulent and extravagant constructions, just look at a picture of the night sky in Las Vegas. The expense that is put into the construction of these buildings is immense, many are built with luxurious presidential hotel suites, world class dining and, of course, the most sophisticated of games rooms.

But, for all their majesty today, it is little realised what the true origins of the modern casino actually are, and the humble path they have followed over the centuries. The story of the conception of the modern casino is an interesting and complicated tale of how small- time private establishments have gone forward and grown into the industry that we see today.

Humble Beginnings:
Before the idea of a building dedicated to the art of gambling had even been conceived, the act of gambling had already flourished and gambling pastimes were found to be played throughout the world; even among the earliest civilisation, from the Egyptians to the Inca, gambling has been a form of entertainment- it is even claimed that gambles were taken by the Greeks with regards to the gladiators.

However, in the beginnings, gambling did not have a formal structure, it was not an organised pastime the way we see it today, rather it was a matter of betting between friends and acquaintances on a casual basis; no betting houses existed to set odds, no bookmakers and no pools.

This began to change during the 17th century when the Italian elite society began holding private parties in order to gamble, which were known at the time as Ridottis. Although these small establishment had a wider social purpose, the coming together of individuals in a social setting, their main purpose was the enjoyment and partaking of gambling, these clubs came to be called "casinos", which in Italian (and Spanish) actually means "little house"; in Italy, during those days, due to the religious prohibition of gambling, these houses were actually illegal, but this did not stop all manner of people, from rich to poor, from participating in games at these early casinos.

Becoming Legal:
Times have not changed as much as they may have appeared to, from their early conception, casinos have been criticised by certain members of the population, and it is particularly the governments of a country which have been the most vocal about the problems associated with casinos. But, despite the widespread concern, casinos continued to flourish in Italy and were becoming increasingly popular, it was simply a matter of waiting for the government to catch up and legalise the casinos.

The first legal casino to be opened in Italy was the Ridotti, named after the original gambling houses, in Vienna which opened in the 1630's. It was a large building of at least three storeys and hosted a variety of casino games. The opening of the first casino in Italy actually inspired some other parts of Europe to follow suit and the casino thus became a common feature throughout the continent.

The Golden Years:
Although the casino industry began to flourish, the actual buildings were no where near the opulent structures they are today, but during the 18th century, this began to change and a new type of glamorous casino came into being, the plan behind this was to woo customers and then take their money....associating gambling with riches acted as the carrot on the stick to the average gambler.

The casino which is oft quoted as starting this trend is the famous Baden-Baden which opened in the late 1740's in Baden Germany. the Baden-Baden carried on the theme of a House for gambling, much the same as the trend in public houses for drinking, but this was no ordinary house, more of a palace with columns and arches and extravagant art, people began visiting it just to wonder at the building.....and thus began the gambling tourism industry which has culminated today in places like Las Vegas and Atlantic City. You can still visit the Baden-Baden if you want to seep yourself in the history of the modern casino, or if you just want a flutter in luxury.

The gamblers holidays:
So, during the 18th century, though casinos were becoming ever more popular, the world had yet to see the scale of today's gambling industry. There were still relatively few casinos and the majority of gamblers continued to pursue games amongst themselves, without the input of a House, but in certain areas gambling really began to take-off.

Amongst one of the world leaders, at this time, was France where it flourished without precedence. Many of the games we see in modern casinos originated in France, no surprises then that one of the worlds most popular gambling havens, Monte Carlo, is actually a French jurisdiction. The construction of the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco during the 19th century set in motion the beginnings of the phenomenon of a gambling destination primarily for those people interested in gambling holidays. The amazing scenery and the luxury of Monte Carlo have helped to make it one of the most popular destinations for the avid gambler.

Additionally, and obviously, the United States began to construct itself, in part, as a gambling paradise, with Las Vegas coming to signify to the global economy the ultimate in gambling entertainment. The origins of the casino in America can be traced back to the banks of the Mississippi, and also to the Wild West. America did experience a u-turn at the beginning of the 2oth century when their government began to clamp down on gambling because of its association with violence and its image as a pastime for cowboys.

But, luckily for all you Americans out there, the government soon began to realise the futility of trying to stop the gambling industry in its tracks, instead they began sanctioning certain areas for gambling and Nevada was one of the first states to pass laws allowing the construction of casinos. Besides anything, this was a good move because the gambling industry is renowned for improving the local economy wherever a large casino is constructed. The first Las Vegas casino was completed in 1941, built on what would become the famous Vegas Strip.

In other parts of the world, the casinos also began to flourish; a notable example is the Chinese province of Macau. The beginning of Macau's gambling economy can be traced back as far as the 17th century where a Portuguese influence brought the idea over from Europe. However, it was not until the mid 20th century that the area really began to become known as a gambling haven, when permission was granted to the Tai Xing Company for the construction of a casino.

Modern Casinos:
Well, a revolution really took place with the appearance of the internet. People are often drawn to the atmospheres presented in a bricks and mortar casino, however sometimes, people just want to experience the act of gambling in the comfort of their own homes......thus was born the Online Casino. The phenomena started almost as soon as the Internet was up and running, roughly the mid 1990's- but these casinos were really just for fun and the options of gambling for money were not there yet.

The online casino evolved during the late 1990's and began offering money games for punters to bet and win with real money, but almost instantly they ran into a problem.......the fear of making online transactions.

But these early problems were soon overcome with the birth of online secure payment methods and trusted names such as Moneybookers and Neteller. The atmosphere of a real life casino was also captured slightly, with the invention of instant chat....maybe a future for the online casino is the use of webcams to enter into virtual casinos and thus to add even more atmosphere to the experience, but caution should be taken here, people might stop having a reason to go out and we will turn into a global population of couch potatoes!!