Gambling - From Venice to Online Casinos

We no longer think anything out of the ordinary when we switch on our computer and choose from one of the many online casinos that exist. However, the history is actually very long and interesting and starts sometime in 1683.

In 1683, the Casino di Venezia was established. This casino still exists today and is one of the main prides of the city of Venice in Italy. However, it is in America that casinos really started to thrive. As the new world was discovered, different cultures brought along their gambling habits. The Wild West saloons were frequently used for gambling like Poker and Blackjack, which also often led to shootouts and other problems between them. Some of the major saloons were found in places like St Louis, New Orleans, San Francisco and Chicago. It was here that people could come and relax, spend the night, watch some live music and gamble the night away.

However, with the various shootouts becoming worse and worse, gambling was outlawed in the beginning of the 20th century. As always with something America outlaws, not many people listened. Professional gamblers were disappointed, but they quickly went underground. It is strange that only around half a century later, gambling was suddenly available online!