Everyone in the 21st century knows what a casino looks like or is supposed to look like. Most people have visited them, but even those who haven’t visited them have seen casinos in movies and TV shows. However, it took a while for casinos to become such a mainstream thing. The evolution of this entertainment medium was long and slow, so in order to tell the whole story, we’ve chosen to tell it in reverse, starting from the present era all the way to their humble beginnings at the start of the previous century.
Online Casinos
The modern, most convenient option to engage in casino games is to find an online casino site or app and engage with it. You can just click on an icon and start playing your favorite games in a matter of seconds. There’s no commute, no need to dress up, and no need to plan a vacation to Vegas, Monte Carlo, or Macau.
To give you a perspective of how big this is currently, 2024 projections are evaluating it at $97 bn worth as a global market.
The field itself is mobile-dominated, which is why the majority of sites are mobile-optimized. It is also international in nature. Not all regions have it as regulated, and while it’s illegal for organizations to host from these regions, it’s not necessarily illegal for players to seek sites hosted elsewhere.
This is why you’ll encounter many UK casinos not on Gamstop that are based in other countries, for players who are looking for a different experience than what’s typically available locally. These sites allow players who have self excluded to play, but even for those who haven’t self excluded, the wide range of games and high staking limits makes them a popular choice.
Rise of Digital Casinos (1990s-2000s)
Of course, it didn’t start this way. You see, the early internet gaming platforms started in the 1990s and early 2000s. Mobile technology still wasn’t there, which is why these casinos were mostly accessible through PCs that were connected to the internet (there were much fewer of these), as well.
The majority of these gambling instances revolved around flash-based games. While this may seem a bit simplistic nowadays, the reality is that, at the time, these games were seen as the marvel of technology and interactivity.
If you think games are unregulated now, you need to try to remember what it looked like back in the day. These initial regulatory frameworks happened when people in charge of regulation had no idea what they were dealing with.
This is also when the first expansion of payment options occurred (especially in the 2000s).
Transition to Land-Based Casinos (1970s-1980s)
The real casino boom in Las Vegas and Atlantic City happened in the 1970s and 1980s. This was when wiseguys abandoned the casino industry, and it was taken over by major capital and regular stakeholders. The number of people visiting these cities and engaging in casino games skyrocketed.
This is also the era of the introduction of slot machines. One more thing that most people don’t know is that this is the era when the ban on pinball machines was lifted. Seeing as how you had to pay to play, and the game was partially luck-based, a lot of regulators saw them as a form of gambling.
The most iconic change in this era is the rise of luxury casino resorts.
Sure, this is the time of increasing government regulation, but, as you can see, not all the regulations were restrictive (some ridiculous bans were finally lifted in this era).
Expansion of Casino Resorts (1950s-1960s)
When talking about Las Vegas Strip development, we’re talking about the 1950s and 1960s. Sure, this is still an era where both Vegas and the casino industry, in general, are under a strong mafia influence; however, it’s also the golden age of the field, where this form of entertainment is no longer stigmatized. It’s slowly climbing into the mainstream and pop culture.
It is also the birth of entertainment-focused casinos. Wasn’t gambling always supposed to be about entertainment? Well, yes, but it’s a time when casinos are featuring live shows like sporting events, concerts, and stand-up.
This is the age of the first celebrity-hosted events in casinos, a trend that will persist until the present day.
Legalization and Early Growth (1930s-1940s)
The biggest event in this field in the 1930s was the fact that the state of Nevada legalized gambling. This meant that all those who wanted to start their own gambling venues or all those who wanted to gamble legally had a place where they could go. This event started a domino effect and created an oasis (ironically in the middle of the desert) from which an entire culture and industry would sprout.
This is the birth of modern casinos, especially when you compare them to hidden, low-key speakeasies that came in the previous era.
You would assume that economic impact of the Great Depression will diminish people’s willingness to spend money on luck-based games, however, this had an adverse effect on the global population. Desperate people hope that their luck will change with a single lucky draw.
This is also the time of the establishment of first licensing authorities, which will come to play a significant role later on.
Prohibition Era Gambling (1920s)
The prohibition era was the time when people did their best to enjoy the few pleasures they had in life, regardless of whether they were legal or not. This is the age when underground gambling dens started flourishing. Remember, these are not modern anonymous casinos where you’re not doing anything illegal but just trying to stay off the grid while gambling. At the time, hiding was a necessity.
This is the age of the rise of speakeasies, which, although famous for their alcohol consumption, also served as casinos.
Sadly, this is also the age when organized crime involvement in the gambling industry was at its highest. This is the main reason why modern lawmakers are trying to heavily regulate the online gaming industry, in order not to allow this to happen.
At the time, however, early anti-gambling laws were in effect. These were mostly morality laws and had nothing to do with the habit of gambling and its effect on people’s lives and livelihoods.
The Birth of Modern Gambling (19th Century)
One of the earliest forms of casinos was riverboat casinos in the US. Mississippi riverboats were some of the first venues dedicated to the art of gambling, and while the industry was still in its infancy, the layouts and setups of these riverboats were a clear predecessor of casinos.
European casino development was simultaneous, with some of the biggest cities of the Old Continent starting luxurious venues to cater for its wealthiest class. Monte Carlo Casino is probably the best example, and it was back then as it is today, a symbol of high-class gambling.
In terms of games themselves, this is the period of the introduction of card games like blackjack and poker into casinos, where they soon became the staple of the casino experience as we know it today.
The whole story is even older
The reality is that gambling has existed since the dawn of civilization. However, organized gambling and modern casino structures are relatively new inventions. Structured, taxed, and regulated gambling is not much older than the 20th century (if we exclude various state lotteries throughout history), which is why we decided to stop our story at the dawn of the previous century.
