From sticks and pebbles to online 3D slots - The evolution of gambling

The history of gambling is as long as mankind. As a species we have always gambled in various forms. Archaeologists have discovered evidence dating back to 6000 BC that humankind played gambling games using sticks and pebbles. Looking at the sophisticated entertainment industry today which includes gambling, it's hard to imagine how a good game of sticks would be that much fun.

As development continued through the centuries with gambling houses appearing in the 1600s, it soon caught mathematicians' interest in these activities. By including the use of dice and cards, a new mathematical discipline "probability theory" was born in attempts to analyse games of chance.

The known casino games played in both land-based and online casinos are also games that have evolved in step with the emergence of casino houses. Blackjack originated in France in the 1600s under the name of vingt-et-un, which in French means 21. After the French Revolution the ball moved across the Atlantic to the United States and grew very popular there. The fact is that many of the gambling games found in the modern casinos have their origins in Europe and China. After World War II, one can say that Las Vegas became the epitome of modern gambling.

Casino in your living-room
Technological developments also have considerably impacted the gambling industry which saw the emergence of slot machines in the 18th century to more recently home computers using random number generators that use complex algorithms to mimic outcomes in games of chance. Technology has broken new grounds for gambling and is an important part of its history. This particularly applies to one of the greatest revolutions in gambling: the birth of the internet and emergence of online casinos!

When the first online casinos were introduced in the mid 1990s, this had a radical impact on gambling. Why? Availability.

The first casino to open its virtual doors was InterCasino in 1996. Today the online gambling industry is big money, estimated to be worth $35 billion in 2015 with 85 countries now having a regulated market and more countries clambering to regulate this lucrative industry each year.

Today anyone who wants to play has a packed casino with all the world's games just a few keystrokes away and this has naturally led to tremendous economic growth in the industry. We see fresh new casinos such as LuckyCasino, Kaboo and Madame Chance pop up all the time. Now you can play online slots for free or real money with Guts.com. It's always good to test the games for free before getting your credit card out.

There is an amazing selection of different games to choose from today, these include action packed 5 reel slots, table games, video poker, scratch cards and online casinos with live dealers, all easily available to us - simply because online casinos have no physical limitations.

Gambling's reputation has undergone a complete transformation over the last 300 years. First it was seen as pure sin - prohibited and regarded as morally reprehensible. Later, these activities were considered a kind of tolerable pleasure and reluctantly accepted and added to special places and locations. Today we see gambling as pure entertainment and mostly an activity that spreads positivity around it. Gambling is promoted publicly and widely- especially because of the online casinos.

The history of gambling is thus variegated and comprehensive, and the final chapter is far from written. Advances in technology like the recent re-introduction of virtual reality headsets are key and we can only wait excitedly for the next big step in gambling!