The history of casino games is a fascinating one. Since he could play, man has gambled — for estates, for money, for the outcome of wars. From the most primitive gambling games to the newest games in the modern online casino, the history of casino games is a fascinating story.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary definition of the word "casino" provides one with the following description: "public room or building for amusements, esp. gambling". The word "casino", which arose from the Italian word meaning "little house", originally referred to a villa or small summerhouse, created purely for pleasure and entertainment purposes.

During the nineteenth century, the "casino" began to include larger public facilities, where other activities including gambling and sports would take place. Casino games have provided hours of entertainment to many people over the years. Perhaps you have wondered about the special fascination linked to casino games and where it all started.

The act of gambling itself has existed for many centuries. Items connected with gambling, believed to be from about 2300 BC, have been located in ancient China. Writings showing signs of gambling have also been found inside one of the pyramids in Egypt. Gambling itself is clearly not something new.

On occasion, gambling has even been known to play its own part in history. An example of the use of gambling may be found in 1020 AD, when King Olaf of Norway and King Olaf of Sweden reportedly met in order to decide upon the ownership of the isolated area of Hising. Unable to resolve the disagreement by discussion, they decided to make use of a pair of dice. Both kings threw a double six on their first attempt. At the second try, King Olaf of Sweden threw an additional double six, while the King of Norway threw one six and his second die is said to have cracked and showed a seven. Possession of Hising was determined in this way and, after this rather unusual game of dice, the area belonged to Norway.

Over the years, casino gambling has evolved and developed, producing a wide range of varied games. Games that are available in casinos are generally known as casino games. A casino game may be defined as a pursuit or activity in which one may gamble cash money or property on possible choices and probable outcomes. Today there is a vast choice of different casino games available. The thrill of games of chance, and the allure of huge jackpots, draws millions every month to gambling meccas like Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and Monte Carlo.

Casino games may be divided into three main categories: table games, gaming machines and random number games. Table games offer entertainment which includes the use of cards or dice, such as Blackjack or Craps. Gaming machines, often featured in the form of slot machines or video poker machines, can be played by one player at a time, without the presence of a third party such as a dealer. Random number games feature the choice of different numbers, such as in the games of Roulette or Keno. Such casino games may also be played at online casinos on the Internet.

As technology has developed over the years, so has our desire to achieve advanced forms of entertainment. While one examines the success and popularity of the Internet, one may also note the appearance of the online casino. The online casino is an Internet version of the traditional land-based (or “brick”) casino. This offers the player the opportunity to play top casino games on their computer. Although gambling games have existed on computers since before the World Wide Web, the ability to play virtual casino games for real money from anywhere is fairly recent. This possibility began to become a reality in 1994, when the Caribbean islands of Antigua & Barbuda passed the Free Trade and Processing Zone Act. This law made it possible for them to act as a jurisdiction with regards to the issuing of gambling licenses. Related matters began to roll very quickly, and the first online casino opened its virtual doors in 1996.

Online casino gambling has become part of an industry involving large sums of money and millions of players worldwide. Apart from the actual games themselves, there has also been development in accompanying fields — such as Internet banking systems — as a need arose for advanced and secure electronic payment services. Since the implementation of the original online casino in 1996, the notion of playing online casino games has become increasingly popular in many places around the globe. In this same year Microgaming, which supplies all of the download and flash games for All Jackpots Online Casino, was founded. Since then, online casinos have become one of the fastest growing concerns worldwide, with new games and casinos coming out every month. Whatever restrictions and taxations are imposed, gambling has always been — and will always be — one of our favourite ways of having fun.

For more information on the history of casino games, please see:

History of Baccarat
History of Blackjack
History of Atlantic City Blackjack
History of Casino War
History of Craps
History of Keno
History of Poker
History of Three-Card Poker
History of Pai Gow Poker
History of Texas Hold'em Poker
History of Roulette
History of American Roulette
History of French Roulette
History of Scratch Cards
History of Sic-Bo
History of Slot Machines
History of Video Poker