Bingo

History of Gambling

When did people start gambling and for how long? The exact time period is uncertain, but pairs of dice have been found in Egyptian tombs dating back over 4,000 years! Gambling games were also common in ancient China, where poker is thought to have originated. Indigenous Peoples were sports betting on the outcome of a game similar to LaCross in 1492, after Columbus’ landing. When did anything start in America, then? Continue reading to learn more.

America in the Beginning

Gambling in the United States dates back to the 1600s, when the first British settlers arrived. Sports, which were part of the aristocratic lifestyle, were part of their customs. When Puritans settled in Massachusetts Bay, however, they were free to create their own community, which included a dislike of gambling. They made it illegal to have dice, cards, or gambling table games in their neighbourhoods. Nonetheless, gambling triumphed in other areas. Gambling was seen as an acceptable form of entertainment by many British settlers. Click here for more info about baccarat.

The Revolutionary War

Virginia was the first colony to recognise that lotteries could be used to collect investment capital for local governments. At some point, all 13 colonies were generating lottery revenue. The funds were used to help develop universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Lotteries also helped to support religious institutions and libraries. Specific lotteries for public works projects were promoted by Founding Fathers George Washington, Ben Franklin, and John Hancock. The Continental Congress voted for every $ten million lottery to invest in World War 2 until the Revolutionary War began.

To the Westward Ho!

It’s a little noisy. Dice and games were allowed in taverns and road houses in the 1800s, enabling the first kind of casino to emerge. Casinos became more lavish as America’s economy began to improve. The Mississippi River would be a major trading route by which merchants and entrepreneurs would launch their products and services. Riverboat gambling became a common pastime, and New Orleans became the United States’ gambling capital. During the gold rush in California in 1849, gambling was adopted by the settlers. There and west of the Mississippi, like Nevada, gambling houses began to flourish. Roulette was first used in France in the late 1800s, and the Slot Machine Game was created shortly after. For more info about blackjack click here.

Gambling was seen as a social ill by many people because it was linked to drinking and prostitution. Reformers persuaded governments to close the Dens of Iniquity. Lotteries were also abolished in the majority of states. With the construction of the railroad, riverboat gambling became obsolete. Only Nevada allowed gambling until the turn of the century.