A brief walkthrough of the Casino

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few centuries then you will know exactly what a casino is. For those that have never encountered one or the word then hopefully this article will shine some light on the matter.

To begin with, the word Casino is actually of Italian origin as the word “casa” means house but in this case, the word refers to a villa or social club. Throughout the 19th century, this word was also attached to other public buildings where pleasurable activities took place such as gambling, dancing, and sports. Interestingly enough, no one knows the precise origin of gambling but you can bet your bottom dollar that it is in casinos where it flourished and grew!
The first ever gambling house was called the Ridotto situated in Venice, Italy and it opened its doors for business way back in 1638. It was not called a casino but it did provide controlled gambling during the carnival season in Venice. In America, early gambling houses were known as saloons and these helped to shape the great cities of New Orleans, St. Louis, Chicago, and San Francisco. It was in these places, that travelers would meet up, have a drink with each other, and of course do the odd spot of gambling. During the early 20th century, gambling was outlawed and banned but in 1931, it was eventually legalised in Nevada. This paved the way for America’s first legitimate casinos to open up and offer legalised gambling. 1978 was the year that New Jersey finally allowed gambling in Atlantic City and this city went on to become America’s second largest gambling city and one of the most famous in the world.

The minimum age to gamble is between 16 to 21 years of age and you can only gamble in casinos in countries where they are permitted to operate. Players gamble by playing games of chance such as roulette, poker, and blackjack. Some of these games require a little bit of skill but there are mathematically-determined odds that ensure the casino or the “house” as they are referred to will always have an advantage over the players. This advantage is known as the “house edge”. To ensure players are happy at all times, a lot of casinos give out complimentary items such as free food and drink to gamblers.

Casinos by their nature, are designed to keep players happy and to ensure that they are enjoying their gambling experience at all times. A lot of work goes into the floor plan, aesthetics, lighting, and atmosphere of casinos. America has close to a thousand casinos, which is the largest number of casinos in the world. Las Vegas is the most popular of course as it has the largest concentration of casinos in all of the country. Atlantic City is next and Chicago is not too far behind.
Casinos remain as popular as ever, so much so that they are now an intrinsic part of the digital world as many casinos have an online presence and they offer a Live Casino department for players who want the feel of a bricks and mortar casino right from the comfort of their own home. You can even play these Live Casinos on your mobile phone as live dealers deal you some cards and are streamed in HD quality right to your mobile device. So it is even possible to have a real life casino experience while on the move and not near a physical casino!

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