Casinos have always provided a sense of myth and wonder to its patrons, so it will come as no surprise that there are some very interesting facts surrounding their existence and happenings on the casino floor.
Even though most of our readers in New Zealand prefer to play online, there are some downright fascinating things to learn about traditional casinos.
Where it All Started
As many players in New Zealand will know, gambling and casino games have existed in a variety of forms since before the history books were even being written, but what most probably don’t know is that the first casino opened its doors in 1638. While it wasn’t called a casino at the time, the Ridotto was opened in Venice, Italy in the mid-17th century to provide a regulated way for Venetians to gamble during the carnival season.
On the other side of the ocean in America, casinos were known as saloons and became a popular attraction in the 1800s. Four cities in particular were largely responsible for their expansion and popularity – St. Louis, San Francisco, New Orleans and Chicago, but by the 20th century gambling was outlawed by the social reformist of the time.
Region Specific Gambling Facts
To players in New Zealand, Monaco is a world away, but this beautiful country – technically a monarchy – located in the French Riviera is an absolute gambling mecca for tourists. However, Princess Caroline made it illegal for all citizens of Monaco to gamble in any of their gorgeous casinos in the mid-1800s, demanding that all gambling revenue be generated by foreigners alone. There is some good news for the citizens of Monaco though, as they don’t have to pay income tax owing to the money generated by their well-visited casinos.
If you were to ask any fan of casinos what they think is the absolute hub of the casino industry they would most likely say Las Vegas, but they would be dead wrong. In fact, a tiny autonomous region called Macau on the coast of China is the king of casinos, and boasts an incredible 33 casinos most of which are open 24 hours a day. It is reported that in 2013, Macau generated an incredible $45 billion and it only takes players in Macau 1 day to bet the same amount as a week in Las Vegas!
These days casinos based on Native America Reservations in the United States are an everyday occurrence, but most players will most likely not know that these casinos got their start in a lowly bingo hall in Florida. In 1979, the Seminole tribe kick started the casino industry in Hollywood, Florida where bingo players could win up to $2000, upsetting the authorities. The Seminole tribe fought the system and won, gaining Native American tribes the right to open casinos on their own sovereign lands.
Jaw Dropping Gambling Wins
While many players in New Zealand online casinos dream of winning a life changing amount of money on the Pokies or horses, for some this fantasy has become a reality. In March 2003, a 25-year old engineer took a chance and bet $100 on a progressive Pokie and won himself an incredible $39.7 million, which at the time saw him beating odds of 16.7 million to 1.
Don Johnson must be the luckiest man alive, as during 2011 he took Atlantic City Casinos for an astonishing $15 million dollars playing Blackjack, which included a massive $3 million win at the Tropicana Casino.
If these incredible wins don’t inspire you to start playing today, we aren’t sure what will!