Gambling, in its many and varied forms, has been around for hundreds of years. We have evidence stretching back to around 2300 B.C.E. of players in ancient China enjoying a lottery-styled game. Readers of the Mahabharata and the Bible were also warned against betting and its possibly negative consequences.
But which games have been around for the longest? What were gamblers betting on long ago that we’re still having fun with at top-tier sites like Jumba Bet casino today? Let’s take a deep dive into the oldest casino games in the world: Read more
Baccarat
Although there is still debate today about Baccarat’s exact origins, most experts agree that it was likely invented in Italy in the 1400s, where it got its name because all the 10s and face cards are worth nothing – baccara in Italian means zero in English.
After its Italian genesis, it moved to France, where it slowly evolved over time to become the game as we know it today. It was particularly popular with the French aristocracy who had money to spare, but today, thanks to online sites, anyone can enjoy it, even people with much stricter betting budgets!
Baccarat Banque, the variation that caters to three people, is one of the earliest versions of the game, likely emerging over 600 years ago. Chemin de Fer appeared in the later parts of the 19th century, and Baccarat Punto Banco came to be in Havana, Cuba, in the 1940s.
Blackjack
The first-ever reference to Blackjack, or 21, comes to us in the form of a mention in a book. The iconic Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes was the author, and the story was in his Novelas Ejemplares book, about two card cheaters who become experts at rigging the game to their advantage. It was written in the early 1600s, which means it was probably being enjoyed for a while before that.
Blackjack then arrived in the United States of America in the 1800s, and gambling houses instituted a few changes to gain players interest in the new game. Bonuses were a very popular method of doing this, and one was awarded back then for a hand containing a black jack and the ace of spades. The bonus eventually fell away, but its nickname didn’t, and that’s what we call this game so many years later.
Dice
Although there are many games that involve dice, like Lightning Dice, Sic Bo, and Craps, to name just a few, the cubes themselves play an important role in the history of gambling. Sophocles, who lived from roughly 496 to 406 B.C.E claims that the Greeks were responsible for inventing dice. If we take that statement to be true, then we can date dice back to 400 B.C.E.
But Sophocles was underestimating the longevity of dice as he tried to claim them for his country. Evidence has actually been uncovered that dates dice all the way back to 6000 B.C.E. in Mesopotamia, the region now home to Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey. Dice from around 2000 B.C.E. has also been found in Egypt.
Craps, however, is thought to have originated around 1125 in London. It’s a version of Hazard, a game very popular back then. When it arrived in New Orleans, in the USA, in the early 1800s, it started to become the game as we know it today.
Keno
Almost all online casinos have Keno available for players today, but most players are unaware of its interesting and unexpected roots. Although it’s been refined over time, with early versions of Keno not being very similar to the ones we play today, the basics are said to predate the Great Wall of China, which was built in 220 B.C.E.
Keno was actually conceived of as a way to raise the money required to build the Great Wall. Although this theory has not been proven, there’s no denying that Keno arrived in the West in the 1800s with Chinese immigrants making the long journey to a new home.
Roulette
A physicist by the name of Blaise Pascal invented what we nowadays refer to as the King of Casino Games in the 1600s. He was trying to create a perpetual motion machine and stumbled upon the Roulette wheel instead, and the version we know today gradually evolved in the 1700s in France.
In the 1720s, people were enjoying a similar game, called Roly Poly, in Britain, but it got banned by 1740. Then, towards the later years of the 18th century, the Roulette wheel we know today started taking shape and began to appear in gambling houses across France. The numbers on the wheel came from a game called biribi, a type of low-stakes lottery.
The Future of Online Casino Games
In recent times, casinos have undergone a significant transformation as they moved online, captivating millions of players the world over with their thrilling gameplay and total accessibility. If the best way to predict future outcomes is to look at past ones, then online casino games are going to keep radically evolving to keep up with changes in modern technology. With emerging technology like Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality poised and ready to once again revolutionise the way players engage with real money games.
One of the emerging trends in the landscape of online casino games is the increased popularity of skill-based games. Younger players in particular seem to be seeking experiences that challenge them and offer a sense of achievement and control. This means that skill-based real money games like Blackjack, Poker, and certain types of slots require strategy and expertise for the best outcomes. Additionally, mini-games like building pipelines, catching eggs, hunting, and fishing offer challenges that engage players in a way that traditional casino options like Baccarat sometimes fail to do.
Live dealer online casino games, delivered to the player via streaming technology, have also emerged as an interactive and highly popular medium for entertainment. It allows players to broadcast their game achievements to others in real time and offers a type of social interaction that traditional online casino games lack.
