It is difficult to put an exact date on when the first casino was built because there easily could have been undocumented casino establishments during many different parts of human history. Many societies including the Romans and Ancient Greeks have been documented as enjoying organized games of luck and chance. Most casino games to this day still revolve around luck and chance and therefore it is difficult to know when the first casino was built.
The casino that is most well known as being one of the very first casinos in the world is the Casino di Venezia, which can be found in Venice, Italy. This casino is documented as being established in 1638, which is almost 400 years ago. The Casino di Venezia is also still in operation in Venice and is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the region.
For hundreds of years the United States never had any casinos and any gambling that took place in the country was done in saloons. Once the violence from gambling in saloons became too much to handle, gambling became an illegal activity. This did not stop people from playing cards and other games throughout saloons in the country though. By 1931, the laws were changed and gambling became legal in Nevada – specifically in Las Vegas. It was not until 1978 when Atlantic City became a legal place to gamble. As you can see, the United States has a brief casino history, as compared to that of Europe and the rest of the world.
Today, there are thousands of casinos around the world in tons of different countries. Gambling has become a huge hobby for many of today’s society and millions of people travel to different parts of the world every year just to gamble. One thing you need to keep in mind is that different countries have different laws in place. For instance, in the United States you need to be 21 to be able to enter a casino, whereas in Canada you only need to be 19. Some countries that allow gambling have the age restriction set to as low as 16.
Casinos have evolved from small parlours with a few tables and games to massive billion dollar establishments. Many of the world’s best casinos nowadays are located in tourist hotspots. The reason they are mainly in tourist hotspots is that most casinos not only offer casino games, but they also offer live entertainment ranging from comedy to sporting events. Many of the early casinos also did not include any shops, hotels or attractions like the casinos nowadays do. There is no doubt that casinos have grown a lot over the past hundred years and will continue to evolve as societies embraces casinos as a cornerstone of their lifestyle.