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Even before virtual casinos like www.okbetcasino.live, ancient people were the first to build gambling houses. There was proof to back it up, as discovered among the early Chinese, Greeks, Indians, and different cultures.
As evidence that early people loved to gamble, archeologists have found cave drawings describing the earlier forms of gambling—a discovery of 40,000-year-old crude dice during these digs.
In various parts of the world, there have been pieces of evidence unearthed. China gambled using tile games, and Egypt used dice.
During wars between the Greeks and the Romans, soldiers tend to place their salary as a wager between battles. The latter also imposed a law requiring their children to learn how to gamble and play dice games. This information means that casinos have been around since 700-480 B.C.
Ancient writings from the Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and others proved its existence, even before the discovery of electricity. Gambling has been so rampant that governments in the Middle Ages established the earliest casinos to restrict such activity to only one place.
Five of these ancient casinos still exist today.
Casinò di Venezia – Italy
Constructed in 1509, the Casinò di Venezia is Italy’s oldest gambling house. It was built by the Venetian nobles, with operations beginning in 1638.
Influenced by the Renaissance Period, the casino is a masterpiece. Intricately carved marble and wood filled the inside interior.
Before entering the casino, a historical ambiance welcomes gambling enthusiasts. The columns and pillars in the dining and gambling area seemed inspired by the ancient Romans and Greeks.
Casinò di Venezia has two branches, with the original casino located at the Ca’ Vendramin Calgary estate. It has slot machines of more than 600, including dozens of table games, and games like the following are available:
- French Roulette
- Chemin de Fer
- Punto Banco
- Fair Roulette
- Black Jack
- Caribbean Stud Poker
- Ultimate Texas Hold ’Em Poker
Players and visitors must travel using a gondola (water taxi) to get to this ancient gambling house. They can find the most extensive private collection of German composer Richard Wagner inside the casino’s museum.
The oldest casino is known to host tournaments, like the World Poker Tour. Every year, one of Italy’s largest online gaming sponsors this game series during the Venice Carnival.
Casino Wiesbaden – Germany
Originally intended to be a Kurhaus or “cure house,” the Casino Wiesbaden was an attraction for a city with a thermal spring. The 38,000-square-foot casino established in 1810 was in honor of Prince Charles of Nassau-Usingen, who allowed gambling in his area back in 1777.
The combination of a spa and a casino proved to be a hit among nobles, dignitaries, musicians, and many more. It also inspired the writer Fyodor Dostoevsky, author of the novel The Gambler, who lost most of his fortune after visiting the gambling house.
Today, there are 14 table games, 24 electronic games, eight poker tables, and almost 200 slot machines in Casino Wiesbaden.
Every month, the gambling house holds a tournament—no registration fee—and gives €10,000 to the winner. The monthly winners will then qualify for a €43,000 championship match.
Casino de Monte Carlo – Monaco
The House of Grimaldi did the building of this casino to avoid bankruptcy. A temporary location set up by Prince Charles in 1856 proved to be a failure due to the lack of resources and propaganda.
But when his mother, Princess Caroline, found a way to recruit the famous casino operator François Blanc, things turned around for the royal family. In 1863, the gambling house moved to a new location, where it became famous, thanks to Blanc, Pope Leo XIII, and others who invested in it.
Because of its success, Casino de Monte Carlo had an immense expansion from 1878 to 1880. It first had a concert hall, followed by private gaming rooms and public spaces, with Trente-et-Quarante Gaming Room (now Salle des Américains), as the last piece of the renovation.
But despite its upgrade, the casino kept its original Beaux Arts style—a combination of French and Baroque types.
In today’s era, the casino holds more than 1,000 slot machines, loads of video poker machines, and 56 table games. There are restaurants inside it, as well, like:
- Le Salon Rose
- Le Train Bleu
- Café de la Rotonde
- Lounge Bar Salle Europe
- Le Bar Salle Blanche
Kurhaus of Baden-Baden – Germany
Similar to the Casino Wiesbaden, the Kurhaus of Baden-Baden had hot springs in its area.
The gambling house was built in 1824 and designed by Friedrich Weinbrenner, the creator of the Weinbrenner Style. The architectural design is classical to complement the other buildings.
In the 1830s, the casino boomed when France prohibited gambling, forcing French gamblers to cross the borders into Germany. It flourished until the First World War, when the tourism industry plummeted. Although it made some recoveries when the war ended, World War II came into place, thus setting back Kurhaus of Baden-Baden years to fully recover.
The famous German gambling house now offers casino games like Blackjack, Video Poker, Electronic Keno, Electronic Roulette, Electronic Bingo, and French Roulette. It also has 150 slot machines, 20 card tables, and a poker room on its 2,200 square-foot gaming floor.
Casino de Spa – Belgium
Established in 1763, the Casino de Spa claims to be the world’s oldest casino, as it intended to be an actual casino, unlike Casinò di Venezia which was initially a gambling house. The casino’s purpose: to invite the rich and the noble to gamble in Spa, Belgium.
It succeeded until 1789, when the Liege revolution began, causing the prohibition of gambling and numerous fires.
It also underwent renovation after World War I, destroying the casino. The casino reached complete restoration in the 1980s.
Casino de Spa, which was now owned by the Belgian Circus in 2003, offers the following games:
- Blackjack
- Caribbean Stud Poker
- Sic Bo
- Casino Hold ‘Em Poker
- Roulette
- Roll’Hit
- Dice Jack
- Electronic Roulette
- No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em
The casino also boasts more than 100 slot machines, nine gaming tables, and two poker tables.
Conclusion
There have been many casinos worldwide. But with the emergence of the digital platform and because of the Covid-19 pandemic, gambling companies such as OKBET have to become virtually adept to meet the demands of today’s bettors.
Nevertheless, these old casinos prove that the human race loves to be entertained and play for money.