What is your favourite bet? Craps, roulette, baccarat, blackjack, slots, poker...
Did you know the first European gambling house was called the Ridetto (Italian for The private Room), in the wing of the San Moise Palace. It was established in Venice, Italy, in 1638 by the Great Council, which controlled gambling during the carnival season.
Although it was open to all, due to the high stakes and formal dress code only nobles could afford to play at the casino's tables. A bizarre dress code stipulated gamblers needed to be anonymous wearing a three-cornered hat and mask in order to play.
The modern-day casino become big business across the world. Significant sites include Monte Carlo, Monaco, enjoyed by well-off visitors. In fact it has been featured in a film and song named The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo.
Few countries come close to the United States with over 900 casinos, the largest number in the world. The most well known of them being Las Vegas. Not surprising, this metropolitan area located in the Southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada has become synonymous with gambling although a large number of the original population come from Hawaii and known to them as the ''ninth island''.
The Las Vegas Strip is a place known for unbelievable stories of winning and losing. This story caught the eye: Las Vegas cabbie find $300,000 in backseat, returns it to poker player.
Did you know that in 2009 the Las Vegas Strip had an annual revenue of $5.550 billion?
Topping next biggest Atlantic City.
I wonder if you know which games returned the biggest revenue? In 2009, Las Vegas Strip gaming revenue detailed these top earners:
- Slots ($2.8 billion)
- Baccarat
- Twenty-one
- Roulette
- Craps
- Poker
The Bellagio casino, owned by MGM took over $1 billion in revenue in 2009 although this was topped by previous years mainly due to the impact from online gambling.
1994 marked a historic moment for online gambling when the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda passed the Free Trade & Processing Act, which allowed licences to be granted to organizations applying to open online casinos. In the late 1990s, online gambling grew in popularity although from very humble beginnings.
''Did you know that in 1996 there were just 15 internet gambling websites?''
Gambling has become one of the most popular and lucrative business present on the internet. In fact, in 2007, the UK gambling achieved a turnover of £84 billion according to the UK Gambling Commission.
Companies such as Netbet casino feature a wealth of betting opportunities: Jackpot, Slots, Roulette, Video Poker, Blackjack to name a few.
Take your gambling to the next level.