Gambling activities have been chronicled in pictures and written records for thousands of years. So, it may not surprise you that there’s an abundance of trivia around betting behavior and everyone’s favorite casino games. Join us for a fascinating whirlwind tour of gambling as told by some tidbits. Let’s take a look at someinteresting gambling facts!
The father of slot machines
Here’s an incredible casino fact: according to Statista, 1,140,743 slot machines were in operation in casinos across the globe by June 2020. That’s a lot of machines but online slots may even be more popular than their physical counterparts, owing to the huge variety of games on offer and because mobile technology makes it possible to play anywhere, at any time. The first person to get the reels rolling was Charles Fey, inventor of the original machine in 1895, however, it looked nothing like the machines and interfaces of today. It had three reels and five symbols (hearts, diamonds, spades, horseshoes and the famous Liberty Bell.) Fey and his descendants would have profited over the years if only he’d considered patenting his creation. Now we get to enjoy some unbelievable jackpot slots that can keep us endlessly entertained!
The gambling capital of the world
If you thought the answer to this one was Las Vegas, you’d have been spot on – until Macau in China took the honor in 2007! The autonomous region, located on China’s southern coast, now draws half its economy from tourists who visit Macau to gamble in the “Monte Carlo of the East.” However, if you’re a big craps fan, you should take note of the facts about craps. As big as gambling is in Macau, craps is not that popular here. Now that is some interesting trivia!
Oldest casino still in Vegas
The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino opened in Las Vegas in 1906. It still operates Downtown and, following extensive renovations in 2017, it’s one of the most popular luxury hotels and casinos in the City of Lights.
The first Las Vegas casino to open once gambling was legalized
Here are some things you didn’t know – gambling was declared illegal in Las Vegas in 1909. When it was decriminalized in 1931, the Pair O’ Dice Club on Highway 91 was the first casino to open its doors. But it was El Rancho Vegas that was the first casino to be built on what was to become the world-famous Vegas Strip. It opened in 1941. The casino, restaurants and showroom burnt down in 1960 and so El Rancho was closed as a result. What was left of the property was eventually sold off to the reclusive business magnate Howard Hughes in 1970.
Riverboat legacy
Let’s get into some helpful history and facts about poker. The old riverboats that once serviced the Mississippi are believed to have been incubators for the spread of poker as migrants played the game to pass the time while trading along Old Blue. As a nod to these grand old riverboats, the fifth community card in a game of Texas Hold’em poker is often referred to as the “river.” Why the fifth card? It seems a common way of cheating was to hide a card up a sleeve to switch with a poor fifth card, but if caught cheating, the person would be thrown into the river.
First casino in the world
The first casino on record to open its doors to gamblers was the Casino di Venezia in Venice, Italy. The year was 1638. The casino remained closed for almost two centuries, from 1774 to 1959, when it was given a new lease of life at Ca Vendramin Calergi, overlooking the Grand Canal. It continues to attract gamblers to this day.
The world’s biggest casino
China’s Macau region is home to the largest casino and hotel complex in the world, spread out over 10,500,000 square feet. The Venetian Macau casino floor takes up 546,000sq ft and houses 3,800 casino slot games and 800 gambling tables.
Epic slot machine wins
The biggest payout from a slot machine happened in 2003 when a 25-year-old, who remains anonymous to this day, won $39.7 million on the IGT Megabucks machine at Excalibur in Las Vegas. (The slot appears to have lived up to its name on that occasion.)
Mega wins at online slots
A progressive jackpot of $18.5 million was paid out to a British soldier, Jon H, in October 2015. Just 25 minutes after opening an account at the online casino and following a 35-cent spin, this lucky man took home the jackpot.
Outstanding lottery luck
There is only one thing that’s better than winning the lottery and that’s winning it twice! This is what happened to a lucky British couple, David and Kathleen L, who beat the odds of 283 billion to one and won the lottery on two occasions. They first won $1.4 million on the EuroMillions in 2013, then hit repeat to win another $1.4 million in the same lottery the following year.
Youngest poker champion ever
Norwegian Annette Obrestad took the first World Series of Poker Europe main event in 2007 on her 19th birthday. She still holds the record as the youngest person to have won a WSOP bracelet.
Craziest win ever
Greek-American Anargyros Nicholas Karabourniotis has the craziest story of all. Simply known as Archie Karas in the gambling world, he drove to Las Vegas in December 1992 with $50 in his pocket, taking a $10,000 loan that he turned into a $40 million profit by early 1995. This is the largest and longest winning streak in history and is still called “The Run” in casino circles. Never knowing when to stop, Karas lost all his winnings a year later in 1996. (We were just going to say that it’s never a good idea to bank on gambling to make money!)
Poker and politics
Here’s a weird one for the history books. Richard Nixon, the impeached 37th President of the United States, used $6,000 he’d won at the poker tables (in a series of games with his former Navy comrades) to bankroll his first campaign to be elected to the House of Representatives in 1946! This was his first political win and paved his way to the presidency in 1969.
Major fails
Some of the world’s wealthiest aren’t afraid to lose eye-watering amounts at the tables. It seems the enjoyment they get from gambling is worth the price.
- Terrance Watanabe lost a staggering $125 million at two Las Vegas casinos in 2007. Watanabe inherited his father’s global company in 1977 but couldn’t get enough of the baccarat and blackjack tables.
- Kerry Packer, the Australian billionaire, has a reputation for placing large bets and reportedly lost close to $42 million in a year.
- Harry Kakavas, another Australian tycoon, lost $1.5 billion playing baccarat in Melbourne and more than $30 million at the tables in 15 months!
- Charles Barkley, the 11-time NBA All-Star who played for the Sixers and then the Suns, gambled away most of his $30 million fortune with some spectacular losses. Some of his bigger failures include $2.5 million in a single blackjack game and $100,000 when the Falcons lost their 28-3 lead to the Patriots in the 2020 Super Bowl championship game.
- Maureen O’Connor was the mayor of San Diego from 1986 to 1992 and married to a fast-food tycoon when she lost $13 million at the gambling tables.
First online casinos
Online casinos started to appear in the early 1990s and in 1994 it was possible to apply for a remote gambling license in the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda. The popularity of digital gambling was almost instant. In 1996 there were 15 gambling websites, which had grown to 200 by the following year.
A wide choice of online casino games at Borgata Online
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