New York, NY (Top40 Charts) People have always loved gambling, and it has been there for ages. All kinds of people, the kings and queens, friends and foes, bulky or lean, etc. have tried and have fought to see if they are lucky and fortunate. The players do not have any idea about the unnoticed facts about gambling and how they have evolved to be so popular on the global stage.
Actualities of Casino Games
Penny Slot Machines Are Money Spinners for the Casinos
The most profitable games that are available in the gambling world are the penny slots. These machines shot to fame during the recession in the 2000s as it gives the bettors the option to spin the reels with just a penny. There was a time when many brick and mortar gaming centres had more penny slots than any other titles.
World War II Veteran Wins $25 Million Playing Slots
There are many who believe that big money can be made at table games. But, there are certain exceptions to this. The slots can also offer a hefty payout. This was proved when World War II veteran Elmer Sherman from Las Vegas won $4.6 million in a Mirage slot machine in 1989. He got twice lucky when he won an attractive $21.1 million playing slots at Cannery in 2005.
Ben Affleck Banned from Playing Blackjack
The popular actor Ben Affleck cannot play the Blackjack game at Las Vegas. He has been banned for life from playing this card title because of his trickery. He was found counting the cards when playing at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas and got the life ban. The true blue games are a place where the bettors get to check out all popular gaming categories that have plenty of options for the players. But, for Affleck, it might not be the case.
Roulette Wheel Numbers Add up to 666
Anyone who is a fan of the Roulette would be amazed to hear that the numbers on the wheel add up to 666. It was Pascal who discovered this wheel and the number 666 is the 'Number of the Beast', according to the Bible. It is not known whether Pascal had done this on purpose, but the roulette wheel has a nickname 'The Devil's Wheel' as the numbers total up to 666.
Craps Name Came from Crabs
The craps is a very popular American dice game. Historians believe that crap was an old dice game in Britain and was called 'Hazard'. The game had rolling snake eyes, and they were called 'Rolling Crabs' for some reason. It was past the mid-1700s that the name of the game got a change from crabs to craps after the French and the English gamblers jointly playing it and also with the change in the rules.
European Roulette Is Easier to Win than the American Roulette
The bettors trying their luck out at an American roulette title will find the going tough. This is a French game, and the Americans made changes to it by including 38 spaces for the ball to land instead of the traditional 37 places. This meant that '00' and '0' house pocket was added to the wheel. The European wheel has the same old 37 places.
Skill-Based Games Are on a Roll
People are fed up playing the regular luck-based games, and this is why many of the physical gambling houses now offer skill-based titles to give some work to the bettor's brains.
Russian Engineer Cheats Slots to Win $21,000
All gambling was banned in Russia in 2009. A Russian engineer found out a way to cheat the slot machines. He took this idea to the United States and won around $21,000, and the gaming houses are still looking at ways to fix this robbery.
Angel Eye Is Employed in Casinos
There is a tool called 'Angel Eye' that is used in the brick and mortar gaming centres to prevent the bettors from changing cards. As and when a card is dealt, the tool will scan it. If a card is turned by the bettor and this happens to be one that he has not dealt, the security will come looking after him.
Casino Odds Worse on Cruise Ships
Playing at the blackjack tables on a cruise ship might be a nightmare as it offers the worst odds. It will only pay 6-to-5 whereas the bettor can enjoy 3-to-2 odds in many of the physical betting houses.
Microgaming Was the First Company to Take the Online Route
Online gambling sites are very popular now. Microgaming gets the credit to take the brick and mortar gaming house to the living rooms of the gambler. The first online gaming site was known as the Gaming club, and it started with limited titles.
Number of Online Male Gamblers Is More Than Female
It is seen that men are more active in online gaming than women. There are as many as 84% of the male bettors playing various titles online. One interesting fact is that the first licence to run a casino was granted to a woman called Mayme Stoker in Las Vegas in 1920.
Self-Ban Option Available to the Players
A person has everything to ban himself/herself from trying out the titles offered on an internet gaming site. This is called self-exclusion, and this is provided to prevent the gamblers from getting addicted to gaming and to stop them from breaking the bank on various titles. This ban is usually for 6 months. Once activated, they will not be allowed to enter the site.
Don Johnson Is a Master at Blackjack
The blackjack fan Don Johnson just took six months in 2011 to win over $15 million playing his favourite table games. He had achieved this remarkable feat that no one has been able to do. $6 million out of 15 million came in a 12-hour marathon blackjack run that was witnessed at the Tropicana Casino and Resort, in Atlantic City in the New Jersey State.
No Clocks or Windows in Physical Casinos
The first-timers visiting the real gaming centre will see that it has no windows and clocks. This is done to prevent the bettors from losing the focus on the titles they are engaged in.
First Slot Was Played in an Auto Shop
A San Franciscan mechanic called 'Charles Fey' invented the first slot in 1895. It was called liberty bell, and it was placed in Charles auto shop as entertainment to customers while they were waiting for the vehicles to get repaired. Casinos preferred these games as an alternative to the gamers when the table games are occupied. Slowly they have captured the online gaming world.
Father and Son Create History Visiting Casinos
The father and son duo of Jack and Jeremy Freeman visited 69 betting houses in 24 hours from 27th to 28th August 2007.
Most of the Online Gambling Sites Do Not Cheat
There is a house edge for every gaming site, and hence, the best and the most reliable ones will not look to fix the result or the outcome of the game.
Dealers Have to Reveal Their Hands before They Leave
The live dealers are always under the watchful eyes of the cameras. They need to clap or dust or clear their hands and show it to the cameras fitted on the ceilings to reveal that they are not holding on to any chips.
The Best and Worst Odds Are from Craps
Craps is not just like any other gaming title as it does not offer the same odds on the table. Some of them come with a low house edge, and the others have a high house edge.
Gaming Profits to Charity
Casino Helsinki is the second in Finland and one of the very few bricks and mortar gaming centres to give away all the profits it makes to charity.
Slots Are Fruit Machines in the UK
In the United States, the term slot machine is used for the slots. In the UK, they are called 'Fruit Machines' mainly because of the fruit symbols used in the reels. Puggies is the term used in Scotland, and Pokies is the term used in New Zealand and Australia. In this digital age, also Double Diamond and Jackpot Jester have fruit symbols on the reels.
Organised Gambling Started in Venice
At present, there are casinos placed in almost all parts of the world. However, organised gaming started in Venice in Italy in 1638. The word casino is an Italian word, where Casa means house. The term Casa included establishments like social clubs and the summer houses in Italy. Later other countries also received these games with much enthusiasm. It later ventured into the online realm as well.
Most Players Opt for Online Slots
The number of people opting for online slots over physical casinos is increasing. At present, 90 percent of the people prefer online experience, and only the remaining 10 percent opts for real-world play and offline slot games for their entertainment. Another interesting fact is that of the total players, only 33% are professional gamblers.
London Is Also the Gaming Capital of Britain
The evolution of British casinos shows that many gaming houses emerged in London after the gaming centre shifted to London from Bath. Most of the gentlemen's clubs in the UK were converted to game centres. The famous gaming centre 'White's' was originally a chocolate manufacturing house. Most of the gaming houses earlier were members-only clubs.
The Jackpot Record Is 17.8 Million Euros
The current record of online slot jackpot is impressive of 17,861,800 Euros. This was won by Finland based player in 2013 while playing the Mega Fortune. In the case of UK gamers, the current record is 13.2 million pounds. This record belongs to Jonathan Heywood with a 25p stake of Mega Moolah. After 2013, no online jackpots have reached an incredible sum of 17.8 million Euros.
Poker Is an Attractive Second Career Option for Many
Many celebrity sportspersons have chosen poker as their second career. Teddy Sheringham, England striker, and the former Manchester United player has made more than 330,000 Euros from poker career. Another famous personality is Victoria Coren Mitchell, the Writer and Broadcaster, who became the winner of the European Poker Tour twice in the history of the Trophy.
A Marathon Poker Lasted More Than Eight Years
The poker record for endurance dates back to 1881. The game at a theatre in Arizona lasted for about eight years and five months. According to legends, the game was continuous with occasional comfort and sleep breaks. It is believed that almost $10,000,000 rolled hands in this marathon game.
One Man Staked All His Possessions on Roulette
The TV series 'Double or Nothing' aired in the UK in 2004 featured Ashley Revel, a professional gambler. He sold all his assets to stake it on a roulette wheel. He raised £135,300 and staked it on the Red at the Las Vegas Casino, and he landed Red number 7 to get £270,600.
The Biggest Roulette Loser Is a Multi-Millionaire
Robert Maxwell, the media tycoon, managed to lose 1.5 million pounds within three minutes. He played three roulette tables simultaneously and made the staggering loss. But he was able to cover his loss comfortably.
