You should realize that gambling isn’t a recent form of entertainment, and it has been practiced for a long time. The thought of gambling lands on casinos, baccarat, blackjack, roulette, the lottery, rummy game, dice, etc. Do you get curious about how, where, or when gambling began? Gambling is an art quotient of various entertainment types and has thrived in a similar style for centuries.
Gambling began in the prehistoric ages, ranking among the first forms of entertainment—ancient civilizations engaged in generational gambling pursuits. In today’s generation, Indian authorities regulate and control gambling sternly, just as they did in the old days when gambling was subjected to heavy governing and sharp curtailing. Ancient Rome and China were governments with established legislation to monitor gambling activities. Below is evidence in Ancient civilizations indicating the first ways of gambling.
Playing cards was originally performed in china
The genesis of card games is assumed to be China. This is because it is within Chinese culture that the ultimate introduction of paper money form is credited to. After constant interactions with their creation, they eventually discovered the custom of shuffling paper money, and then came the idea of cards.
Keno is the legendary type of card game associated with China. Players used unique cards featuring squares and numbers ranging from 1 to 80. Ideally, one should select a number set, then the participant with the winning tickets was determined through a spontaneous drawing.
Keno was invented over 2,000 years ago and was practiced in gambling establishments regulated by the province governor, who earned a portion of the proceeds. It was previously referred to as a white pigeon ticket.
Later, approximately 2,300 BC, Keno was replaced by a new game of risk that utilized tiles. Card games later took it over with human figures about 900 AD. The subsequent spread of Islamists introduced Europeans who modified the design to the decks with symbols of their Kings and Queens used currently.
Ancient Greeks although practiced gambling widely, equally condemned it
The popularity of gambling in Ancient Greece is deductible from allusions in Homer and various literature. However, Greeks’ views on the acceptability and deniability of gambling were contradictory. A recent study reveals the staunch opposition and claims of its eventual growth to a plague, as depicted by several Greek philosophers.
However, gambling enthusiasts found venues to unleash their love for the game by playing in specially set aside places. This was because similar to the current beliefs about casinos, those establishments were attached to a terrible image, and visiting them was deemed disgraceful.
Essential features in Greek mythology proving the existence of gambling activities include Pan and Hermes, who were renowned for gambling. Other Greek legends, including Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon, the famous act of throwing dice to bifurcate the Universe between them is enough proof of gambling.
The ancient Greeks’ two popular gambling games were the checkers and heads and tails game. The former was initially referred to as tilia and, at the onset of the Roman era, was renamed a game of 12 lines. The game participants used shells to play head and tails before switching to coins eventually. Furthermore, several Greek artifacts depict gambling scenes, with people wagering on animal battles.
Native Americans dug ancient casinos in caves
Utah was recently named the mother of the first casino in the United States. After discovery by archeologists of a cave in Utah that is assumed to be an old Native American casino.
Evidence indicates that the “cave casino” dates back to the 13th century. On-site researchers reported that the cave could contain up to thousands of artifacts, such as carved stones close to some form of gambling.
Native Americans’ gambling act involved tossing sticks and predicting if they would land facing up or down. According to archeologists, women are the primary proponents of these ancient gambling sticks, and they utilized gambling during the allocation of various jobs among themselves. Men were also not left out as they also partook in the acts. They would place their bets on the outcomes of the women’s gambling sessions.
Ancient Roman emperors and slaves were equally thrilled in gambling
Medieval Emperors were well-known for their love of gambling. Emperor Augustus, who went through a significant number of gambling losses, was renowned as a restless gambler on addiction. On the other hand, Emperor Commodus was a lousy gambler who was declared bankrupt several times. Emperor Nero is recognized for his powerfulness in ruling; he expressed extreme fondness for gambling and sports. However, there are minimal details regarding the games played in that period.
Gambling was a prevalent activity in ancient China, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Islam, the Jewish Talmud, and Buddhism. It was governed throughout all cases, and pathological gamblers were subjected to harsh penalties.
Another evidence was the form of gambling casting of lots familiar in ancient Rome and mentioned in biblical scriptures. Roman guards were casting lots for Jesus’ cloak during the Crucifixion. The act was also employed to settle disagreements or reveal the answers to queries from the ‘gods.’
