The casino is synonymous with glamour, excitement, and not a few interesting characters. Aside from the gaming, it can also be a great place to just people watch, order a Manhattan or two and observe as the action unfolds. But while casino games can be fun, the history of gaming is equally fascinating; a world of crime and intrigue (and of course, plenty of drama!) that few people really know about...

The first-ever casino was founded in Venice in 1638, and although it wasn’t officially a casino it bore all the hallmarks found in today’s gaming houses: dice and card games, games of chance and the opportunity to win money. While the casino was a great success, Venetian authorities closed it down in 1770; as every good player knows, sometimes you just don’t win anything, and the local gentry at the time were fast running out of cash!

Other societies that enjoyed a bit of gaming included the Elizabethans, the Romans and the Stuarts. During the Stuart era, a man named Thomas Neale became one of the earliest croupiers, after becoming a favourite of King Charles II. A colourful character, Neale started out as a humble groom, however, he quickly made himself indispensable to the gaming-mad King, ensuring he always had plenty of cards, dice and opponents in which to indulge his hobby. He went on to work for William III and remained popular with the royals throughout his life; Neal Street in London is actually named after him.

Into the 1700s and 1800s, gaming and casinos were more than just entertainment. A bad hand at cards could ruin the player in question, and many a rich gentlemen found themselves bound for the slums after one bad game too many. It wasn’t all bad though: some slum dwellers were documented as being able to win enough from card games to eventually leave their terrible situation behind, building a new life for themselves and their families. In this way, casinos had a profound effect on society and the class system, both good and bad.

However, until as late as the 1960s, gambling and casinos weren’t actually legal in the UK. For this reason, the criminal underworld and violent gangs flourished, with extortion rackets and drug smuggling becoming increasingly common across the UK, as the gangs sought to make as much money as they could. In an effort to clamp down on the spiralling crime rate the UK government decided to legalise casinos. They also published a set of guidelines in 1968 that dictated how casinos and the gaming world should run, to ensure that those in charge didn’t exploit their patrons for extra cash.

Those guidelines have been constantly updated and amended, in line with technological developments and newer games being invented. In the early 1990s the use of debit cards when in the casino was permitted, and a host of new games were added to the guidelines in 2002. Online casinos are also growing in popularity as the Internet gets in on the action, and these days almost anyone can play along at home, in their pyjamas if they wish!

Today gaming and casinos are seen as a bit of fun, harmless escapism and the chance to get dressed up and enjoy yourself for the evening. Whether headed to a charity poker tournament or playing online blackjack at home, everyone has indulged at some point, and within reason it’s a fun hobby to have. However, remember that that’s all it should be: a fun hobby, and certainly nothing to take too seriously. Remember that gaming in its essence is based on chance, and a win is in no way guaranteed; enjoy the casino, but don’t stake everything you own on it.