Gambling is one of the oldest forms of entertainment. Humans have been casting dice, betting on the outcome of races or fights, playing cards and other tried and regular gambling activities for as long as civilization has existed. In the technique, gambling has become a valid multicultural animation. The games that we play have evolved from games of chance that developed all across the world: Keno has its origins in China, term Craps, Roulette and Blackjack originated in Western Europe. Dice were vacated from the ruins of Pompeii, ticks in the United States national lotteries were used to finance the Continental Myriad that faced the British armies in the Revolutionary War.
Trained have been times throughout history when gambling has been outlawed. Recurrently it ' s a proceeds of religious or societal upheaval ( selfsame as the evangelical movement that pushed to have US lotteries outlawed hard by the Civil War ). England ' s Henry VIII enjoyed gambling immensely, but when he fix out that some of his soldiers were spending more time throwing dice than practicing with their weapons, he outlawed gambling in England in the 14th century. Whenever and wherever gambling has been outlawed, it ' s always made a taunt and has eventually been legalised also. Overmuch many people revel in the stimulate that comes from wagering money.
The former 20 years have seen a - golden age - in gambling across much of the world thanks to the emergence of the online casino. When the public enthusiastically adopted the Internet, the web and the personal computer, the future of gambling was decided. By moving gambling to online casinos, players could access the games they wanted to play wherever and whenever they wished; there was no travel to a physical casino and no operating hours to worry about.
From an operational standpoint it was far easier to provide a high quality experience online than to build a physical casino. While a casino like GrandWest in Cape Town is wonderful facility that boasts 2, 500 slot machines, its estimated to have cost over R1billion to build - and that was a decade ago. Building and operating casinos, horse tracks and other gambling facilities is expensive, requires huge swaths of land and when completed, these facilities only serve a limited geographic area. Someone living in Douglas is not going to simply hop in their car and drive to Cape Town after work for an hour of fun.
Online casinos erase geographical limitations while eliminating the massive capital expenditure required building and operating a physical facility. With lower operating costs, many online gambling sites offer players a more attractive house advantage, while the processing power of modern personal computers means that virtually any casino game can be accurately replicated as a digital playing experience: almost like a video game.
Online gambling had its first start in 1994, with the launch of MicroGaming, the world ' s first online gambling software developer. Others quickly followed and the industry took off through the 1990s, despite the rudimentary computers, slow network speeds and lack of homes with web access. The lure of being able to play a challenging game on demand was great enough to overcome these early challenges. By 2000, there were 700 web - based casinos in operation, taking bets from players worldwide.
As online gambling grew in popularity, some very large numbers began to emerge. In 2005, a player in Florida won $US 2 million playing a progressive slot game through an online casino. The number of operational online casinos multiplied into the thousands, with annual revenues estimated in the $US 50 billion range. High speed networks, widespread internet access and powerful computers have meant the gaming experience has become life like and more compelling than ever.
When it comes to gambling, South Africans are big fans. In fact, a recent Global Gaming Outlook report put South Africa third in the world ( behind only Germany and France ) for the value of its casino market. South Africa also has its own online casinos, websites developed specifically to appeal to gamblers in this country that offer gaming anytime, anywhere. Look for one that offers compelling promotions ( offers like R100 free for registering an account, or cashback offers are good signs ), variety ( 250 games or more is a premium website ) and a range of banking options such as Visa, Mastercard, Skrill and Neteller. Live support with chat is an added bonus ensuring players always get the most out of their experience.
Adam Rane writes about gambling and games of chance from his home in Pretoria. He has published articles on everything from on - track horse betting to the South African National Lottery and the growing popularity of Online Casinos. Adam feels that online gambling is the future due to convenience, ease of use, customization by market and the lack of need for extensive ( and expensive ) physical facilities to house the games.
