The Origin of the Term "Casino"

The concept "casino" is of Italian origin. Italian word "casa" (translated as "house") was the ancestor for the modern term "casino". With years the world has changed its meaning and was used to describe a place that was built to entertain visitors and provide all variety of possible pleasures (like listening to music, dancing and of course gambling).

Casinos = Gambling?

In the 19th century the term "casino" was expanded and covered other popular houses that offered different types of pleasant pastime including sports activities and gambling. It is interesting to emphasize that the concept "casino" was used not only to describe gaming but some other civic activities. Have a look at Copenhagen Casino: during the Revolution in 1848 its hall was used for general meetings. Another example is Finland with its Hanko casino. This building was generally used as a place of recreation and banquet hall. Later in the 19th century it was popular restaurant but still it was never used for gambling and other hazard adventures of a kind.

Casino Chronicle in America

American casino history is rooted in the times of saloons and cowboys. It is crucially important to name 4 cities that affected the evolution of gambling industry as we know it nowadays:

  • San Francisco (an open door to goldmines with all the gold rush adventures)
  • Chicago (the source of brewing business in America)
  • New Orleans (that started the way to Texas)
  • St. Louis (with all its fur and skin trade)

First American casino was known as Brown's Saloon. It was founded in 1822 in neighboring states such as Wyoming, Colorado and Utah.

In the 20th century gambling was forbidden by American legislation and public reforms. But still a little bit later in 1931 it was again brought to light and presented as legal in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Around 1970s gambling houses of Las Vegas gained popularity connected with Mafioso groups. That resulted in release of the movie directed by Martin Scorsese and called "Casino".

To the present days Las Vegas is reputed as the world gambling center. Yearly millions of gamblers rush to Las Vegas in search of hazard impressions, jackpots and adrenalin. Other American gambling centers are: Atlantic City (New Jersey), Tunica Resorts (Mississippi), Gulf Coast (Biloxi).

Conclusion

Nowadays every single person can choose any casino game that suits his/her demands. There are disputes around the gambling legislation. And it is not a surprise due to the existence of low-quality online casinos. But still the best virtual gambling houses have an official license and other necessary data that supports their players and provide the best possible conditions for fair play.