Gambling has been a popular pastime around the world for centuries, and its rich history is an interesting one to explore. Gambling can be traced all the way back to Ancient China where dice games were played as early as 2300 BC. The Chinese also invented Keno, which is still popular today. Other ancient cultures like the Egyptians and the Greeks were known to have indulged in gambling activities as well.
In Europe, gambling was first seen during the Roman Empire with Emperor Claudius being a known fan of dice games. This popularity continued throughout Medieval times when people would gamble on cards, horseracing, cockfighting and even bear baiting. During this time period, gambling had become so widespread that it was even mentioned in literature such as Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
The 16th century brought about more organized forms of gambling with the development of casinos in Italy and France. Soon after this, these casinos began popping up all over Europe and even in the US by 1821 when Mississippi opened its first casino in New Orleans. By this time, gambling had become a favorite pastime among many people and some countries even made it legal or partially legal to gamble on certain games or activities.
Today, online gambling is becoming increasingly popular as technology advances but it still pales in comparison to traditional forms of gambling that have been around for centuries. From dice games played by Ancient Chinese emperors to modern day online poker tournaments, gambling has come a long way from its humble beginnings and continues to be an ever popular form of entertainment for millions of people around the world.
