The fascinating history of the development of slots

Now online casino is the undisputed leader in the world of gambling. This vertical steadily holds the lead in terms of revenues, the number of customers, and advertising and demonstrates the most dynamic growth rates. 

But until recently, online gambling was a rather exotic phenomenon, which developed into a mastodon thanks to technological breakthroughs. Nevertheless, the gambling experience offers fantastic games, such as teen patti real cash, video slots, and other entertainment. You will find out more about these games today. 

History of the emergence of online casinos

Even though this vertical has several significant differences from the land-based business, it originated from it. Therefore, the history of online casinos is directly related to the history of gambling. No one can say precisely when the first gambling house appeared. There is evidence that gambling arose in China about two thousand years BC, and there is evidence that the dice were a popular game in ancient Egypt since the tombs of the pharaohs found dice remarkably similar to modern. Ancient Rome, where there was a sweepstake on the chariot races and gladiatorial fights, also contributed.

The first officially known casino in history is the Ridotto, which opened in Venice in 1638. It was available only to members of the aristocracy. In 1765, opened the first casino in France, which had official status, and around the same time appeared all the famous roulette. In Europe’s 18th century, there was a boom in gambling and the opening of casinos and gambling halls.

In America, the gambling business began to develop rapidly in the 18th century, when many states had casinos. Blackjack was particularly popular there, which today remains the same game in all the casinos. But later, gambling began to be forbidden, and it remained legal only in New Jersey and Nevada and in casinos owned by Indian tribes.

However, with advances in technology, solutions began to emerge that eventually evolved into what everyone knows today as an online casino, which is a virtual gambling house where you can find both classic roulette, slots, blackjack, and poker, as well as newer and more unique games created by gambling software providers. Among the most famous first online casinos are Europa casino, William Hill, and 888 casinos. Some appeared in the online format in the last century and have been operating successfully.

Chronology of the appearance of online casinos

As such, there is no single history of the emergence of online gambling. Still, it is possible to find several key events that laid the foundation for both the industry and its further development:

• 1994 – Microgaming created a platform on which slot machine simulator programs can be installed. At the same time, the island country of Antigua and Barbuda began working on licensing online casinos.
• 1995 – the first online casino Gaming Club opens.
• 1996 – several online casinos are already operating on the web, and a commission appears in the Canadian province of Kahnawake, which grants licenses for digital casinos.
• 1998 – The progressive jackpot feature emerged, leading to a large influx of users to gambling websites. The profits of all players in the industry are almost $1 billion.
• 2001 – a new stage in the development of the sphere, more and more establishments appear, and the sphere of gambling software service develops, where they constantly work on new ideas: games for several users, original bonuses, etc.
• 2007 – the first representatives of live games appeared, where the player could interact with live dealers.
• 2015 – there is a boom of mobile gambling in the market, so gambling mobile offers are created en masse, and online casinos become even more accessible to users.
• 2018 – technology enters the market, thanks to which it is possible to make quality broadcasts from land-based to online casinos, which ensures the quality development of live games.
• 2019 – the coronavirus pandemic begins, which causes many people left in isolation to turn more actively to online gambling, eventually leading to a new boom in the industry and record revenues. In 2020, for example, the online casino industry worldwide will generate up to $60 billion in revenue.

The most popular gambling game in the world was invented in 1880. The machine was based on poker, with five reels and 50 cards. To start the game, the customer dropped a coin, pulled the handle, and waited for the result on the reels. If the customer won, he could get a beer or a cigar from the bartender.  

Online casino

Already more classic slot owes its appearance to Charles Fey, who invented it in 1894-1895. These machines were called one-armed bandits because they had a separate lever to start the game. In 1898, the first device that automatically paid winnings was created and was called “Liberty Bell.” It was trendy even after the banning of slot machines.

The next stage was the “fruit slots,” where the drums were drawn fruit instead of card symbols. Interestingly, at first, the “payout” in them was in the form of fruit-flavored gum, which was done to circumvent the laws against gambling in many states.

In 1964, the electromechanical slot was invented, which, thanks to its improved system, paid automatically and accepted up to five hundred coins without the need for technical support.  

As we mentioned earlier, in 1994 and 1996, the first online casino licenses appeared, allowing operators worldwide to enter this niche. In parallel with this, online slots began to develop, which was software instead of a cumbersome machine. And since then, despite the market saturation with the most different offers, places continue to hold the primacy among players. It can be explained by the fact that virtual slot machines are easy to learn, have simple gameplay, and provide many bonuses and winning lines.

The future of online casinos

As the pandemic has shown, this gambling vertical has essentially unlimited growth potential. Almost every year, you can hear about online gambling breaking records again regarding players and revenues. However, this boom has also attracted increased attention from regulators in many countries worldwide, which somehow resulted in restrictions or new rules for the activity.

In addition, gambling software providers are constantly working to provide unique offers that can attract new players. But along with this, “classic” slots are also being improved, which, for example, already have 3D functionality or can be played with a virtual reality headset.