Who invented casino games?

Casino games are everywhere in 2021 – there are more land-based and online casinos than ever before, and they are showing no sign of slowing down. However, it’s important to remember that casino games are nothing new – even your great-great-great grandparents probably played casino games!

So, where did they come from and who was the inventor of this epic industry? Read on to find out – we’ll be taking a look at:

–          China

–          Italy

–          USA

China: The True Origins of Gambling

When we think of who ‘invented’ casino games, this can mean various things. Are we looking for the person who invented the concept of a casino, or instead the inventor of gambling itself? If we’re talking about gambling over casino games, the true origins have to be China! These casino game fans dated back as far as the 10th century, playing classic Chinese casino games such as Pai Gow! The Chinese continued to develop many different casino games over the last 1,000 years and when they began to immigrate to the USA, the phenomena really gained some traction! However, we can’t give China all of the credit…

Italy: The Origin of the Casino

Despite China being the clear leader of the invention of gambling, they were only being played casually amongst friends – there wasn’t any form of culture or system surrounding it. However, the Italians were the first people to cotton on to the lucrative potential of running a casino, an establishment that would be dedicated to casino games. The first casino ever was founded on the Grand Canal in Venice, named ‘Casino di Venezia’, and was in fact part of a theatre. During intermissions, theatre audiences would rush to the casino wing to enjoy gambling with their friends and potentially leave the theatre with an unexpected jackpot. Initially it may have seemed that the Chinese invented casino games, but if Italy invented the casino then surely THEY are the true winners?

Slot Games

We can’t write an article about the invention of casino games without mentioning slots! Slot machines certainly weren’t at the forefront of gambling history, with the first slot machine not arising until the 19th century. However, can you imagine a casino games industry these days without slot machines and without 200 free spins on your favorite slots? Casinos simply wouldn’t be the same, so we have to give the USA credit for this fantastic invention! They may not have invented casino games, but without their input we’d be missing out on the following:

–          The Las Vegas Experience

–          The showmanship and culture of dealers and croupier’s

–          All of the different varieties of slot machines

So, who invented casino games?

Well, it’s not that simple! There’s no way of truly saying who invented gambling, but history suggests it was China. However, these weren’t technically casino games as Italy didn’t invent the first casino until the 17th century! Or was it the USA for their overwhelming contributions to casino culture? Our opinion – they’re all just as important as each other, there simply isn’t a clear winner when it comes to the rich culture of casino games!