The Oldest Casino Games and Their Origins

Casino games have been around for centuries, and some began without the element of gambling. However, here we'll focus on those featured in the earliest casino establishments because, believe it or not, the oldest casino establishments date back to the 1600s.

There's always information on online slot games for US players. You'll find the information about the developer, the idea behind their theme and how to play them quite easily. It's time to learn more about other classic casino games and how they came about.

If you've got no idea of the origins of roulette, baccarat, blackjack, keno or bingo, then it's time to gain some knowledge on these.

Roulette

In 1796, the French mathematician, Blaise Pascal, tried to create a perpetual motion machine without success. Little did he know he was developing a solid foundation for a roulette game. Before that, there had already been a similar version of the game called roly-poly that was played in Britain but got banned in 1739. It's fair to say that both these instances played a vital role in creating the classic roulette game as we know it today.

The roulette game that’s well known today took shape in the 18th century and became very popular in France. It was developed using a French lotto game called Biribi. It became even more popular when two French men, François and Louis Blanc, removed the double zero to increase players' chances of winning the game.

All the foundation and the changes that occurred gave us various roulette versions: American, European, and French.

Baccarat

Card games are believed to have first started in China as early as the 9th century. Baccarat began to be noticed in Italy in the 1400s. It became popular in France in the late 1800s to early 1900s among the elite until gambling was banned in 1907.

As it spread across the world, various versions of baccarat emerged. These include the three-player variant called baccarat banque, followed by a two-player version called chemin de fer and then a more recent version Baccarat Punto Banco.

Of course, you'll find many other versions of baccarat in online casino games.

Blackjack

The place of origin is unclear for blackjack. However, it can be referenced back to the 1600s, thanks to Miguel de Cervantes for mentioning it in a short story of his publication, Novelas Ejemplares. With this book published in 1613, blackjack was likely popular in the 16th to 17th centuries.

It spread around Europe under the name 21, then made its way to America in the 19th century. This is where the name blackjack emerged due to the popularity of a bonus hand made from a jack and an ace of spades.

Keno

Most stories surrounding the origins of keno, point to China. However, it's unclear how or when keno was created. Though, it's suggested it could date back to the 2nd century BC. It's also unclear whether it was to end a war or raise funds.

As a confirmation that it's part of China's history, it was introduced to the West by Chinese immigrants in the 19th century. Though it was illegal at first, it became popular and was referred to as the ‘Chinese lottery.’

It became legal in Nevada, and its current name emerged as it was given the name 'Horse Race Keno.' It then became keno as it grew larger, even outside horse racing.

Bingo

Bingo's origins can be traced back to Europe, in 1530 Italy. It was a lottery game called “Il Gioco del Lotto d’Italia.” As it spread around Europe, it became trendy in France among different classes, and it was called "Le Lotto." This was in the late 1700s when it became less of a lotto game and more of a numbers game loved by everyone.

It later became popular in Britain around the 18th century before crossing oceans to American countries like the US. As a result of beans being used to mark numbers in the game, it was called beano.

The toy manufacturer started printing out the game under this name and selling it.

Our Verdict

Card, numbers, and dice casino games have been around for a long time. Some may have started as ordinary games with names and rules slightly different from what we know today. Even though the place of origin is unclear for some, roulette, baccarat, blackjack, keno, and bingo were, at some point in history, very popular in Italy and France. Besides that, they also remain a significant part of the casino industry, including online.