Did you know slot machines used to pay out gum, the light from the Luxor Casino has formed its own ecosystem and European roulette is easier to play than the American version?
Gambling and casinos are full of fun facts and quirky tidbits of trivia, so here we tell you about 14 of the coolest casino facts that any gaming-loving guru needs to know.
1. Gambling Dates Back 1000s of Years
While online casinos really only started in the last couple of decades, gambling and casinos are not new things – they’ve been around since before money was even invented. Games of chance have been discovered on tiles from ancient China, dice have been excavated from the tombs and old cities of Egypt, and Greek and Roman pottery suggest that betting was commonplace on gladiatorial conquests.
The first playing cards were thought to have first appeared in China in the 9th century, while Italy housed the first casino in the world, which was established in Venice in 1638.
2. The Biggest Slot Machine Win Was $39.7 Million
Won from just a $100 bet at the Excalibur Casino in Las Vegas in 2003, the world’s largest slot machine payout was a cool $39,700,000. The largest payout in an online casino was won by a player from Finland, who took away $24 million from a 25 cent bet on the Mega Moolah slot machine.
3. Move Over Vegas, Macau is the World’s Gambling Capital
While Vegas gets all the headlines, Macau, a tiny territory owned by China, is actually the world’s largest and most profitable gambling city. Macau’s 41 casinos attract some of the biggest-spending high rollers who bring in 75 percent of the various casinos’ revenue – more than five times the amount made by Las Vegas casinos.
4. Slot Machines Used to Pay Out Gum, Cigars and Beer
The first types of slot machines were nicknamed “fruit machines” because they paid out chewing gum instead of coins, in flavors such as lemon, cherry, plum and orange, hence the symbols of these fruits on the machines.
Images of chewing gum packets were later added to the reels, which we now know as the BAR symbol that is seen on fruit machines today. Before 1888, many slots would also issue tokens for cigars or drinks at the tavern that they were played in.
5. Monte Carlo Casino Pays the Tax of Monaco Residents
While residents of Monaco are not permitted to gamble in the famous Monte Carlo Casino, they certainly still reap its benefits. Since 1869, Monaco has not required its residents to pay any income tax at all; instead, the revenue from the casino is utilized for this purpose.
6. The Luxor Casino Has Created Its Own Ecosystem
The Sky Beam ray of light that shoots upwards from the Luxor Casino in Las Vegas is so bright that it has created its own ecosystem of insects. Moths and bugs, and the bats that feast upon them, visit the area nightly, attracted by the light that’s considered to be the strongest light beam on earth.
So many insects are drawn to the light that bats have quickly recognized it as a place to enjoy an evening feeding frenzy, which has helped to establish it as a whole new ecosystem on the famous Vegas strip. Airline pilots also rely on the beaming ray of light, as it’s a useful point of orientation.
7. The World Has Lots of Different Slots Names
Slots, slot machines, fruit machines, pokies, puggies, video slots – who would have thought so many names could exist for the same thing! Around the world slot machines are known by many different names. “Slots” and “slot machines” are the most commonly-used name in the United States and Canada, while “video slots” is also used widely.
On the other side of the pond, in the UK the Brits tend to call them “fruit machines”, while some folk in Scotland refer to them as “puggies”. Down under they’re known as “poker machines” in Australia and New Zealand, or more commonly “pokies” for short. Other names that can still sometimes be heard date back to the early years of slots use, such as “one armed bandit”, “reel spinners” and “penny slots”.
8. European Roulette Is Easier to Win Than American Roulette
European roulette wheels have one pocket less than American roulette wheels, so the odds of winning are slightly higher, at 37 to 1 for individual number bets. This is due to European roulette wheels having just one green zero pocket, while American roulette wheels have a zero pocket as well as a double zero pocket, so the odds decrease to 1 in 38.
9. Blackjack Strategy Can Lower a House Edge to 0.5%
Blackjack has one of the lowest house edges of all casino games, meaning there’s a higher likelihood of winning back your bets compared to many other games. When blackjack players bet on instinct alone, they are more likely to lose a hand. But when playing by following the recommended basic blackjack strategy, they can improve their winnings odds so much that the house edge is almost negligible, at around 0.5 to 1%.
10. Casino Speakers Used to Play Sounds of Coins Dropping
In times gone by, some land casinos would play over their speakers the sounds of coins dropping. The hope was to fool people into thinking that they were winning, which would encourage them to bet more.
11. You Won’t Find Clocks or Windows in a Casino
Another cunning way for casinos to keep patrons playing is by not having any windows or clocks, so it’s easier for patrons to lose track of time.
12. Nevada State Prison Had an Inmate Casino
Gambling is big business in the state of Nevada to the point where the local prison even had its own casino! Open for 35 years, the jailhouse casino gave inmates the chance to play blackjack, craps and poker between 1932 to 1967, and even allowed betting on sports played within the prison’s walls.
13. The Numbers on a Roulette Wheel Add Up to 666
The number 666 is often held by many as having superstitious significance, so perhaps it’s not a coincidence that the numbers on a roulette wheel total 666 when added up. Given how interconnected superstitions can be with gambling, it’s hardly any surprise and in fact many historians actually believe this format to have been quite deliberate.
14. The World’s Smallest Casino is in a Taxi
A taxi in the city of Birmingham in the UK wins the title of smallest casino in the world. Used to promote the Grosvenor Casino, the taxi features a dealer, online gaming facilities and even a bar! For the cost of a donation to a local charity, players can be driven around town or dropped off at the casino free of charge.
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