The first casino ever

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When you hear the word "casino," everyone's mind conjures up the image of Las Vegas, a mile-long street through the city filled with hotels and gambling houses that attract millions of tourists each year and generate billions in revenue 365 days a year. With the advent of online gambling, these premises have seen a decline in turnover, but there is no doubt that land-based casinos are an integral part of the history and transformation of gambling into a multi-billion dollar industry. But do you know what the first casino in history was?

To this day, the original source of gambling is not clear, but one thing seems certain - every civilization, in one form or another, paid serious attention to "games of chance", and hieroglyphs and drawings demonstrate this since the deepest Antiquity. However, the first official casino appeared only in 1638.

It takes place in Venice, Italy. Known as "Casino di Venezia" or "Ridotto", the casino is located on the city's Canal, is part of the city's architectural heritage and was originally a wing of the Saint Moses Theatre. The casino was part of the theater program, with spectators able to enter and gamble during intermissions during performances. However, its popularity is huge and it is open not only during productions, but also during the Venice Carnival season.

Initially only available to the city's elite, the industry grew exponentially in the years that followed, and at one point there were over 120 houses offering "games of chance" in the area. The local population was crazy about gambling, which led to the banning of both the Rido and all gambling activities in Venice in 1774. The reason is the decline of the local population and the progressive impoverishment of the people.

Today, the Casino di Venezia preserves its history, but at the same time a fully operational casino offering a range of games and hundreds of thousands of tourists visit it annually because of its rich history and the importance that the house of chance has had on the progress of the gambling industry historically .