The World of Playing Cards Logo

History of Online Casinos

Published August 08, 2008 Updated August 09, 2024

Online casinos appeared shortly after the internet became a more mainstream tool for the public to use.

Casino History Gaming

The internet has been in full swing for about 30 years. Of course there have been many changes and advancements since the beginning. Believe it or not, online casinos appeared just shortly after the internet became a more mainstream tool for the public to use and offered a range of popular games. In online poker each player is only able to see their own cards, just as in real life poker.

Mexican card players

Two of Clubs

A superstition that in which the presence of this card always indicacted that there were five trumps in the dealer’s hand was surprisingly, in the last century, supported by the experiences of a large number of players in the Reform Club.

Online Casinos came into play only several years after the internet was active. In 1994 there were several companies that designed preliminary software for online casinos as well as payment processing systems that were put in place in order to facilitate monetary transactions for online casinos on the internet. Today, the industry keeps changing and developing, and gamblers can even play on mobile casinos.

Intercasino, which is still a very popular online casino claims to be the first online casino that was available for players on the World Wide Web. Microgaming and Cryptologic were also some of the first masterminds behind gaming software and payment systems.

In 2001 a player was the lucky winner of an amount over $400,000 US dollars after playing on a progressive slot game at a Caribbean online casino making this the largest online casino jackpot to be won to that date.

In 2002 that jackpot is wiped with a player taking home over 1.59 Million dollars. In 2003, the eCommerce and Online Gambling Regulation and Assurance (ECOGRA) is created to provide some governing over the online gambling industry.

In 2006 there were over 2600 online casinos or online casino-like websites on the web. That is also the year that UIGEA showed its face and online casinos and any other form of online gambling was banned from the US.

Bee 92 Casino quality by USPCC for Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, 1995

Above: Bee 92 Casino quality playing cards made by USPCC with custom ace and jokers for Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, 1995. The deck has been cancelled by drilling a hole through the centre. Image courtesy Matt Probert.

Green Valley Ranch Casino by Carta Mundi c.2005

Above: Green Valley Ranch Casino by Carta Mundi with custom ace of spades and the new joker design, c.2005. The aces have four indices, all other cards have two indices. Image courtesy Matt Probert.

Online casinos continue to thrive on an overall global scale and are likely to continue to do so. Live dealer casinos are a recent development in online casino gaming, gaining traction first in SE Asia and then Europe. Try online casinos with real dealers. However, online gambling, casino and poker in the US is illegal. It's also illegal in other major countries like France and South Korea, and it is rumored that soon it'll be the same in Italy. Only the future will tell what is next in store for online casinos and the industry as a whole.

See also:   Playing Cards and Gaming   BBC: Online poker industry in turmoil after US indictments   BBC: 888 and Bwin shares soar as US betting rivals closed   BBC: Can the world of online poker chase out the cheats?.

NOTE: There are hundreds of jurisdictions in the world with Internet access and hundreds of different games and gambling opportunities available on the Internet. YOU are responsible for determining if it is legal for YOU to play any particular games or place any particular wager.

Extract of Common Sense
avatar
1,469 Articles

By Simon Wintle

Member since February 01, 1996

Founder and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.

1 comment

Katna's Avatar'

The history of online casinos reflects a rapid evolution from basic digital gambling platforms to sophisticated, technologically advanced gaming environments. 카지노사이트


Leave a Reply

Default Avatar
Your Name
Just now

Create account to comment Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here.


Related Articles

Rouen Pattern  - Portrait Rouennais

Rouen Pattern - Portrait Rouennais

An attractive XV century French-suited design from Rouen became the standard English & Anglo-America...

Ganjifa - Playing Cards from India

Ganjifa - Playing Cards from India

Indian playing cards, known as Ganjifa, feature intricate designs with twelve suits and are traditio...

The Henry Hart Puzzle

The Henry Hart Puzzle

Explore the intricate history and unique design variations of Henry Hart's playing cards, tracing th...

1647 Sevilla 1647 reproduction

Sevilla 1647 reproduction

Facsimile of Spanish-suited pack produced in Sevilla, Spain, 1647.

Why our playing-cards look the way they do

Why our playing-cards look the way they do

Analysis of early playing card designs: origins, suit differences, standardization, technological ad...

Introduction to Collecting Themes

Introduction to Collecting Themes

Playing cards can be broadly categorised into standard and non-standard designs, with collectors app...

2021 Le Monde Primitif Tarot

Le Monde Primitif Tarot

Facsimile edition produced by Morena Poltronieri & Ernesto Fazioli of Museo Internazionale dei Taroc...

Mohegan Sun playing cards

Mohegan Sun playing cards

Mohegan Sun playing cards published by Gemaco for Mohegan Sun casino.

75: Early American cards

75: Early American cards

An overview of some of the early cards made in the United States.

2006 Ladbroke Sporting Casino

Ladbroke Sporting Casino

Ladbroke Sporting Casino caricature cartoon playing cards, U.K, c.2006.

1450 Early German playing cards

Early German playing cards

Some early examples of popular German playing cards from the XV and XVI centuries.

A New Look at the Evolution of Whist Markers and Gaming Counters

A New Look at the Evolution of Whist Markers and Gaming Counters

This article aims to illustrate the evolution of whist and gaming counters from the 18th century to ...

1650 The Parisian Tarot

The Parisian Tarot

The “Parisian Tarot”, early 1600s, with imagery and design synthesizing several influences.

1993 Multicard

Multicard

A Spanish-suited pack with multiple uses including roulette and dice.

73: Fakes, Forgeries and Tax Evasion

73: Fakes, Forgeries and Tax Evasion

When there are official taxes to pay, people will find a way to avoid paying them - often illegally....

Goodall & Son Patience Boxed Sets

Goodall & Son Patience Boxed Sets

Goodall & Son produced a huge variety of Patience Boxed Sets at different times and for different co...