Whether you step into a traditional land-based casino or you visit a virtual one online, you’ll encounter an intriguing mixture of the old and new. The latest online slots are powered by innovative gaming technology and AI. With table games, on the other hand, the innovation is limited to the live streaming technology that allows you to play online in real time. The games themselves have changed little in hundreds of years.
In fact, you might be surprised at just how long a history is associated with some casino games. Here, we have performed a little bit of virtual casino archaeology to find some of the oldest casino games that have stood the test of time.
Blackjack
The most popular casino game of them all, you’ll find multiple blackjack tables at any casino in the world. That’s also the case in cyberspace. Every one of the real money casinos listed at gamblingsites.org offers traditional blackjack, and many online casinos also offer a few modern variations like blackjack switch and double exposure blackjack.
These tweaks and small evolutionary steps are typical in any card game. While blackjack itself was first played around 200 years ago, the French game of vingt et un, on which it is based, was mentioned in Miguel de Cervantes’ 1605 novel Don Quixote, so the game was certainly popular in the 1500s, and possibly even earlier.
Keno
If you thought the concept of lottery funding for worthy causes was dreamt up in the late 20th century, think again. The casino game of keno, in which players guess which numbers will be drawn at random, has been around for centuries.
Years ago, organizers would set aside some of the funds generated for public projects, and pay out the rest in prizes. How many years ago? Well, according to historians, Chinese Emperor Cheung Leung used keno to pay for renovations to the Great Wall of China more than 2000 years ago during the Han Dynasty.
Craps
Archaeologists have found evidence that humans were playing dice games as long ago as 6000 BC. Of course, we have no idea what games they played with them, but the oldest dice game that is still commonly played in casinos today is craps.
It was devised by Sir William of Tyre in 1125. He was a military leader during the Crusades, and promoted the game as a way to keep his soldiers entertained and motivated in between battles and sieges.
Roulette
The roulette wheel is an iconic symbol of the casino, and its history is a fascinating one. Blaise Pascal is a renowned French mathematician, scientist and inventor who lived during the 17th century. He was intrigued by the theory of perpetual motion and created several pieces of equipment in his attempts to make it a reality.
Pascal’s attempts were in vain, but one of his creations, a spinning wooden wheel, was gradually developed during the 1700s into the game of chance that still enchants and enthralls casino goers to this day.
