Top 10 Interesting Facts about Casinos
Over the years millions of people have wagered an unbelievable amount of money at casinos. Traditional casino games like roulette have been labeled instruments of the devil! Numerous rumors surround the origin of games like blackjack, poker, baccarat and craps, and the humble slot machine increased the appeal of gambling by combining a gaming experience with gambling. Further seminal developments occurred with the advent of the internet and the proliferation of online casinos. Many people play slot games for fun, without expecting any life-changing wins. When the wins do come, they are appreciated all the more. Online casinos are widely available and offer significant benefits to players who sign up, and greater loyalty bonuses if you stay loyal to one casino. Some unusual and surprising facts have emerged over the years and gone into casino legend. Let’s have a look at just a few of the more interesting ones, shall we?
1 – The Creation of Las Vegas
Las Vegas was initially invented as a stopover between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City in 1905. In 1931, work commenced on the Hoover Dam subsequently, urbanization took off, and the famous Vegas Strip was born, with its hotels and casinos. Las Vegas is a gambling mecca unparalleled in the world today.
2 – Super Big Bertha
The most massive slot machine in the world is Super Big Bertha. The amazing contraption is essentially an 8 reel slot machine constructed as far back as the 1950s. It was built at an astronomical sum for the time of $150,000. It still holds the world record for size today at 2.5 meters tall and 2 meters wide.
3 – Bertha’s Jackpot & Cracking the Jackpot
The probability of hitting Big Bertha’s jackpot is equivalent to the population of China; 1.25 billion! Nevertheless, a 25-year-old engineer worker managed to crack the ‘unbreakable’ code playing an online jackpot and beat the odds to guess the probability of a 16.7 million to one jackpot payout worth US$39,710,826 by playing Megabucks slot!
4 – The Howard Hughes Connection
Howard Hughes legitimised Las Vegas with his arrival in 1966. Before that, Sin City was associated with the Mafia. He helped to transform Las Vegas into the family tourist center it is today, officially classified as a Megaresort.
5 – The Cigar Jackpot
The first slot machine was built in 1891 and was based on poker hands. Playing entailed wagering a nickel and receiving 5-reels with 50 card image faces that spin with the assistance of a particular lever. Winning a Royal Flush provided payout prizes like free beers, other freebies, and a cigar, thus the name Cigar Jackpot was coined. What would you have chosen? The cigar or free beer?
6 – Monaco citizens barred from entering casinos
Incredibly, citizens of Monaco are barred from entering casinos there unless providing a service, or working there. The archaic rule has been in existence ever since 1856 and enacted by King Charles III during his reign. Originally intended from keeping the residents from accumulating severe debt, the rule has never been repealed till today.
7 – Aristotle wrote a detailed Craps guide
Aristotle was never one to shy away from proving a point. He wrote a detailed instruction manual and guide on how to play Craps and the probabilities of dice. This not only helped him play the game to perfection but enabled him to win consistently, without having to resort to unethical play or cheating.
8 – Slots of Las Vegas
Official statistics point towards an astonishing 68 percent of Las Vegas gamblers spending their money on slot machines. Sometimes, someone gets lucky and wins a fortune!
9 – Roulette is considered the Devil’s game
The elegant and classy casino game of roulette was not originally intended as a casino game. Furthermore, the game has always been associated with the forces of darkness and the king of evil himself, Lucifer. Roulette was invented by famous French Mathematician Blaise Pascal as a machine that would always remain in perpetual motion. Roulette was introduced in Monte Carlo in the late 19th century. The game was glamourized when Francois Blanc supposedly sold his soul to Satan and accumulated untold riches playing the game. Strangely enough, all the numbers on the roulette wheel add up to 666, which adds substance to the claim!
10 – Record Online Jackpot Payout
Jon Heywood, a player from the UK, managed to win a mind-boggling $20,062,600 in October 2015, by spinning the reels of the now infamous online slot game Mega Moolah, released by Microgaming.