The First Casinos in London

Many people have heard of casinos and gambling, but not many know that the first ones came into being because they allowed you to gamble while drinking alcohol. As you can imagine, this led to some problems with both the city’s citizens and its police force who tried their best to stop all this free-flowing liquor from creating havoc on the streets of London. It sounds quite surprising how such a beautiful city has these dark chapters in history but nevertheless, it is fascinating to learn more about them!

The First Popular Games

One of the first games introduced in casinos was faro. This game was played with a deck of cards and is popular among people who enjoy gambling for its simplicity.

Another early game introduced during this time period was roulette. This game is still popular today, but it has evolved significantly over the years. In 1872, the house edge on roulette was less than one percent, while today’s version has a house edge of roughly 5 percent or higher depending on how much you bet.

Chess was the most popular game in London casinos during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It was another two centuries before a new game, known today as backgammon, appeared. There were also plenty of card games available to play such as whist, euchre, and biribi.

The First Casino in London

The first casino in London opened on Fleet Street in 1670. It was the only one of its kind for nearly a century and a half. In 1843, a new legislation made it legal for casinos to operate in the city and they began to spring up around London like mushrooms. In 1877, there were fifteen of these establishments in existence. The number peaked at around 130 in 1907 before falling again until World War II started to cause a decline. There were just nine left by 1960 - three years after gambling was banned again - and only four by 1974 when the last one closed its doors for good.

Many people have heard of casinos and gambling, but not many know that the first ones came into being because they allowed you to gamble while drinking alcohol. As you can imagine, this led to some problems with both the city’s citizens and its police force who tried their best to stop all this free-flowing liquor from creating havoc on the streets of London.

Gambling in the 60s

Gambling was banned again in 1960, which saw the number of casinos fall even further. With gambling now outlawed, the underground gambling scene that had been flourishing since the 1890s became more out in the open.

In 1969, a change was made to the law that allowed casinos to reopen as long as they were run by a "recognized club". This new law allowed many casino operators to enter and start running their businesses legally. However, a year later, this changed and casinos could only be run by companies with a government gaming license. This made it much harder for smaller businesses to get started and caused another small decline among casinos.

As time went on, people became more used to gambling and it eventually became legal once more in 1971 when legislation paved the way for all other forms of betting to be legalized within certain limits. The number of casinos rose steadily in the years following this change as gambling became more accepted back into society.

Gambling and the Law

As you might expect, gambling and the law are somewhat intertwined in a historical sense. Before the 1843 legislation, it was illegal for anyone to gamble, but this changed when lawmakers decided that drinking alcohol whilst gambling was acceptable.

Conclusion

The First Casinos in London is a great article that highlights the beginning of the casino industry in London. The article goes into detail about the games that were popular during the beginning of casinos and how gambling was viewed in the 60s. It also highlights some of the historical events that led to gambling being made illegal.