The history of gambling spans thousands of years. Various kinds of gambling were chronicled in ancient civilizations like Greece and Rome. However, gaming and the legislation that governs it have evolved. It had changed dramatically throughout time.
In this post, we shall explore the development of gambling and regulations over time along with some interesting facts.
Historical context
Gambling has been there for thousands of years and has always been a component of human society. In fact, gambling games were popular among ancient cultures such as the Greeks and Romans. Also, it had the support of governments and religious organizations during the Middle Ages.
The early forms of gaming were simple and regulated lightly. People gamble on games and sports. Most often, they use basic things like dice or pebbles to decide the outcome of each game. In certain communities, gambling was a sort of religious practice where they play games to honor gods.
Early Regulations
The Venetian government developed a state-run lottery in the 15th century. This was the initial attempt to control gambling in the modern era. Lotteries in other European nations in 16th and 7th centuries then emerged. Some of these countries are France, Spain, and England.
Governments began to restrict gambling as societies evolved. For example, gambling was only permissible during certain festivities in ancient Rome. In most cases, anyone caught gambling after these festivals had to bear the penalty.
Prohibition
Gambling in the United States was totally unregulated until the early twentieth century. However, a tide of anti-gambling fervor resulted in the adoption of laws prohibiting gaming in several states. The most well-known regulation is Volstead Act of 1919. This act later on led to the outlawing of most types of gambling.
Legalization
Following this, numerous states began to allow various types of gambling. Such sports are horse racing and lotteries. This pattern went on into the second part of the twentieth century, with many states authorizing casino gambling as well. Today, there are 1,000 plus casinos in the United States alone.
Online Gambling
The advent of the internet led to the rise of online gambling. This era brought regulators with a new set of issues. Many nations still battle to properly regulate internet gambling. Some are deciding to outright prohibit it. Few other still attempts to develop licensing and regulatory systems to manage it.
Interesting Facts
To truly understand the origins of gambling and its regulation, it is crucial to know the trends that have led to the change. You can find more facts here to know each in details.
