Gambling

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value (referred to as "the stakes") on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods. Typically, the outcome of the wager is evident within a short period.

The precise origin of gambling is unknown. The Chinese recorded the first official account of the practice in 2300 BC, but it is generally believed that gambling in some form or another has been seen in almost every society in history. From the Ancient Greeks and Romans to Napoleon's France and Elizabethan England, much of history is filled with stories of entertainment based on games of chance

The word Hasard has developed over millennia. It probably comes from the Arabic word "al zahr" the die, or the Spanish "azar" the game of chance. Archaeologists discovered in their excavations, the first traces of Gambling. This can be dated back to 40 000 BC when already at that time man had a passion for the game. There have been similar games such dice, which were made out of bone found in Egypt dating back to 1500 B.C.. Dice games were also popular in Mesopotamia and Greece. Betting games back in the days were different then now, in games such as battles in the Coliseum of Rome where gladiators had to prove themselves. The oldest card game has been written about in Chinese chronicles around 900 A.D, which state that a card game similar to today's Poker, was introduce by the Chinese Emperor Mu Tsung. The game was considered very popular since on New Year's Eve, the emperor played 'domino cards' with his wife.

Political issues were solved by gambling. Kings of Norway and Sweden used a game of dice to split the ownership of a property that was being claimed both dating back to 1000 A.D. This dispute for a district was resolved ina peaceful settlement for ownership just with a few rolls of dice. Gambling, as we know it today, turned in the gold rush in America.

Gambling as we know it today, turned in the gold rush in America by some odd estimates it was concluded that 25% of the men who swamped California in the time of the Gold Rush were gamblers. A great deal of money changed hands across the gaming tables in the winter of 1848. Gold dust was wagered by thousands of pounds during the great Gold Rush era. The entire west coast was littered with players, mainly dominated by card games such as poker and blackjack. Games were played in saloons of California, Nevada and South Dakota. In these places, the largest casinos have been built. The most famous city of gambling to this day is Las Vegas located in Nevada.

Gambling began to spread to Europe and turned into something more than a card game. Competitions such as horse races became very popular, which later developed into sports betting. In 1900 Charles K. McNeil invented the point spread, which had the greatest impact on sports gambling in history.