According to ancient Greek mythology, Fortune, the daughter of Zeus and Tycho, goddess of Chance, invented games of chance and had buildings constructed specifically for playing these games. Whether or not a Greek goddess had anything to do with gambling, the ancient Greeks did have rooms or buildings for playing their dice games, complete with all the necessary equipment. They are considered the prototype of the modern casino.

Casinos Throughout Europe

Games of chance began to spread across Europe and throughout civilization. At first, the games were played on street corners and private clubs. Gambling was not formalized in any real manner until the 17th century, when enterprising men saw that they could make a profit from the money gambled. Specialized venues were set up to play the games of chance, and instead of men betting against each other, they bet against what was called the house. These venues came to be called casinos, which originated from the Italian word for house, “casa.”

Casinos began to spring up throughout Europe, often found in areas that were already heavy in tourist attractions. The first casino and spa combination was built in 1763, in the Belgian town of Spa, where people came to bathe in the natural spring waters.

Europe’s casino tradition is most famous in Monte Carlo, where Prince Charles III brought gambling to boost Monaco’s finances. The casinos were designed by some of Europe’s most noted architects. No expenses were spared. Prince Charles wanted the most beautiful casinos in the world, and throughout the 20th century, those casinos attracted the world’s rich and famous.

Casinos in the United States

The first casinos in the United States were found along the Mississippi River during the 1800s. But as post-Civil War Reconstruction and religious fervor spread across the country, gambling was declared illegal almost everywhere in the country.

In the 1930s, Nevada legalized gambling permanently, and the first casinos opened in 1931. The casinos as they are thought of today came a decade later. Bugsy Siegel and the Mafia settled in Nevada to avoid the crackdown of its illegal gambling establishments. Siegel dreamed of opening a luxury hotel for the rich and famous. The Mob funded the project, and the Flamingo Hotel and Casino was opened in late 1946. It failed miserably, but others saw potential in Las Vegas as a resort town. The idea of the luxury casino was improved upon, and by the 1950s, the modern idea of casino resorts was firmly established.

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