Gambling is a human activity that has been practiced since before we started recording history. To some extent, it is a part of us. Since humans evolved from the wilds of East Africa, risk versus reward has been a challenge to us as we are scattered across the continents. In the Stone Age, survival was the gamble of eating or being eaten. Subsequently, it became a part of the mystical and magical worlds where tribal chiefs, shamans, and priests used gambling to predict various phenomena like winning wars, harvesting times, and curing diseases of all kinds. In this article, we go through different periods and how they gambled until we reached the current times of online wagering on platforms such as Winnita Casino.
Ancient Egypt
There is archaeological evidence demonstrating gambling activities in ancient Egypt around 3000 BC (Before Christ). Archaeologists, while working in the tomb, found the knuckle bones of sheep shaped as dice. Their use was portrayed in the hieroglyphs. The dice found were similar to the modern dice that we play with craps – having dots on all six faces. In fact, the casual everyday name for dice in a craps game is “bones.” You can frequently hear participants of craps make reference to “roll them bones” before rolling the dice. 
During these forgotten days, the Egyptians used bone dice for religious rituals. The objective was to predict the future and interpret the meaning of the gods’ intent or their desire for humans. This was interpreted by the priests, usually with the intention to gain further power and wealth, the ability to control the populace, and, at times, control the government of the time.
Christian Era
After the crucifixion of Christ, the Bible in John 19:23-24 narrates that the Roman Soldiers opted to cast lots to determine who would go with Jesus’ garments instead of tearing them up to share. The lots refer to dice and a gambling game that was popular among the Romans during the period. This is the only citation to wagering in the entire Christian canon, and this mention has been used to justify that wagering was a sinful act throughout the Christian era. In modern times, this has changed despite there being some conservative Christians in the United States of America who use this argument to oppose any kind of gambling. They often can be hypocrites since, at times, during fundraising periods, they are ok with hosting “Vegas Nights” and Bingo Games to raise money for the church. To these religious fanatics, gambling is only a sin when they are not beneficiaries of the loot.
China
The history of gambling is more extended than we have covered above. About 2000 years before the carved bone dice used by the Egyptians, the Chinese had created a version of playing cards. Although these playing cards are nothing similar to what we are accustomed to in modern times, they were clear precursors of them. The playing cards were in the style of pictographs depicting different shapes and values. These cards, in turn, were used as the first form of paper currency; they were traded for other cards and goods. Another use was in games of chance and as rewards to winners. The use of rewards was usually in battles of skill or in war, but also in commerce. Despite the absence of specimens from these early cards, their existence can be inferred from what archaeologists have dug up at historical sites and old documents that the Chinese government has allowed to be excavated.
Renaissance Europe
The casinos that we know now are a recent innovation in the human activity of gambling. Casinos arose in post-Renaissance Europe among the prosperous and royal classes. The nobility didn’t have to farm or struggle for food or survival and became more wealthy and idle. Save for ordering peasants to perform their daily work, they had nothing much to do, and they desired to find various kinds of entertainment. One of the first popular recreation among the affluent was hunting wild game.
The term casino originates from the Italian word for house, “casa.” The “Ridotta” in Venice was the first recorded casino in the 17th century. It was opened in 1630 and shut down in 1770, but by this time, the notion of this type of gaming house had spread across Europe, where other casinos had been opened to provide entertainment for the noble class.
What we know as land-based casinos came about as gaming rooms in the royal courts, and Kings and Emperors had them in their palaces. Today, they still look very opulent and striking, evoking sensations of wealth and greatness. The idea of casinos is to be treated like a king, even whereas paupers can be treated like the rich as long as they have the money to spend in these establishments.
America
By the time the 19th century was starting, casinos in Europe were very common. When people emigrated to the New World in America, they brought along many of these games with them. The Dice had not changed much since ancient Egypt, but the playing cards had gone through many iterations to become the modern versions that we know and love today.
Until today, gambling remains to be a popular recreational activity for many people worldwide. Irrespective of whether one is playing baccarat in a brick-and-mortar casino or trying their luck on instant games at an online casino, it is very important for one to observe responsible gambling practices and enjoy their experience.
