3 Oldest Gambling Games Still Played at Casinos

Did you know that the earliest form of gambling games emerged in the times of ancient civilizations? Since then, it has become an integral part of entertainment and business too. Here are the 3 oldest gambling games still played at online and offline casinos.

Gambling has a much more interesting and richer history than you can imagine. The very first card game originated in China that is famous for its various gambling games. Its oldest game emerged around 2000 years ago and survived all this time. The other civilization known for its games was Ancient Greece. People believed that even Gods had a penchant for gambling. Unfortunately, none of its traditional games survived, but the country inspired many developers to create Ancient Greece-themed slots that are very popular at online casinos. Meanwhile, let’s return to the oldest gambling games still played: here is the top-3.

Dice games emerged thousands of years ago

Dice games are probably the oldest gambling games still played. There are many theories concerning the place of dice origin. Some say that modern dice were first invented in Greece in 400BC, but there have definitely been even older prototypes of dice in Egypt. Some historians say they date back to 2000BC in North Africa, and even to 6000BC. Whatever the truth is, dice games are the oldest that still exist today in some forms.

There are not so many popular dice gambling games nowadays. Most casinos offer only two options to play. One of them is Sic Bo – an old Chinese game played with dice on a specially marked table. You can learn the Sic Bo rules here and try to play this game at online casinos in China. 

Another dice game that is still present in most casinos is Craps. Gamblers play craps on a special table, where they wager on different outcomes of a dice roll. This game originated relatively recently – in the 19th century – but is based on dice aka the oldest form of gambling.

Keno is among the oldest gambling games still played

The Keno game is the oldest Chinese gambling activity that still survives in 2020. The exact date of the emergence of Keno is unknown. However, there is a great legend in China about creating this lottery-like game. It is believed that Keno was invented to raise enough money to build the Great Wall of China. However, gamblers of the past registered the first official Keno game only in the 19th century, when the game reached Western Europe.

Keno is a very popular game nowadays and you can find it at every land-based or online casino. Why has this game survived such a long time? Probably, the secret lies in its simplicity and accessibility for everyone. Keno has the easiest rules to learn among all gambling games. If you want to play Keno, our ultimate guide to this game will help you learn how and where you can hit your jackpot.

Blackjack is the latest old game that survived

Blackjack is also among the oldest gambling games still played. It emerged around the 16-17th century but became worldwide popular two hundred years later. The first description of blackjack was found in a famous Miguel de Servantes’s novel “Don Quixote” (published in 1605). Spanish writer was a gambler, so he decided to describe blackjack aka twenty-one in his work as a game, where players had to collect 21 points without exceeding this number. 

Nowadays, many gamblers know how to play blackjack. It hasn’t changed much since the 1600s, so the basic rules remained the following: you have to collect 21 points (maybe less, but no more) with two cards. The game is available to play at King Billy Casino as well as any offline casino. Blackjack is definitely the most popular card game that came from old times.

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