The Origins of Online Casinos
The first online casino launched in 1996 and is still operational today. Indeed, many casinos popped up in the first few years of internet gambling (and hundreds more afterwards), making it one of the most profitable online industries ever. However, as you will soon see, the online casino industry has not always been a success story with smooth sailing.
There was a lot of opposition even before InterCasino opened their virtual doors in 1996. Lawmakers and anti-gambling organizations have lined up to take aim at the anticipated internet casino launches. The pieces were in place to make online casino history once the High Commission of Antigua and Barbuda in the West Indies passed the “Free Trade and Processing Zone Act.” The Division of Gaming was established to issue the first official jurisdictional licenses, allowing potential operators to lawfully build their online casinos. This is a significant element of online casino history because the United States and other major governments refused to issue these licenses.
Since then, several additional nations, like Canada, the United Kingdom, and others, have begun providing permits all around the world. However, the United States is the only country on the list that refuses to give licenses.
The initial online casinos were viewed with distrust, as transferring sensitive information such as credit cards, names, and addresses via the internet was frowned upon. Online casinos were once regarded to be dubious or controlled by organized crime. Slow connections meant delayed programs and graphics, and the new industry’s lack of reputable software vendors meant a lot of stalled platforms.
CryptoLogic and Microgaming, two online casino pioneers, are here to help. CryptoLogic went out of their way to supply encryption technology to online casinos, ensuring that sensitive data such as credit card numbers was no longer vulnerable to hackers. Microgaming was one of the first and greatest software developers, producing sharp images and realistic sound at a time when these qualities were still hard to get by internet. With cable modems and DSL connections, downloading software became faster and more convenient, with less latency and connection issues.
All that was left was to earn people’s trust, which began in 1999. In an effort to demonstrate the honesty of most online casinos, Microgaming reached a deal with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, one of the most well-known and trustworthy accounting firms in the world. PWC decided to begin auditing the payout percentages of internet casinos in order to demonstrate that they did, in fact, pay out significant sums of money—in many cases, more than Las Vegas casinos.
The new millennium marked the beginning of the Golden Age for online casinos as a result of all of these advances. The first online casino stock went public, more jurisdictions went online, and the first Progressive Jackpots paid out millions of dollars to lucky clients. The economy was thriving.
Soon after, poker began to take over the airwaves, and Poker Rooms, many of which were associated with internet casinos, became extremely popular. The internet casino sector took in billions in 2004, thanks to the development in online Poker Room technology, and profits are predicted to increase, if not double, by 2010.
Unfortunately, there will be a lot more to say about online casino history in the future. This is due to the fact that the business continues to face resistance from a variety of quarters, which shows no signs of abating. Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona has introduced bill after bill aimed at shutting down internet casinos, making it illegal for US people to play there, or at the very least prohibiting the use of US credit cards to fund online casino gambling.
Despite the fact that none of these bills have ever passed, they continue to be proposed. However, given the recent spike in popularity, it does not appear that they will make any progress. Hopefully, this means that there will be more bright spots in the upcoming chapter of online casino history than there are now.