The gambling it’s a form of play to for-profit purposesin which the outcome is completely unpredictable and determines the winning or losing of sums of money and other goods. Gambling is regulated by law (in Italy, for example, it can only be practiced in specific authorized premises), also because it can cause gambling addiction, i.e. pathological addiction. Gambling already existed in the first civilizations of the Mediterranean and Mesopotamialike the Egyptian and Sumerian ones. Independently, it also developed in other civilizations, including the Chinese one. Play has always accompanied human evolution. Over the centuries, the two “tools” most often used to play have been dice and cards, but in recent times numerous other games have been introduced: roulette, sports betting, lotteries, instant lotteries, etc. Unfortunately, gambling is a habit today widespread across all age groups.
What is gambling
Gambling involves betting money or, more rarely, other goods, onoutcome of a future event (the result of rolling dice or playing cards, the outcome of a sports competition, etc.). The term gambling comes from Arabic az-zahrwhich means dice, because in the past people played mainly with dice.
Gambling is regulated by law in almost all countries and is often subject to monopolies and state authorizations. Gambling, in fact, can cause public order problems and in individuals can create an addiction known as gambling disorder (popularly called gambling addiction). Nonetheless, gaming has been present almost always throughout human history and has developed independently in different civilizations and eras. The main factors that push people to gamble – such as the desire for easy money and the emotions that betting can provoke – are in fact present in almost all cultures.
How the game was born in the ancient world: from senet to dice
Gambling exists at least since the 3rd millennium BCwhen a board game, senet, based on the movement of a piece on a chessboard, appeared in Egypt. The senet probably began as a tool to interpret the will of the gods, but it soon turned into a game. Similar pastimes also existed in Mesopotamian civilizations and in more distant cultures, such as the Chinese one.
Over the centuries, the game of dice became established and acquired great popularity in the Ancient Greece and Rome. Since the game often caused fights and public order problems, in many cases it was banned by the authorities, who however were unable to prevent its spread.
Gambling in medieval Italy
Dice continued to be used into the Middle Ages. In Italy one of the most popular games was that of zaraalso mentioned by Dante in the Divine Comedy, which consisted of guessing the score of the roll of three dice.
In the late Middle Ages, the barterriesplaces “specialised” in gambling, which were originally clandestine, but over the centuries were legalized in many cities, because they guaranteed a huge tax revenue.
Towards the end of the Middle Ages the playing cards: invented in China, they reached Europe towards the end of the 14th century via Egypt. They also date back to the fifteenth century the first lotteries. In Italy, the first ever took place in Milan in 1449.
Gaming in the modern age: casino, roulette and sports betting
During the modern age, gambling underwent significant changes. Cards and dice remained the two main tools, but new games were invented, including the pokerprobably derived from a Persian game, As-Nas, which sailors “exported” to North America. In the 17th century, the betting on horse racing (already existing previously), from which the other sports bets were derived. The foundation of the first modern gaming house, the Riduct of Veniceestablished in 1638 to keep gambling under control, which until then had been practiced clandestinely.
In the modern age, an instrument destined for great fortune also took shape: the roulette. The origins are unclear: perhaps it was invented by Blaise Pascal, the famous French mathematician and philosopher, while he was studying how to create perpetual motion. What is certain is that roulette appeared in France in the 18th century and by the end of the century it took on an appearance similar to the current one.
Recent evolution and online games
In the contemporary age, gambling has undergone a transformation even greater diffusion. Gaming rooms have established themselves in many countries, although they are generally subject to precise regulations. In Italy, for example, there are only four authorized casinos: Sanremo, Venice, Campione d’Italia and Saint Vincent.
At the end of the nineteenth century a new instrument appeared, the slot machineswhich allows you to play “alone” and is based on the score resulting from the rotation of three or more reels. Over time, mechanical slot machines have been almost completely replaced by electronic ones and slot machines video pokerin which the score is determined by virtual cards.
In recent times, sports betting has also become very popular, involving numerous sports and also giving rise to specific competitions, such as football pools. In recent times, instant lotteries have also been created (such as scratch and win), in which the result is immediately discovered.
But the most significant evolution of recent years is the online gamblingwhich is increasingly widespread. On the internet you can either play with other people, for example with online poker or other card games, or “alone”, for example with scratch cards or virtual slot machines.
