Mistaken Beliefs
As we continue our dance with games of chance, we add to the rich human history of gambling every year by building bigger casinos, holding larger tournaments, and of course, promising grander jackpots. With gamblers often being a superstitious lot, it’s perhaps unsurprising then that casinos are surrounded by many myths and misconceptions. This section of gambling trivia aims to clear up these mistaken beliefs once and for all.
Something in the Air?
It’s quite likely that you’ve encountered plenty of tall tales about the sneaky techniques and tricks that casinos employ to keep players enchanted into believing that the odds are forever in their favor. One enduring fabrication is the belief that casinos pump oxygen onto their casino floors to keep players alert, thus making it harder for them to leave.
Not only is this completely false, but it would also actually be a felony as it is an extremely dangerous fire hazard. By doing so, casinos would actually be increasing the flammability of all objects, which would be particularly reckless as casinos are often the last strongholds for indoor smoking.
Some speculate that perhaps this myth originates from a novel titled ‘Fools Die’ by Mario Puzo, the author of The Godfather. In this novel, a fictional casino named Xanadu is described as pumping oxygen through its vents, perhaps leading many to think this was a standard practice of all casinos.
The Gambling Capital of the World
Contrary to popular belief, the desert metropolis of Las Vegas isn’t actually the world’s largest gambling city. Those bragging rights belong to the great Chinese city of Macau. Not only is it the only Chinese province that allows gambling, but its annual gambling revenue also surpasses that of Vegas every year.
In comparison to Vegas where a lot of casino revenue is generated through penny slots, Macau’s gambling revenue comes mostly from high rollers at V.I.P table games.
Counting Cards Isn’t Illegal
Another widely-held belief is that counting cards, i.e. using blackjack card counting strategies, is illegal as it takes away the house’s edge of winning over the player. In reality, while it isn’t often taken kindly to by casino operators, card counting in blackjack isn’t illegal. Although, there are plenty of stories of casinos kicking players to the curb anyway after catching them in the act. So if you do it, be smart about it!
Gambler’s Fallacy-
Another mistaken belief surrounding gambling trivia is the Gambler’s Fallacy. This is the idea that past results can determine future gambling outcomes. Primarily it is a two-pronged principle, first gamblers believe that if something occurred frequently before, then it’s less likely to happen again. Secondly, the fallacy also works conversely, where if an outcome didn’t occur a lot in the past, then it’s more likely to happen in the future rounds.
For example, let’s say you win five roulette spins betting on black. The gambler’s fallacy would suggest that it’s more likely to land on red in the next turn. In reality, each spin is an independently random process, meaning that previous turns can’t actually influence the future outcomes. Therefore, the gambling fallacy can cost you hard-earned money if you’re not careful.
Mother of Invention
As we lightly mentioned earlier, early human civilizations enjoyed gambling in many shapes and forms. Archaeologists were able to find and date tiles from ancient China that appeared to be part of a primitive form of the lottery. Since then, we’ve come a long way when it comes to our relationship with gambling. In the modern age, we’ve built countless betting monuments, temples, and casinos that these days scrape the sky or ride along the riverbeds.
This section will look at the link between the inventions, ingenuity, and innovations that were made possible purely by a passion for betting.
Build It and They Will Come
One commonly asked gambling trivia questions that we receive from our readers is, ‘what is the world’s oldest casino?’ For those of you who were wondering, the oldest casino in the world is the Casino di Venezia. Original construction began in 1481 and was completed in 1509. Today, the Casino di Venezia overlooks the city’s Grand Canal and shares its space with a museum for the composer Richard Wagner.
Eyes to the Sky
If we were to consider the world’s largest casino however, this distinct honor goes to the Venetian Macau. Based on the previously mentioned gambling hotspot of Macau, this complex has the bragging rights of being the largest single structure hotel building in Asia. Featuring over 3,800 slot machines, 800 gambling tables, and 2900 rooms, this gambling casino contains a colossal 10,5 million square feet area for visitors to roam at their leisure.
First Online Casino
If we want to trace the rise of online gambling and digital casinos, we have to look back to its genesis. In 1994, the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda passed a Free Trade & Processing Act that gave them the power to give gambling licenses to companies that wanted to create online casinos.
With the internet becoming more of a household phenomenon in 1994, several independent companies launched free online casinos as a result. Coincidentally, the Isle of Man software company Microgaming also launched their platforms simultaneously an entire ocean away.
Roots of Roulette
Originally named Roly Poly, the beloved table game of roulette has a fascinating history and evolution throughout many older European societies. According to popular legend, roulette was allegedly invented by Greek and Roman soldiers, who would play and bet on games using spinning chariot wheels and round shields to pass the time.
As exciting as this tidbit of gambling trivia is, the reality is that no-one really knows for sure where roulette originates. Others attribute the game to early France and the philosopher Blaise Pascal who invented the spinning wheel in search of perpetual motion back in 1655.
Regardless, the modern roulette wheel first entered French casinos around 1796. Although this is not to say that there weren’t variations of the game across Europe at the same time. One similar game was the Italian game of Hocca, where 40 cups were placed on a circular table.
The Slot Machine Inventor
Bizarrely, the first-ever slot machine was invented by a car mechanic named Charles Fey in 1895 in San Francisco. The slot machine, named the Liberty Bell, was a 3-reel slot that featured hearts, diamonds, spades, and horseshoes. He invented the game to keep his customers busy while they waited for him to fix their cars.
Unfortunately, Charles Fey didn’t patent his slot machine design. This led to a multitude of developers, sensing there was money to be made, copying his designs, and creating similar machines. During this time period, most slot machines only awarded cigars, chewing gum, and even beer as prizes to lucky winners.
Home of the Sandwich
Everyone in 1765 knew that John Montagu, or ‘’the fourth Earl of Sandwich’’ to his subordinates, was a massive gambler who hated leaving the table. As the legend goes, one evening when he was on a winning streak, he requested two slices of bread with some meat between them so he didn’t have to leave the table when he was hungry.
Over time, his friends would ask for what Sandwich was having, thus leading to the birth of the modern term sandwich, a staple of many stomachs in a hurry all across the world. Although the authenticity of this particular piece of trivia is in some dispute, at the end of the day it’s a rather delightful story and certainly one worth sharing.
The Winner Takes it All
As we begin to wind down this feature on interesting gambling trivia questions and answers, we’d like to end on a positive note that should hopefully inspire. Life, as you may know, is never short of twists and turns of chance and circumstance, and a beautiful chain of events can be just around the corner. Here are some heart-warming tales of players who experienced remarkable good fortune.
Largest Jackpot Ever Won
The largest slots jackpot ever won was worth a staggering $39,710,826 and was won by a 25-year-old software engineer from Los Angeles back in 2003. This individual, who wisely wished to remain anonymous, was simply in Las Vegas for a March basketball tournament when he won on IGT’s Megabucks slot machine.
Largest Online Slots Jackpot
In contrast, the largest ever online slots jackpot was worth £13,213,838. It was won by a British soldier named Jon Heywood, who won this jackpot in 2015 after previously serving in Afghanistan. Most heartwarmingly of all, the first thing he did with his winnings was help secure his ailing father a heart and lung transplant.
Longest Craps Streak Ever Recorded
Extraordinarily, the longest ever-rolling streak for craps was an unbelievable 154 rolls. The recipient of this incredible fortune was a woman named Patricia Demauro, who played for 4 hours and 18 minutes in Atlantic City before finally rolling losing dies. According to mathematicians, the odds of this happening are a minuscule 1 in 1.56 trillion.
Final Thoughts
All good things come to an end, as they say, which is why we must draw this feature on astounding pieces of gambling trivia to a close. We hope you find these facts captivating and can use them to impress your friends in the not-so-distant future. If you’d like to learn more about the wonderful world of gambling, be sure to check out the rest of our in-depth guides for more thought-provoking articles. Best of luck out there!
