Both land-based and online casinos like http://slotmine.com/king-billy-casino/ are insanely popular today. In our opinion, casinos are a great source for great stories, unbelievable myths and interesting legends. If you don’t believe this, read on to find out just how crazy and interesting gambling facts are.
1) The owner of FedEx had to gamble to save his company. In 1973 when FedEx was going bankrupt, the founder went straight to Vegas to gamble with the last $5000 the company had. He won big and left the casinos with $27,000 from Blackjack. Frederick Smith, the saviour of the day, raised enough to pull back the company to its feet which have since then been listed in Forbes as the top 100 most valuable brands.
2) You can ban yourself from casinos. If you discover you have a gambling problem, you can easily submit your name to the banned people. Several states allow this as a means of helping those with addictions.
3) Sandwiches were made in casinos. In the year 1765, John Montag who was a heavy gambler was too lazy to leave the table to eat. He then asked his servant to bring bread and meat for him to eat as he gambled, and from then on sandwiches were born.
4) Card counting is a legal practice, but it could get you banned. When gamblers are less-than-subtle in this approach, casinos often ask them to leave or play other games. In extreme cases one could get banned, a good example was Ben Affleck who got banned for his tricks.
5) Between 1932 and 1967, the Nevada State Prison had a fully functional casino. It was shut down on the basis that it was a degradation to the prisoners.
6) The first slot game was in an auto shop. In 1895 Charles Fey opened the first ever slot machine in his shop to keep customers busy as their cars were fixed. The games became so popular that casinos started buying to keep gamblers busy when the tables were full.
7) In the 1950’s atomic bomb testing was done in Vegas. Just 65 miles from the casino centres, the US Department of Energy, would release atomic bombs that would turn day to night and cover the skies with mushroom-like figures.
8) Gambling addicts often pee in the casinos. Rather than taking a quick bathroom break, addicts prefer to pee on themselves. The latest incident was in 2015 when a gambler peed in the coin slot just because he couldn’t stop gambling.
9) The first legal casino in Vegas was licensed to a woman. In 1920 the very first casino license was issued to Mayme Stocker. At that time only five games were legal:
- Stud poker
- Bridge
- 500
- Lowball poker
- Draw poker
10) European roulette is easier to win when compared to American roulette. This is because instead of 37, the American version has 38 places the ball could possibly land on. In 1866, the game was much worse, including an additional American Eagle that increased the house’s chances of winning.
11) The world’s tiniest casino is at the back of a London taxi. You get to gamble as you roam around the city in the Grosvenor mobile casino.
12) Casinos in Japan are illegal, but the residents have devices loopholes. Gamblers can play Pachinko parlours which have slot-like games where winners get silver balls that can be swapped for alcohol, toys or gifts.
13) A veteran from World War II won a staggering $25 million from slot machines. At first, he won $4.6 million in 1989, he later won $21.1 million in the year 2005.
14) The gambling capital of the world is Macau. You probably thought it was Las Vegas right? Contrary to people’s belief, Macau is much bigger than Vegas, earning 5x more revenue from the year 2012.
15) The first ever interracial casino was opened in the year 1955. Las Vegas casinos were extremely racist before the first multi-racial casino Moulin Rouge was opened.
16) The numbers on the roulette game add up to 666. Yes the number associated with evil features on the roulette wheel once you add up all the numbers.
17) Dealers have to flash their hands to cameras in casinos before leaving the tables. This process is called clearing hands. This is because players often pocket chips to increase their winning odds, so if you spot a gambler doing a ritualistic practice or raising hands, don’t freak out!
18) A lottery is outlawed in several states in America including Nevada. Alabama, Hawaii and Utah are also other states where one can’t buy a lottery ticket according to Wikipedia.
19) Oxygen is not pumped to the floors of casinos. The common myth that casino owners flood the floors with oxygen in order to keep players awake and alert so that they continue gambling is false. It is illegal to do this as it would pose a fire hazard.
20) Casinos make more money from penny slots than any other game. Yes, those pennies go a long way in making casinos rich.
