Fun Facts About Casinos

Casinos are known as places where people go to gamble. If you watched any Sinatra shows, you might also think of them as places where there is a lot of singing and fun. Casinos can have a great atmosphere, although they are meant to look inviting. Let us look at some fun facts about casinos.

They Originated in Italy

This might come as a surprise to those who know that gambling existed all throughout the span of history, however, organised gambling was first found in Italy. Around 1638, it is known for a fact that the first casino was opened in Venice. 

Casino stems from the Italian word casa, meaning house. In this context, it referred to summer houses, typically, which covered entertainment and of course, gambling. While Italy is not known for having a plethora of casinos in one place, like Macau or Las Vegas, they have influenced organised gambling.

The Biggest Slot Machine Win

Slot machines are known for being fickle and often not paying you anything. However, in 2003 in the Excalibur casino in Las Vegas, a software engineer decided to bet one hundred dollars on a slot machine called Megabucks.

True to its name, the machine started ringing and the person won an astounding 39 million dollars, a price that has yet to be beaten in any casino on a slot machine. Las Vegas has high stakes slot machines, but this one literally stood true to its name.

Slot Machines Are Well-Regulated

In the UK, slot machines must have a Return to Player sum of at least 70%, all of them. Some of them are known to return much more, up to 96%. However, these are the averages and being among the lucky ones is not something you should count on.

The RTP in other countries varies, of course, but in the UK, slot machines are relatively decent, even though the odds of winning are often very much not in your favour.

All or Nothing

A man that goes by the name of Ashley Revell, decided to sell everything that he owned, other than what he wore, and to bet it on a single roulette spin. This seems like a very irresponsible thing to do and it definitely was.

Luck being on his side, that night in the Plaza Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, in 2004, Revell bet all that money on red. The whole room was holding its breath as the ball was bouncing, ending up on red. He bet 135,000 pounds, he ended up winning more than double that, 270,600 pounds. A word of advice, do not do this.