10 Crazy Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Casinos

So, you think you know everything about gambling. You think that just because you have visited both land based and online casinos that you are familiar with every aspect of gambling. Well, let us amaze you with some facts about casinos including where the term ‘casino’ comes from and when ‘pokies’ were introduced.

Without further ado, here are 10 facts about casinos, casino games and gambling in general that you probably didn’t know.

Batman banned from playing blackjack

Let’s start off the list by telling you a fun fact about a Hollywood celebrity. Now we have already covered how much of a poker enthusiast is Ben Affleck but did you know that Mr Batman himself has been banned from playing blackjack.

Affleck’s offence was card counting and his punishment was getting a lifetime ban from the Las Vegas Hard Rock Casino. Now to be clear, we at newcasinos.co.nz are definitely not on par with the decision taken by the casino. We strongly believe that card counting is not cheating and is simply a legitimate way that you can use to turn the odds in your favour.

If Ben Affleck is reading this by any chance, then we would recommend that you stick to online casinos such as Shadow Bet where you will always be treated as a VIP.

 Hong Kong Gangster

From Batman to a real life gangster, this not so fun fact is about notorious Hong Kong gangster Cheung Tze-Keung. Tze-Keung had made a quarter of a billion dollars performing all sorts of nefarious acts including but not limited to kidnapping ransoms. However, this gangster had a crippling gambling addiction and would frequently lose his money at a Macau casino. In fact, after he was caught it was revealed that he had plans to kidnap the owner of that casino. His plans could never see the light of day as he was given the death sentence and executed by a firing squad December 5, 1998.

Only in EMmmerica

When you log into an online casino, have you ever wondered why there is an American and European version of roulette. Never content with things, the Americans have gone ahead and created their own version of this famous table game.

The modification they made to the game was to reduce the odds for players. This was made possible by adding a double zero to the roulette wheel thereby making the odds 1/38 instead of 1/37.

Gone in 180 seconds

Some records are meant to be broken while others are meant to never be replicated again. Such is the case of the late British media mogul, Robert Maxwell who got a bit excited playing roulette. Maxwell in a span of just three minutes ended up spending £1.5 million on the roulette table. Clearly the British media mogul was not a fan of responsible gambling and luckily no one has managed to repeat this unfortunate feat since then.

Put it all on Red

Have you ever walked into a casino, land based or online and thought about putting all of your playing money on a colour? Well, Ashley Revell was an English professional gambler had the exact same idea. Revell decided to take things to the next level and sold off all of his worldly possessions to place a bet on the roulette table.

Revell took every penny of £ 135,300 that he had raised and walked into Plaza Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and placed his stake on the ball landing on red. Such was the fanfare around his bravery that an audience and TV film crew had decided to follow his move. Luckily for him, the ball landed on seven….red 😊

The Pokies have arrived

Online casinos of today are filled with thousands of different Online Pokies for you to try. Some mimic the old fashioned three reel pokies while others bring the latest in graphics and sound effects to dazzle you while you spin the reel.

Pokies or slot machines can be traced back to 1899. The first pokie machine was called Liberty Bell and was invented by Charles Fell. This machine was fairly basic in its operation but certainly paved the way for the slicker slot machines that you see today.

It’s all in your head

We have already covered this extensively in our article “ Dirty Tricks Casinos Use ” where we list the different tactics used by the casino to keep you playing. The absence of clocks is to prevent you from keeping tabs on how much time you have been spending on the slot machines.

The sounds that come out of the slot machines especially when you hit the jackpot are meant  to create interest and excitement for the players around you. Even the music and colours used in the casino all serve a purpose. The table games usually feature the colour green which is meant to evoke the feeling of calmness and security. Bright red colours and flashing lights gets your adrenaline going and pushes you to play more.

The word casino comes from Italy

Gambling has spread across the globes and when you think of casinos you normally think of the gigantic structures at Las Vegas or surreal Hippodrome in London. The truth of the matter is that none of these places can lay claim to the word ‘casino’. The word ‘casino’ in Italy means ‘a little house’ and can be traced all the way back to the 18th century.

Need further convincing? How about the fact that the first organised gambling house opened up in Venice in 1638. You needed to have deep pockets to play at this casino and were also required to adhere to its strict dress code…hats and masks of course!

Never Ending Poker

We have all had these never ending poker nights where the game seems to go on forever. This is particular true if you are sat in front of a computer in your favourite comfy sofa enjoying a game of poker online. But have you ever wondered how many hours were spent playing the longest game of poker. How about you think about it in terms of years!

In the basement of a theatre somewhere in Arizona, a poker game in 1881 was played for a record 8 years! With the amount of time we spend binge watching Netflix, it is quite possible that one day a game will take place where poker will be consumed for hours as a opposed to the latest series of Game of Thrones.

First casino in New Zealand

We round off this list by telling you that the first casino in New Zealand opened 26 years ago. For those old enough to remember will know that the casino opened in 1994 in Christchurch. As of now a total of six casinos have popped up with Christchurch still playing host to the New Zealand Poker Championships.