Year in and year out, we do our best to track the most notable developments in the online gambling industry.

Casinos and gambling have always been very popular themes for movie-makers, with all the glitz and glamour that they bring to the screen.

The game of roulette is one of the most popular games at casinos all over the world, drawing millions of players to tables on a yearly basis.

However, it will probably come as a shock to even the most regular roulette players that their beloved game is actually going to be celebrating its 300th birthday in 2020.

Roulette is one of the best Bitcoin casino table games if you are looking for a proper casino experience, as you have the thrill of expectation as the ball clatters its way around the wheel, which causes a hush to descend at the table. Land your number, and it is as if you’ve won the jackpot, which may just be based on the bet you made.

There are various betting options for players to try, which makes it suitable for new players as well as veterans.

History of Roulette

It is thus interesting to chart the history of the game of roulette. The roulette wheel itself was born of the desire to create a perpetual motion machine.

This is a device that can remain in motion forever once started, with no friction slowing it down, and has been the subject of much fascination for inventors for centuries.

It was this need to try and devise such a machine that inspired the French inventor Blaise Pascal, back in the 17th century. He created the first roulette wheel in 1655, and the name roulette is also derived from the French for ‘little wheel’.

This initial invention led to quite a few more iterations of the wheel, with the result that by the mid-18th century, there were several betting games all around Europe that used mechanical wheels.

Roly-poly was one such game, found in London, with a vertical wheel that had black and white slots, with players having the option to bet on either color. The game of Biribi was the forerunner of roulette in Italy; players could bet on single numbers, or on columns, or adjacent numbers. Other games included Even Odd, Hoca, and Ace of hearts.

Roly-poly finally made its way to France which is where it became known as roulet and then roulette. The first mention of it as a betting game was in 1788, and even then it was just a 50/50 betting game.

However, by 1796, the roulette that we see in modern times could be found across Europe.

This is known as a fact due to the work of French writer Jacques Lablée, who wrote a book called ‘Roulette or the history of a player’, which was a collection of letters by a gambler to his wife. In this, he describes all the rules of roulette and the various bets, including red, black, even, odd, top numbers, and lower numbers.

By 1843, roulette had made its way to the United States as well, becoming one of the most popular casino games. The French brothers Louis and Francois Blanc introduced the green zero, which gives the house an edge in the game.

However, in the USA, it was the double-zero roulette game that remained the most popular. Even today, casino players have the option of playing American roulette games with crypto, or European roulette, which, with the green zero, reduces their chances of winning slightly.

Conclusion

Thus, it is interesting to note the history of this game, which remains immensely popular even today. It’s probably one of the easiest casino games for new players to understand and also provides a lot of fun and excitement.

The wheel of the roulette table keeps spinning, as it does wherever it’s used elsewhere on the planet.

A lot of modern amenities are versions of things that first came into existence centuries ago, and have been refined and improved over the years.

While card games cannot be called inventions or amenities, they too have been around for hundreds of years, and baccarat, one of the most popular card games today, is no different.

Today, players are able to play their favorite card games, including baccarat, on their computers or phones, which is a far cry from when the game first came into existence.

History of Baccarat

However, the exact origin of the game is not known, since the first written records mentioning baccarat are from the 19th century.

There are some who believe that baccarat derives itself from the Chinese Pai Gow game, which was played with tiles instead of cards, since Pai Gow means ‘make nine’, and nine is the best score in baccarat.

There is no proof to substantiate this claim, however. Others assume that Ancient Rome is the inspiration for the game, where vestal virgins would cast dice to determine their fate.

Landing an 8 or 9 meant a future as a high priestess, which was obviously the most desired outcome. Thus, these links to the number 9 are behind these theories, even though baccarat is played with cards and no dice.

Card games, in general, first came into existence in the 14th century, since cards were relatively scarce before the printing press was invented.

Most historians believe that Baccarat was invented in Italy, not in France as is popularly assumed.

With card games proliferating in the 1300s, one of the most popular games in Italy was Tarrochi. While there is no direct evidence linking Tarrochi to baccarat, it may have been that Tarrochi was the precursor of all modern card games.

Another popular Italian game, Macao, which was played to a total of nine, is often called Italian baccarat, and may also have been the original version of modern baccarat.

Le Her is another game that has been linked to baccarat since they are both fixed-number games where players aim for the highest score. In Le Her, the cards had values from 1-13, with the King being the highest value card and the instant winner is drawn.

In any case, baccarat is thought of as a French game, so it is also interesting to note the game’s development in France. The game was apparently introduced to the country by soldiers returning from Italy in the late 1400s, and became immensely popular, with two versions – Baccarat en Banque and Chemin de Fer.

It was so popular that it continued to be played in underground casinos even after Louis Phillip made casinos illegal in France in 1837. The first mention of baccarat in writing came in 1847, when Charles Van-Tenac wrote a 13-page mathematical analysis of the game in his Album des Jeux.

It did not take too long for the game to cross the Atlantic, with records showing that it was first played in an American gambling house in 1911.

However, there are newspaper reports which claim that this happened even earlier, in 1871. In any case, baccarat was being played in the USA in the early 1900s, even though it lagged in popularity behind blackjack and craps.

In fact, it was so nondescript that the game was not even mentioned in the Assembly Bill of 1931 which legalized gambling. Baccarat wasn’t a major casino game in the USA until 1959, when Tommy Ranzoni brought a new version, called Punto Banco, to Las Vegas.

This is the version of baccarat played at most casinos in the USA, UK, and Australia today, having been created at the Mar del Plata casino in Argentina in the 1950s.

The first Punto Banco table was opened at the Las Vegas Sands on 20th November 1959, although that day ended badly for the casino, which lost over $250,000. Baccarat retained an air of exclusivity, as there were only 15 tables playing the game on the entire Vegas Strip in the 1970s, so you needed to be rich or famous to get a seat.

In any case, the early Vegas versions of the game were different from the original Punto Banco as well, with no tie bets and side bets on natural hands.

The attraction for the game came from its links to glamour and wealth, while today, it is more popular in Asia, with different, fast-paced variations, as well as a number of superstitions that go with the game.

The popularity of gambling can be gauged by the fact that it has usually been one of the most commonly used topics or inspirations for popular culture, including slots based on great movies, TV shows, and of course, music as well.

There are so many classic songs that are about gambling in some way or another, so here are some of the best and biggest tracks by various musicians that reference gambling.

Waking Up In Vegas – Katy Perry

One of the most famous sayings about Las Vegas is ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’. That is probably the reason why Vegas is often the scene for crazy and unbelievable instances in the lives of many people, and that is exactly what this song by Katy Perry is about.

The song talks about a young couple who wake up hungover in Vegas one morning and are trying to figure out the events of the previous night.

This is actually quite a common theme with visitors to the city, often with hilarious or even serious consequences, based on how much money was lost or whether you ended up accidentally-on-purpose marrying someone.

Ace of Spades – Motorhead

This is a completely different genre of song to the previous one.

Where Perry’s song was a pop track, this is all out heavy metal, but pays homage to gambling, with a reference to one of the most famous cards in a deck of cards, the ace of spades.

There are a number of gambling themes and references throughout this classic track, which is easily one of Motorhead’s most famous songs.

The Gambler – Kenny Rogers

Kenny Rogers is one of the most well-known country music artists, but you would not usually expect a song about gambling from a country artist.

Nevertheless, this is a beautiful song by Rogers, which is not just about gambling, but also about life in general, as it talks about when to take risks and when to hedge your bets in life itself as well.

Lady Gaga – Poker Face

This song was arguably the one that catapulted Lady Gaga into the public’s eye, not just in the USA but globally.

The references to poker are littered throughout the song, but again, it is not just the hugely popular card game that is being thought about – she also talks about being two-faced in life and putting up a barrier for people in terms of her ‘poker face’.

This song is still probably her most famous work, even after all the success she has had.

Shape of My Heart – Sting

Sting’s usually known for his love ballads, and this is no different, but it is rather about a poker player who does not care much about winning or losing – he just wants to beat the game rather than wanting the money itself.

Again, there is a deeper meaning to this song as well, but the gambling references are quite visible and obvious.

The Angel and the Gambler – Iron Maiden

Another classic heavy metal song by arguably one of the greatest bands in history, Iron Maiden. This track was released more than 20 years ago, in 1998, and it talks about the hold that gambling can have on someone’s mind.

It remains hugely popular, especially among fans of the band, and there have even been instances where some keen listeners have chosen to interpret the song’s lyrics as being a cry for help by the band members, who were supposedly in the grip of various addictions.

This has never been proven, but it does not matter, since it is an excellent song by a truly brilliant band.

Train of Consequences – Megadeth

It seems as though heavy metal is particularly attractive as a genre for songs based on gambling, since this is another one by yet another classic band, Megadeth.

The theme of this song is around the consequences that excessive gambling can have, not just for the individual but for society as a whole.

Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley

No list of the greatest songs based on gambling can be complete without the King and his song, ‘Viva Las Vegas’.

This is probably the unofficial anthem of the city, given how popular it is, and how Elvis sings about various casino games such as blackjack, poker, roulette, and so on, and how night can turn to day in Sin City while you are having fun at the tables.

Oddly enough, this song was not very popular when it released, but gained acclaim as time went on.

The Winner Takes It All – Abba

Swedish pop group Abba was one of the most iconic musical outfits of the ‘70s and ‘80s, and this song is one of their most famous ones, more for the backstory than the song itself.

The term ‘winner takes it all’ is apparently a gambling reference, but also refers to the divorce between two of the band’s members, and how that left one of them with nothing and the other with everything.

Tumbling Dice – Rolling Stones

This name actually came about after Mick Jagger consulted the band’s housekeeper, who told them all about the intricacies of the popular casino game craps. The track captivates listeners with its infectious rhythm, blending elements of rock, blues, and country.

Led by Mick Jagger’s distinctive vocals and backed by the band’s signature gritty sound, the song tells tales of the unpredictability of life and the allure of gambling.

With Keith Richards’ catchy guitar riffs and the band’s tight groove, Tumbling Dice became a staple of their live performances and remains a beloved hit, embodying the timeless rock ‘n’ roll spirit of the Rolling Stones.

This year has been a difficult one for everyone across the world, but there are some who may have suffered more than others. Of course, the health and hygiene of people are paramount, but even those who have managed to stay safe have had to deal with many other problems. Sports fans were perhaps the most unhappy of all when most of the world went into lockdown earlier this year, as that meant that their favourite sporting events also had to be put on hold. This deprived them of a big source of entertainment while they were at home. However, this also led to a number of alternatives cropping up, including casino games based on sports. With casinos also having to shut down, many online casino operators switched to offering sports-themed games to draw in new fans, and that seems to have worked, as they proved to be quite popular. Therefore, here are some of the best sports-based games for you to play at the online casino Winz.

Football: Champions Cup

This slot game is inspired by one of the biggest and most popular football tournaments in the world, the Champions League. Developed by NetEnt, it allows players to get away from the somewhat bloated real-life tournament, which can be a little boring till the knockout rounds start, and dive straight into the action with high stakes and energy.

Football Star 

This game from Microgaming is one of the highest-rated football slot games. It has the standard five reels and 243 paylines we usually see in Microgaming’s offerings, but with the added bonus of the football theme to attract football fans. The game is set in a packed stadium, with classic symbols such as footballs, referees, players and boots on the reels. It also has a World Cup theme, which can help players get in the mood for the 2022 World Cup.

Super Striker

Another football-based offering from NetEnt, Super Striker actually combines betting and online casino gameplay. The game has a bet slip, allowing players to place wagers on what will happen during each spin, which adds an exciting element to the game, and is reminiscent of football betting during matches.

Super Sumo

Moving away from football, Super Sumo is based on the ancient Japanese sport of sumo wrestling. It has various different sumo wrestlers as cartoon characters on the reels and is a great way to enjoy a slightly obscure sport through a fun casino slot game.

Break Away Deluxe

This game is based on hockey, which saw a huge spike in popularity in the USA from the 1990s onwards. It has a 5×5 reel, which is quite unique for online slots, and the payout can be as high as 3,200x of your stake, so it can turn into a very attractive game for players if their luck is in.

Cricket Star

Microgaming has even taken a leap into the world of cricket, which is not a hugely popular sport worldwide, but within a handful of countries such as England, India, Australia and Pakistan, to name a few. Nevertheless, cricket is followed with religious zeal in these countries, and therefore a cricket-themed slot game would be quite popular. This game too has five reels, with some famous cricket players featured as the game symbols. It has 243 paylines, and bonus rounds and features to keep players interested and in with a chance of winning big.

Wildhound Derby

This is a unique game in that it is based on greyhound racing. It has a huge potential payout of 15,000x of the stake, while there is a free spins feature which also activates the Winner’s Wheel, where all the free spin wins can be multiplied by up to 15x, if you are lucky enough.