Weird and Wild Casino Facts That Will Blow Your Mind

Casinos are an all-American craze! Casinos earned more than $5.2 billion in March 2022 alone. 

But this wasn’t always the case. The history of casinos is a long and winding one, laden with rough patches. The more wild casino stories you know, the more you can understand gambling itself.

How did casinos begin, and what interesting events have happened at casinos? Can you actually count cards at a casino? Are weird gambling facts all about Las Vegas? 

Answer these questions and you can become a more informed gambler in no time. Here is your quick guide.

The Sandwich Was Invented at a Casino

When people think of the history of casinos, they often think about Las Vegas. In reality, gambling facts date back long before the establishment of Las Vegas in 1905. The first known gambling house in Europe was the Ridotto, which opened in 1638. 

Gambling houses and casinos have affected world culture in several ways. One way was through the creation of the sandwich.

The fourth Earl of Sandwich John Montagu was apparently a gambling addict. During one round of gambling, he became hungry, but he refused to leave the gaming table. He asked one of his aides to bring him a few slices of meat between two pieces of bread. 

His friends saw his food and asked their aides to bring them “the same as Sandwich.” This gave the sandwich its name and helped spread the dish quickly. 

Las Vegas’s First Casino License Went to a Woman

In 1910, the Nevada legislature passed a law banning all forms of gambling in the state. People were not even allowed to flip coins for the price of alcoholic drinks. 

But in 1930, President Hoover approved legislation for the Hoover Dam. Young male workers went to Las Vegas to work on the dam and look for other job opportunities. 

Business owners and Mafia bosses saw an opportunity to earn money by entertaining the workers. They lobbied the government to legalize gambling in 1931, and they opened the city’s first casinos.

But the state’s very first gambling license did not go to a crime boss. It went to Mayme Stocker, who owned the Northern Club.

The Northern Club opened in 1920, and many workers went to the club to gamble illicitly. With an official state license, the Northern Club became open to the public, and Stocker became a rich woman.

Las Vegas Loved the Atomic Bomb

In 1951, the United States government started conducting nuclear tests at the Nevada Test Site in Nye County. This was 65 miles away from Las Vegas, close enough that residents could see the mushroom clouds and feel seismic tremors from the bombs.

The casinos, never wanting to lose a business opportunity, started promoting the detonation times. They threw parties so gamblers could watch the bombs go off and they offered special cocktails. One casino even ran a “Miss Atomic Energy” beauty pageant. 

The Moulin Rouge Was America’s First Interracial Casino

Las Vegas was an extremely segregated city. Black and white gamblers were not allowed to gamble or eat meals with each other. The city enclosed Black residents in a section called the “Westside,” building a barrier around it so white residents wouldn’t have to look at Black people. 

In 1955, the Moulin Rouge casino opened its doors. It was a casino and hotel that allowed Black and white gamblers to be together. Black artists like Harry Belafonte and Nat King Cole performed at the casino to thousands of people. 

But the casino shut its doors just six months after opening due to a lack of money. The hotel remained open, but it was never as successful as it was in 1955. The hotel eventually shut down, and a series of fires in the 2000s destroyed the complex.

You Can Count Cards, but You Can’t Get Caught

There is no official law or policy against counting cards at a casino. However, casinos have policies in place to prevent players from counting cards.

Casinos use video cameras to monitor gamblers as they play blackjack. If they look like they are counting cards, the floor manager will send someone over to escort the gambler out. They will also play blackjack hands with multiple decks, making it harder to count cards. 

Persistent players can get banned from casinos if they continue to count cards. In 2014, the Hard Rock casino in Las Vegas banned Ben Affleck from playing blackjack.

It is easier to get away with card counting if you are gambling online. Visit a website like bitcoincasinous.com to find the best casino for you. Keep in mind that some casinos rely on your webcam to monitor you, so you may want to put a sticker over your camera.

Macau Is the World’s Casino Capital

Casino facts are not just limited to Las Vegas and Europe. Macau is the world’s gambling capital, with Macau casinos making more than $37 billion in revenue in 2018. By contrast, Nevada casinos made just under $12 billion the same year. 

If you’re looking for a weird casino, you should consider visiting Macau. The Emperor Casino has gold bars embedded in the floor, while the Wynn Palace has authentic Jiaqing vases in its lobby. You can play games at Macau casinos you can’t play in the United States, including Fan-Tan. 

Understand Some Wild Casino Facts

Wild casino facts may surprise you. Casinos have been around for centuries, and they’ve proven influential in more ways than one. When you eat a sandwich, you should thank casinos!

Las Vegas casinos got going in the 20th century, taking advantage of the Hoover Dam and nuclear tests. Casinos remain vibrant today because of, and in spite of, practices like card counting.

But you shouldn’t just go to Las Vegas. You should visit Macau and its incredible casinos, and you should try gambling online. 

Keep exploring the vibrant world of casinos. Read more casino guides by following our coverage. 

The post Weird and Wild Casino Facts That Will Blow Your Mind first appeared on Weirdomatic. Weirdomatic is the place where all weird things come to life through the amazing world of photographs – a corner of our wild imagination or the whimsical face of the reality?