They’re called virtual or web-based casinos and gambling sites.
The history of the online casinos is a young one, like the starting chapter of a story that’s just begun to be told. Simply put, online casinos are just like their real brick-and-mortar counterparts except for the one small fact that they’re played on the internet. The variety of games they offer differ are based on their franchise and / or website operation. And to compensate for the lack of real and interpersonal social interaction, online gambling offers slightly better odds of winning compared to real life casinos – especially in slot machine games, where real casinos adopt a “house advantage” where they regulate the chances of scoring a winning combination. This is not the case in an online casino.
August 18, 1995 marked the birth of the history of online casinos, with the opening of Internet Casinos, Inc. or ICI. Operating out of Turks and Caicos Islands to avoid clashes with the American government, the site offered eighteen casino games and provided players with access to National Indian Lottery through the internet.
Two other online casinos, The Gaming Club and Intertops Casino and Sports Book also launched their debuts in the mid 1990’s, generating some debate as to which was the first in the history of online casinos.
But all in all, the flames that sparked the fire of the history of online casinos were a major success, with their offers of reputable and reliable payouts and other services like high security, efficient customer care, and a wide reach through the World Wide Web.
Interactive Gaming and Communications Corporation or SBET followed suit a year after, adding online casinos to its sports book service after registering itself on NASDAQ’s list as a publicly traded company. It was a hit, as its customers were not limited to internet offerings but were also able to place sports bets through a toll-free line that ran through Antigua.
At present, most online gambling sites are quick to follow the examples from the pioneers of the history of online casinos, basing their services in offshore headquarters, mainly in the Caribbean Islands to avoid conflict with stringent American state gambling laws.
Moving on, another first in the history of online casinos came from Sol Kerzner, the owner of the first online casino based in Great Britain – the concept of a thematic online gambling site. Atlantis, Kerzner’s online casino continues to beguile players today with free vacations and slot payouts in five-figures.
In just 12 years, the story and history of online casinos continues to unfold in leaps and bounds – the Rolling Good Times Online, a known gambling publication, estimates that the online gambling industry worldwide is worth $49 billion. It also lists 452 online gambling sites and thousands of affiliates and the like under the website’s umbrella of subsidiaries and franchises.