Online Casino History

During the 1970s gaming software really became noticed in the land-based casinos starting with the replacement of electromechanical slots with computerized software complete with amazing graphics for that generation. Additionally card counters had developed software specifically for the game of Blackjack. Two decades later, with the dawn of the Internet, the online casino emerged and gave gambling lovers the opportunity to play their favourite casino game right from the comfort of their own home. Additionally the Internet provided a means of communicating with other people via email, so friends could quickly tell their friends about a new casino that they just discovered and the great games that were available for entertainment.

The First Online Gambling Jurisdiction

In 1994, in the small twin island state of Antigua and Barbuda, the first major online gambling jurisdiction was born. The Free Trade and Processing Zone, a gambling regulatory body in Antigua, permitted the issuance of gambling licenses to operators who wanted to open online casinos. Under the FTPZ Act, the Directorate of Offshore Gaming was created, specifically for the purpose of receiving, processing, approving, and issuing gambling licenses.

Pioneering Software Providers

Also in 1994, Microgaming, a software provider that was based in the Isle of Man, was founded. They provided the means to make available casino games for online enjoyment. Then in 1995 Cryptologic was born and brought with it the finishing touches to a comprehensive online casino via financial processing. The first component to be developed was eCash. Cryptologic combined the online casino aspect and the financial processing portion and created InterCasino - the first known full-fledged online casino.

Explosive Growth of the Industry

The online gambling industry grew rapidly. There was an influx of online casinos especially as more and more gambling jurisdictions emerged. Over 2,000 online gambling sites, including online casinos, poker rooms, and sports betting operations, exist to this day. The combined revenue of all these online entertainment sites is in excess of $15 billion. What a remarkable achievement from the computerized software that started with computerized slots software.