Gambling began with participants betting on who would win at games of strength and skill. Eventually fans also began betting on the results.
Dice may be the oldest gambling device still in existence. Gambling was popular among ancient Egyptians. Ancient Chinese also gambled. Romans were great gamblers but had laws against it.
New Orleans was the first major gambling center in the USA. Between 1718 and 1811 gambling grew in taverns and coffee houses with rooms and tables for private gambling. In 1811 gambling was prohibited in Louisiana. This did little to actually stop gambling in New Orleans. In 1823 gambling was legalized again and a charge of $5,000 for a gambling license was required. The money was to be applied toward hospitals and colleges. From then on large public casinos came to dominate the gambling scene in New Orleans, making it America’s first gambling destination city.
Gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931. Many small casinos began popping up in Las Vegas and eventually in other areas of the state such as Reno, Tahoe, Laughlin, and Primm. The many motels and hotels and later the huge resorts that characterize Las Vegas now did not come around for another fifteen or so years.