It is not clear where the act of gambling first occurred but there are references to it as far back as 2300BC in China. However the first casino or gambling hall to appear did not come for more than 3,000 years after these references, in Venice, Italy in 1638.

Called the Ridotto, which translates to “private room” in Italian, a wing of the San Moise Palace was converted into a gambling hall in order to control gambling during the carnival season. However, it was closed down by the government in 1774 as they believed it impoverished the local gentry, though it is actually still open today and the World Poker Tour will be using it as a venue just next week!

At the time the casino only offered two games, biribi and basetta. Biribi was very much like bingo or keno and was very popular indeed but by far the most popular was basetta which was a cross between blackjack, poker and gin rummy where players could win 60 times their stake. In later years this game was superseded by faro, which even gained popularity in the United States of America.

Today the Casino Municipale di Venezia still stands proudly in Venice and is steeped in history. Over the centuries hundreds of thousands of pople have placed bets and made wagers inside its four walls and I guess you could say that if it had not bee built then you would not have been able to play the superb Betfred Casino because the casino may not have been invented, how horrible would that have been? Haha!