You all know that gambling in the United Kingdom is massive. There are over 35 million players here. But, how did all of that start? Well, there is a nice story we will share with you today. We will take a look way in the past and reveal all the main facts you need to know about the matter. Keep in mind that it is more spectacular than you may believe.
What We Have Nowadays
Now we have online gambling. It started in the 20th century and it soon became the best thing in the country for gamblers and bettors. People were able to place bets from their homes and enjoy themselves. The first online casino was released in 1994 and it soon became very popular. At the same time, the casino started adding more games and becoming a more advanced place to bet. Nowadays, there are hundreds of websites like MyStake online casino that provide high-quality gambling services to players from both the UK and all over the world.
The next big change occurred in 2005 when UKGC was created. This stands for United Kingdom Gambling Commission and it is the gambling authority that controls gambling in the country. This is believed to be one of the strongest gambling authorities and the one that makes all that possible.
But of course, Brits gambled long before the emergence of online bookmakers, UKGC, and other modern attributes of the gambling culture. Let’s dig a bit deeper into its exciting history.
Gambling Before the Romans
Many believe that gambling on the UK territories started when Romans came all those centuries ago. Well, Britons enjoyed this form of entertainment long before them. They created dice that would be used to predict the future. But they also noticed that the same tool can be used for fun only. When Romans came, the dice game of Craps was invented and dice were used for fun only.
During the period of the Romans, people could bet on different fights held between people and beasts. This could be the origin of sports betting.
Gambling in the Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages gambling in the UK became more popular. This is the time when rich people really started to notice the hobby and use it regularly. Among the most popular sports to bet on were horse racing, chess, cockfights and so much more. In reality, they would bet on anything they like. In 1190 King of England had to set the rules for betting and gambling and this is one of the first laws of this kind. One of the rules was that a person could place a maximum bet of up to 20 shillings which was around $3000.
This didn’t change the gamblers. They started to play even more and they placed impressive bets. By the 16th century, most rich people would gamble regularly.
The First Lottery on the Territory of Great Britain
Some of you may know that King Henry VII banned gambling in the country. But there were issues with the court and they tried to remove the ban. Then we can see Elizabeth I who took the throne and created the first state lottery. The first lottery in the UK was released in 1569 and there were 400000 tickets to buy. A person would pay 10 shillings to get the ticket and he could win over 5 million GBP in today's money! The money from the lottery was used to fund shipbuilding, wars, and similar things.
An interesting fact here is that the winner of the lottery would be free even if he did something bad. But, this wasn’t applied in cases of treason, murder and similar felonies.
First Bookmakers
The first bookies have an interesting story as well. It all started with Harry Ogden. He noticed that some horses are much better in the races than others. They would perform better. He gave better odds to horses who were slower and lower odds to better horses. This is the same rule that is used in sports betting today. But sports betting was banned and they would have to hide in the alleys to bet. Nevertheless, this became a popular activity and many people would like a slice of this.
In 1934 this form of betting became even more popular and more controlled. New regulations meant that people can place bets easily and they can enjoy more. At the same time, laws became less strict which made all of this an even more appealing task. Only after WWII, people were able to bet legally and freely as they can do today. This is the time when we see all kinds of sports betting shops across the country. It is important to add that horse racing was the most popular sport back then. It is even the most popular sport today so you can see that gamblers and bettors like it.
The Final Word
As you were able to see sports and gambling in the United Kingdom have been going hand to hand for millennia and it has been growing in popularity from its first days. We know that the popularity will continue to grow indefinitely and we will have more casinos, more gamblers, and more games soon. At the moment, online gambling is the key and the most popular variation of entertainment you can see. It is legal and fun.
