The Origins of Gambling Online - Part 1

Online gambling is a pastime that is enjoyed by millions of people in different countries in the world, but this has not always been the case. The industry itself is still young, and newer, more sophisticated software lays just over the horizon.

The First Online Casino

With two of the world's first online gambling software developers--Cryptologic and Microgaming--coming up with newer and better ways for consumers to spend more money online, many governments took it upon themselves to form regulating committees as a way of ensuring player protection. The first law of the sort was introduced in 1996 in Canada, shortly before the first online casino went live in that country. This casino, known as Inter Casino, was operated under the Free Trade and Processing Zone Act set forth by Antigua and Barbuda but has long since closed.

An Alternate Theory

Though it is accepted by most that the first online casino opened in Canada, there are those who suggest that the Gaming Club, powered by Microgaming, was in fact in operation several months before. This casino was licensed by Gibraltar and made available to players worldwide. However, there were some issues with this casino; the software was lacking and the speed of internet connections in the mid-1990s was very, very slow. This led to frustrated customers who claimed to lose money due to disconnects, slow connections and the like.

Online Casinos Today

These days, there are literally thousands of online casinos catering to players around the world. Each one offers something a bit newer and more exciting than the next, and technology continues to get better and better. There are plenty of regulatory bodies around the world keeping an eye on the changing industry and protecting players from unfair gaming and fraudulent casinos.

Online casinos are a relatively new development that have grabbed the world by the horns and promise not to let go any time soon. As more and more players become interested, it is likely that more virtual casinos will open their doors.