6 Crazy Facts About Gambling and Casinos

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Crazy Facts. Image Credit: Shutterstock

Casinos have always been a fertile ground for myths and other exciting stories, which, in turn, generated many crazy facts about gambling.

Casinos are a great source of interesting myths, legends, and crazy facts about gambling. There are tales of incredible wins, dubious capitalism, and disgusting personal hygiene. Some of the most unique facts about casinos and gambling come from places where rolling the dice isn’t allowed, proving that it’s challenging to keep people away from the allure of a potential big win.

Here are six crazy facts about gambling that will make you think twice when it comes to casinos:

1. Vegas Casinos Benefited from Atomic Bomb Tests

It sounds like a sick joke, but it’s true: starting in the 1950s, the US Department of Energy began detonating hundreds of test nukes barely 65 miles from Las Vegas. This controlled Armageddon turned night into day and left plenty of mushroom clouds visible from casinos in the burgeoning tourist destination.

Vegas being what it is, turned the horror show into a cash cow. The city started promoting the detonation times via Chamber of Commerce calendars, advertising Atomic Bomb Parties and unique atomic cocktails at casino bars. There was even a Miss Atomic Energy beauty pageant at one casino, complete with mushroom cloud outfits!

2. Sandwich was Invented in a Casino

The legend says that John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, was such an avid gambler that he avoided leaving the gaming table to eat. Instead, Montagu ordered his servants to bring him a bit of meat tucked between two slices of bread so that he could play and eat at the same time. Thus the “sandwich” was born…

However, in reality, the story originated from a French travel guide about London that remains the only source of this gambling tale. The story caught on, and soon people throughout Europe were salivating for sandwiches.

Montagu, of course, didn’t invent this snack. After all, it is only meat between bread, and people had eaten this combo for centuries. But the earl did eventually give this snack a name and a groovy story to go with it, whether he liked it or not!

3. Roulette Numbers Add Up to “666”

Superstitions and gambling go hand-in-hand, so it’s not a surprise that some occultism has made it onto the list of our crazy facts about gambling. The biblical “Number of the Beast” appears in every casino on a roulette wheel. If you add up the numbers on a wheel, you get 666! This coincidence, coupled with gambling’s potential for ruining lives, has earned the roulette wheel the nickname of “The Devil’s Wheel”.

4. Vegas is Not the Gambling Capital of the World

The Chinese special administrative region of Macao is the only place in China where it’s legal to gamble in a casino. Subsequently, Macao happens to be the world’s largest gambling destination.

The crazy fact about gambling in Macao is that its casino revenue is five times greater than that of Sin City. Unlike Vegas, which makes most of its profit from penny slots, 75 per cent of the money generated in Macao comes from high rollers who make huge bets at tables in VIP rooms.

5. First Casino License in Vegas was Issued to a Woman

The forerunners of the Las Vegas casino industry weren’t all men. In fact, the first casino license in the town was issued to a lady named Mayme Stocker in 1920 for her Northern Club. Stocker was a distinguished mother and wife who frequently appeared on the pages of the local newspapers.

She opened the casino in Vegas under her name since her husband didn’t wish to be associated with it, offering only games that were legal at the time: draw poker, lowball poker, stud poker, 500, and bridge.

6. American Roulette is More Difficult to Win than European Roulette

Gamblers playing American roulette have a slightly harder time winning. Originally a French game, Americans tweaked the formula to include 38 instead of 37 holes where the ball can land by adding a “00” house pocket to the wheel. However, it used to be even worse when an 1866 version of the game added the American Eagle symbol as another opportunity for the house to score.

We hope that we have positively surprised you with these crazy facts about gambling and casinos. With certainty, one can say that there is never a dull moment at any gambling house, and these facts prove that.

Bojan Lipovic - Digital Project Manager

Bojan Lipovic - Digital Project Manager

Besides polishing his SEO skills, Bojan has a penchant for creative writing. With over half a decade of experience in the online gambling industry under his belt, his written take on the latest news from the Canadian and global gambling industries is an indispensable source of information for the CASINOenquirer team. Bojan’s primary goal is to ensure that players get a superior experience through the top-notch content that he shares.

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