Crazy Gambling Facts – The Funny Stories from Gambling
In this article, we take a look at some crazy gambling facts that have happened in history. The precise origin of gambling cannot be traced to a single point in time in history.
However, historians believe that gambling predates written history and reaches back to the palaeolithic period. Here is a compilation of some of the strangest gambling statistics.
An Introduction
Gambling is fun. It’s an exciting way to spend time and money, especially when you win. But how much do you know about the history of gambling? Do you know how many different types of gambling games there are? Are you aware of any weird or unusual gambling facts?
We think you will agree that these fun gambling facts are surprising and will make your next game of poker more interesting. The article below covers a lot of ground, so we have broken it up into sections for ease of reading.
The Devil’s Wheel
In the 1860s, the Blanc family founded the Monte Carlo casino in Monaco. One game that stood out in the casino where the European aristocracy congregated to play games of chance was the roulette wheel.
A rumor started to circulate that Francois Blanc, the owner of the casino and also known as “The Magician of Monte Carlo,” had made a pact with the devil when he designed his Roulette wheel since the roulette wheel became so well-known for its large victories as well as for bankrupting many nobility.
Despite the absurdity of this assertion, many people noticed that the total of all the numbers in the European game, which varied from 0 to 36, was 666, the Number of the Beast.
Which Country Has the Most Casinos?
Casinos can be found in just about every country around the world. But which one has the most casinos? A recent study found that Macau, China has the most casinos, with a whopping 40 casinos in a city that has a population of just over 600,000 people.
This equates to one casino for every 11,500 people, which is massively more than anywhere else in the world. If you aren’t planning a visit to Macau anytime soon, you can also find casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and Dubai.
Saving FedEx
The well-known American express delivery service is currently one of the industry’s largest operators, but there was a moment when things could have turned out very differently. Just two years after the company’s founding, in 1973, FedEx nearly entered administration due to an unpaid fuel bill. Frederick W. Smith, the company’s founder, made the decision to act on his own, travelled to Las Vegas with the remaining $5,000, and used it all to play blackjack.
Amazingly, Smith was able to turn a profit, earning $27,000, which was just enough to cover the fuel cost and put his firm back in operation. Since that time, they have not looked back.
Eat your own words!
In order to make a point about her husband’s gambling in 2016, a woman in North Carolina bought $10 worth of scratch cards. She wanted to call her husband out on his spending by buying the slightly more costly scratch cards and teach him a lesson because she was sick of his buying lottery tickets all the time. Instead, she ended up winning $1 million!
Mrs. Blackwell stated, “I had to eat my words, but they were worth eating. So, I was overjoyed.
How Did Poker Become So Popular?
Poker is one of the most popular card games in the world, but how did it become so popular? The invention of poker is often attributed to the American Civil War, when soldiers would use a combination of playing cards and coins to gamble. However, the game was actually invented in the 15th century in China as a game known as poque.
The game was so popular that it was imported to France where it was played using the modern 52-card deck. From there, the game quickly spread across Europe and was played in various forms and with various rules by different groups of people. When the game was introduced to the United States, it was played with the French deck of cards and with a very different set of rules to the Chinese version.
Who Invented Blackjack?
Blackjack is the world’s most widely played casino card game. It’s also one of the most fun gambling games, so that’s good news for you! But who actually invented blackjack? The most common belief is that the game was invented in 17th century France.
The game was played with a standard deck of cards, but with an added special rule: if the total value of your hand was 21 or higher, then you would win the hand. In the late 19th century, blackjack was introduced to the United States and was played using a standard deck of cards with the special rule of 21.
The name was likely coined by gamblers as a reference to the fact that the game could be played with a “blackjack” or a “deck of cards”.
Richard Nixon’s Poker Game
A decorated combat hero who was never far from controversy, Richard Nixon served as the 37th President of the United States. He was responsible for ending American involvement in Vietnam and was later implicated in the Watergate affair, which led to his resignation.
A little-known detail about the President is that he loved to play poker. He even used his earnings from the game from the Second World War to finance his first election campaign.
Nixon served in the Navy as a junior lieutenant during the Second World War and advanced to the rank of Lieutenant Commander by the war’s conclusion in 1945. During the war, Nixon and his friends would play poker when things were quiet.
“He was the finest poker player I have ever played against,” former Navy comrade James Udall recalled in a 1970 Life magazine interview. “I once saw him bluff a lieutenant commander out of $1,500 with a pair of deuces.”
Play Slots Online at the 22BET Casino
The Veikkaus
Finland’s whole gaming industry is controlled by the government. All of the country’s gambling businesses pay their profits to the government, which utilizes them for national wealth-sharing:
53% goes to the Ministry of Education and Culture for enhancing youth work, science, art, and physical education.
43% goes to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health to improve social welfare and health.
For enhancing horse racing, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will receive 4%.
In 1940, the Veikkaus gambling commission in Finland was established. The Finnish Workers’ Sports Federation and the Finnish Football Association intended to create a national bookmaker where sports enthusiasts could place their wagers without worrying about using shady bookies or encouraging illicit activity.
When the Finnish national lottery was established in 1971, the gambling commission, then known as Oy Tippaustoimisto AB, began offering sports betting. The lottery was a huge success with the Finns, and today the commission also has the exclusive rights to horse racing and slot machines.
What’s the Deal With Online Gambling Licenses?
You can’t just start running a casino or poker room if you want to! You need a proper gambling license. There are many gambling games and types of gambling that require a license. Some common gambling licenses include gambling licenses for casinos, poker rooms, and sports books.
Online gambling requires a gambling license as well. For example, online gambling in the United States requires a gaming license from the state in which the operator is located. Most states have a gaming commission that oversees and regulates the gaming industry within that state.
The Sandwich
Rumor has it that John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwicheating ,’s habits are what gave the dish its name.
The Earl had a bad gambling habit and would frequently spend many hours at the card tables. When he became hungry while playing, he frequently asked his slaves to bring him slices of meat and cheese sandwiched between two thin slices of bread. His fellow gamblers frequently observed him enjoying the lunch and soon started ordering “the same as Sandwich!”, giving the dish its moniker.
How Many People Gamble Prophylactically?
Are you someone who always has a flutter on the next horse race? You’re certainly not alone. In fact, a study found that approximately 46% of people gamble as a way to cope with everyday life.
Most of the time, these people gamble moderately and responsibly. However, some people develop a serious gambling problem that can affect their health, finances, and relationships. For example, people who frequently gamble prophylactically often have an underlying problem that’s causing them to gamble.
The most common issue is depression. In fact, the National Council on Problem Gambling estimates that about 70% of people with a gambling problem also have depression.
The Gambler
Fyodor Dostoevsky, a well-known author from Russia, wrote a brief novel titled “The Gambler.” In 1864, Dostoevsky, who was a well-known gambler in his day, lost everything in a run of terrible luck. He made a deal with Fyodor Stellovsky to settle Dostoevsky’s debts from his gaming. In accordance with the terms of the agreement, he had two years to complete a novel for Stellovsky’s publishing house; if he failed to do so, Stellovsky would acquire the publishing rights to all of Dostoevsky’s future and past works.
Dostoevsky signed the fairly unethical contract, but instead of beginning the work he had committed to write for Stellovsky, he focused on his own writing for the following 23 months.
In order to finish the book in the last month, the author employed Anna Snitkina, a stenographer who would eventually become his second wife, to assist him write it more quickly.
Dostoevsky managed to turn in his work to a nearby police station and obtain a receipt as proof that he had really finished in time, despite Stellovsky’s best efforts to keep quiet and conceal the fact that he knew Dostoevsky was behind schedule.
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China, some of which were constructed as early as the seventh century BC, is a well-known structure. There is a legend that claims that money obtained playing the Chinese game of Keno was used to construct parts of the wall.
The mythology claims that Zhang Liang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, invented the game of Keno, which was first played in China somewhere around 200 BC.
According to the narrative, Zhan Liang lacked the resources and funds to pay for the end of the war and was unable to raise taxes further without inciting rebellion. He invented a game that had some similarities to a contemporary lottery. The game gained a lot of traction, and he was able to use the money earned from it to pay for the Qin Dynasty’s defeat in 202 BC.
The largest sections of the Great Wall were built between the fifth and eighth centuries and again in the fourteenth century under the reign of the Ming Dynasty.
It is impossible to determine whether Keno contributed to the financing of sections because there is no written record of Chinese lotteries or gambling before to 1847. It is still a popular myth though.
“No Dice”
The phrase “no dice” refers to declining a request and comes from an ancient English practice of swallowing dice.
As absurd as it may sound, in the 18th century, several gambling organizations that engaged in dice games recruited special lads just for the purpose of swallowing the dice in the event that the authorities interrupted one of the illicit games.
Since the Unlawful Games Act of 1541 and subsequent laws passed in the 18th century, almost all forms of gambling have been prohibited. Along with hiring dice swallowers, bookmakers also used sly, police-outrunning runners.
A Deck of Cards Lifespan
To prevent having cards that seem ruffled or have other identifying features that can disrupt any of the table games, casinos typically replace their card decks with new ones.
You might be surprised to learn that the majority of the largest casinos often play through a deck of cards in 12 hours before shredding or selling them. The larger casinos do not take any chances that the cards may get folded or ruffled, therefore they change their playing decks at least once every 12 hours. These cards are always composed of plastic but feel as though they are made of paper.
Gambling Tips From Professional Gamers
If you ever get the chance to talk to a professional gambler, make sure you ask them for some gambling tips. A professional gambler probably knows a lot more about how to win at gambling than you do! Here are some tips from professional gamblers that can help you win more often at gambling:
- Don’t play drunk
- You’ll make silly mistakes, lose your winnings and make new friends.
- Keep your emotions in check
- If you’re winning, don’t let it go to your head, and don’t get too down when you’re losing.
- Play only when you have the time and money to lose
- You should never gamble if you’re in a financial bind or if you don’t have the time to lose.
- Don’t chase your losses
- If you lose, don’t keep trying to win that money back.
The Bottom Line
Thus, we hope that you have enjoyed reading about crazy gambling facts. The majority of these ones are true, moreover, they are accurate. It is true that there is no official history of when poker, blackjack or craps started. In addition, Fed Ex really only exists thanks to the gambling habit of Smith.
If you enjoyed reading about these crazy gambling facts, have a read through more articles found on our page. We also include a list of jackpot games in case you want to try your luck.
Click here to visit the 22BET Casino to discover a brand new world of online gambling
