Culture and history
In the colonial era, on the coast (Algeria, Oran, Constantine) there were European clubs and salons with elements of gambling culture, focused on the colonial administration and foreigners.
After independence and the strengthening of religious and legal norms, gambling was rejected as socially unacceptable and legally prohibited; the public "game scene" disappeared.
In everyday urban culture, non-ordinary cafe rituals have taken root - dominoes, cards, chess, backgammon - as a way of communicating without monetary risk; in holiday seasons (incl.
Ramadan) family and cultural leisure formats prevail.
Modern identity relies on music (rai, chaabi), football and street cafes, while excitement remains on the periphery and outside the legal field.