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The development of the casino industry of the XX century
Introduction: The century that turned the game into an industry
The 20th century did what previous eras could not: combine law, engineering and marketing to turn disparate game houses into large-scale tourism and entertainment businesses. Procedure standards, safety, accounting, taxes, shows and the hotel ecosystem - all this has developed into a recognizable "resort-casino" model.
1900s-1930s: electromechanics, resorts and legal forks
European curhouses (Baden-Baden, Monte Carlo, Deauville) are updating the halls: electric lighting, orchestras, restaurant programs. The game is an element of resort ritual.
USA before legalization: excitement lives in private clubs, on river steamboats and in saloons. The technique is developing: "one-armed bandits" get more accurate mechanisms, cash register accounting becomes stricter.
1931, Nevada: Against the backdrop of the Great Depression, the legalization of gambling. The construction of the Hoover Dam gives the city roads, electricity and customers: the start of the "official scene" of Las Vegas.
1940s-1950s: neon, show and hotel-casino as theatre
The casino hotel combines rooms, a hall, a restaurant and a stage. Cheap buffets and bright signs attract a lot of guests, and the rhythm of short rounds (roulette, baccarat, blackjack, craps) ensures turnover.
The role of persons: the croupier becomes a profession; pit bosses, cashiers, inspectors appear; a "ritual of honesty" is formed: announcement of bets, limits, markers, "there are no more bets."
Europe is recovering from the war: the halls are modernizing the infrastructure, but maintaining the etics of the salon - dress code, music, evening light.
1960s-1970s: Corporate era, audit, and law
Corporate money changes the ownership structure: reporting, loans, insurance, compliance standards. Las Vegas moves away from penumbra and toward "regular big business."
Security and control: ubiquitous CCTV ("eye in the sky"), box office standards, inventory and deck changes.
Loyalty marketing: the nascent comp approach (rooms, meals, tickets) should be considered the value of the guest not only by rates, but also by the total spend in the resort.
Regulation: stricter licensing rules, anti-laundering, tax framework; in the UK, a modern system of clubs and casinos is taking shape (after the reforms of the turn of the 1960s).
Technology Leap: From "Money Honey" to Video and Progressives
1960s: electromechanical slots (a landmark breakthrough - an automatic machine with an electric pay bunker, "hopper") allow fast large payments and reliable accounting.
1970s: video slots - drums move to the screen; payment tables become more complicated, bonuses appear.
1980s: wide-ranging progressives unite dozens of halls - part of each bet goes into a common growing bank; millions of jackpots become the showcase of the industry.
Tables: shuffle machines appear, improved roulette wheels, cloth and markings are standardized.
1978-1980s: Atlantic City, conventions and the new economy
New Jersey legalizes Atlantic shore casinos; the opening of the first halls (late 1970s) creates an "oriental response" to Vegas.
The convention business is fixed as a second engine: exhibitions, congresses and conferences form the year-round loading of hotels and halls.
Player = guest: Loyalty programs, early player tracking, personalized computers, and "hosts" turn a one-time bid into a long-term value (LTV).
U.S. tribal casinos: Court precedent and law
1987: The Supreme Court decision in the case of the indigenous tribes enshrines the right to play on reservation lands.
1988: Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) forms a three-tier system and state-tribe regulatory agreements.
The result is the rapid growth of tribal gaming: new regions, jobs, social programs, diversification of the American casino card outside of Nevada and New Jersey.
Europe of the second half of the 20th century: tradition + modernization
Monte Carlo, Baden-Baden, San Remo are symbols of style, but with a modern box office, camera, control, fine dining restaurants and show programs.
National framework: licenses, taxes, local lottery monopolies, strict opening hours. Casinos integrate into the tourist ecosystems of alpine and seaside cities.
Marketing and UX: how casinos learned to count and hold
Computers and status levels: free numbers, upgrades, meals, transfers, show tickets - in exchange for regularity and a general check.
Experience design: navigation, aroma marketing, accents of light and sound; the layout of the "gallery-labyrinth" leads the guest through shopping and restaurants to the hall.
Segmentation: VIP lounges with credit markers and personal hosts; premium masses - high limits in the public hall; mass segment - slots and entertainment shows.
Safety, Accounting and Integrity Standards
CCTV + pit supervision ⇒ transparency of procedures, control of dealers and games.
Standardized chips: UV tags, microprinting, serial elements; in high limits - plaques.
Reporting and AML: journals, cash limits, verification of sources of funds; casinos - full subjects of financial control.
Responsible play: hotlines, self-exclusion, risk communication - the industry builds social barriers of harm.
The final chord of the 20th century: mega-resorts and the birth of online
1989 and 1990s: new waves of investment in Las Vegas - large thematic and then "premium" complexes with long-term show residence programs, gastronomy, aquariums, gardens under the roof.
River/" riverboat "-casinos and cruises expand the geography of offline gaming in the United States.
Mid-late 1990s: online excitement appears - the first sites, RNG certification, payment processing, basic KYC. While this is the "younger brother" of offline, but with a global audience and round-the-clock access.
Game Economics: Margin to Resort Multiplier
House edge in tables and slot RTP provide the base yield.
The speed of the rounds (roulette, baccarat, craps) and the network of slots with progressions give turnover.
Resort multiplier: rooms, restaurants, shopping, shows, conventions - sometimes give a larger share of revenue than the tables themselves (especially in Vegas by the end of the century).
Myths and facts of the XX century
Myth: "The casino only makes money from cheating."
Fact: stability gives transparent margin and turnover, not deception; industry invests in trust and procedure.
Myth: "Slots are pure luck without strategy, so it's" bad. "
Fact: yes, slots - about dispersion and entertainment; the industry honestly announces RTP/rules and puts responsibility into informing and limits.
Myth: "Online killed offline right away."
Fact: offline sells experience and sociality; online expands the funnel and complements the ecosystem.
Short chronology of the XX century
1931 - Nevada legalized gambling.
1940s-1950s - neon, show and the birth of the hotel-casino as a "theater."
1960s - electromechanical slots and "hopper," CCTV in the halls.
1970s - video slots; Vegas and Europe are updating the product.
1978 - Atlantic City starts.
1980s - wide-area progressives, player tracking, the growth of conventions.
1987-1988 - precedent and law for tribal gaming in the United States.
Late 1980s-1990s - a wave of mega-resorts, riverboat casinos, the first online platforms.
Glossary
House edge is a mathematical advantage of casinos in the rules of games.
RTP (Return to Player) - the theoretical return of the slot at a distance.
Comps - free/discounted guest services for activity and loyalty.
Progressive jackpot - a growing prize, replenished by part of the bets.
Player tracking is a guest activity tracking system for computers and analytics.
CCTV - video surveillance; "an eye in the sky."
Takeaway: The experience industry, not just betting
The 20th century proved that casinos survive and grow where honest mathematics, trust procedures, experience engineering, and sound regulation combine. From European curhouses to American mega-resorts, the industry has learned to sell not only the chance, but also the scene on which this chance is played out. At the turn of the century, offline palaces were added online - and the casino began the next chapter of evolution.