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The history of casinos in Europe and America of the XIX-XX centuries
Introduction: Two Civilizations of Excitement
The 19th and 20th centuries were the time when gambling ceased to be a secret hobby of aristocrats and turned into a regulated entertainment industry.
In Europe, casinos grew out of court saloons and resort houses, where the game was combined with music and etiquette.
In America - from frontier saloons and river halls, where excitement was inseparable from risk and adventure.
By the end of the 20th century, both branches converged in the image of a modern casino resort, where roulette, baccarat and poker are adjacent to hotels, concerts and restaurants.
19th Century Europe: From Ridotto to Curhouse
Resort culture
After the closure of ridotto in Venice and the decline of carnival halls of the XVIII century, Europe opens a new scene of the game - resort cities.
Baden-Baden, Wiesbaden, Monte Carlo became symbols of a brilliant era, where the game was part of the recreation program, and the casino was a palace of pleasure: marble, mirrors, orchestra, gallery, park.
Monte Carlo and the Blanc Brothers
Francois and Louis Blanc in the 19th century created a model that became the standard: one zero on roulette, a strict dress code, an opera house and luxury as part of the brand.
Monte Carlo became not only a gambling house, but also a tourist tycoon, creating the economy of the resort.
Rules and controls
In France, Germany and Italy, licenses of cities or principalities were valid, with a fixed tax and strict supervision.
Excitement was treated as a source of income, but required external brilliance and internal discipline.
The casinos of Europe of the XIX century were not just a place for betting, but part of the cultural ritual - music, dancing, theater, charity evenings.
19th Century America: Frontier, Steamboats and Saloons
Frontier as a game scene
In the New World, excitement went the other way. There were no aristocratic salons, but there was freedom and gold-digging passion.
Poker, pharaoh, dice were played on the Mississippi, and steamboats became floating halls where merchants, military men, and travelers met.
Salons and Wild West
Every saloon was a mini casino: poker table, roulette or wheel of fortune, bar, band and... revolver behind the counter.
The laws differed from state to state, and often the game was tolerated - as long as it did not cause unrest.
It is in the saloons and on the steamers that American poker legends, cheaters and heroes of folklore are born, later turned by Hollywood into the archetype of the "player."
Early corporate excitement
Towards the end of the 19th century, private clubs for wealthy people appeared in the United States, where the game became legalized as part of membership - a prototype of future casinos.
Europe of the XX century: from tradition to modernity
After the First World War
Casinos survived the crisis, but did not disappear: Monte Carlo, Baden-Baden, Deauville and San Remo update interiors, switch to electricity, add restaurants and scenes for jazz.
Excitement again becomes part of bourgeois leisure, a symbol of "peaceful luxury."
Post-war Europe
After World War II, playhouses are regulated in a new way: state licenses, tax frameworks, strict control, and revenues go to the budget.
The model of the "resort casino" (France, Switzerland, Spain, Italy) remains relevant, but becomes part of the tourist infrastructure - without the mafia, but under the supervision of the ministries of finance.
20th Century America: Nevada, Vegas and the Birth of Industry
1931: Nevada legalization
The Great Depression forced us to look for new sources of income.
Nevada was the first to legalize gambling, and the construction of Hoover Dam brought infrastructure and workers.
Thus began the story of Las Vegas.
1940s-1950s: Gangster and neon era
At the crossroads of the desert highway, a city grew up where neon signs, cheap buffets and orchestras created a unique entertainment economy.
The projects were funded by people from the criminal world, but the architecture and scale exceeded all expectations.
The casino became a theater, restaurant and hotel at the same time.
1960s-1980s: Corporate era
With increased control and investment from corporations and foundations, casinos have become a legitimate business.
Legendary resorts appeared: Caesars Palace, MGM Grand, Mirage.
Together with shows and conventions, excitement became part of the U.S. tourism economy.
Parallel paths: Macau, Atlantic City and the Caribbean
While Europe kept traditions, and Vegas turned into a brand, other regions created their own centers:- Macau (under Portugal, then China) became the Asian mirror of Vegas;
- Atlantic City - America's "east Vegas";
- Caribbean and Latin America - zones of soft regulation and offshore tourism.
The 20th century has shown that casinos are a global language of leisure, and each country has translated it into its own cultural emphasis.
Differences of approach: Europe and America
Technology and Marketing
Slots and mechanization: from one-armed bandits of the 19th century to video slots of the 20th.
Computer marketing: free numbers, food, tickets - loyalty reward.
Security and control: cameras, reports, audits, standardization of chips and tables.
Advertising and cinema: casino films have cemented the "glamour of risk" in the mass consciousness.
Culture and symbolism
In Europe, casinos remained part of the aristocratic scene, and in America - a symbol of freedom and success.
Monte Carlo roulette is music, evening gown and orchestra.
Las Vegas roulette is neon, jazz, show and an evening without sleep.
Both cultures spoke the language of excitement, but with different accents:- European - about style, American - about freedom.
Timeline (summarized)
XVII-XVIII centuries - ridotto, pharaoh, palace games.
XIX century - Baden-Baden, Monte Carlo, frontier salons, steamboats.
1931 - Legalization in Nevada, beginning of Vegas.
1940s-1950s - The heyday of Monte Carlo and neon Vegas.
The 1960s-1980s - the corporate era and the globalization of the casino model.
The end of the 20th century - online games, Macau, Atlantic City, the formation of the world market.
Glossary
Kurhaus is a European resort complex with a casino and a concert hall.
Faro is a fast card game of the 19th century.
House edge is a mathematical advantage of casinos.
Comps (comps) - bonuses to players for activity.
Concession - a license to conduct gambling activities.
Takeaway: Two schools in the same industry
Europe gave the casino shape and style, America the scale and business model.
From the salons of the XIX century, the empires of the XX century grew, and from the marble halls - neon megalopolises.
And today, in every casino in the world, from Monaco to Vegas, an echo of this story is heard - in a combination of risk, aesthetics and technology that makes excitement an eternal companion of human culture.