The history of online casinos
Online gambling grew from its humble beginnings to the current gigantic million-dollar industry present in all corners of the planet. This is an extremely popular industry that has expanded in a relatively short time in practically every country in the world(creating several casino world records in the process). Although it is basically a business, online gambling did not start very strong. The slow start and its exponential growth in the last decade are due to improvements in the security and quality of games.
The history of online casino gambling is an exciting one. Today, online casinos have become very popular all over the world. The ease of betting on a wide variety of game modes from anywhere and with no time restrictions has greatly contributed to the success of online casino gambling in the digital age. A world of opportunities that is due to the emergence of new technologies and the introduction of the internet in homes. In this way, the history of online casinos is linked to the network of networks and, therefore, it is relatively recent, at least if we compare it with the more traditional gaming establishments.
The digitization of online casino gambling has its starting point in the Caribbean, specifically in two twin islands called Antigua and Barbuda. In 1994, this small country independent of the Commonwealth of Nations signed the Free Trade Agreement and a law called the Law of the Processing Zone. From that moment, governing bodies such as the General Directorate of Gaming and the first Online Gaming Court were born, which granted official licenses to operate in the country. Licenses that allowed gaming companies to offer their services through online casinos, which had to comply with and respect the regulations in force at that time. Meanwhile in Europe, developers interested in the field of online gambling began to create companies such as Microgaming, a pioneer in the development of the first online casino in history.
Microgaming – A Key Piece in the History of Online Casino
Microgaming developed top live casino games that could be found on the internet, allowing players to place online casino bets without the need to travel to a physical gambling establishment to enjoy them. In that context, online casinos were still not safe for players. A problem that was solved in 1995, when the Cryptologic company developed several methods that made it possible to carry out secure economic transactions on the internet. With Microgaming software and the reliable environment developed by Cryptologic, InterCasino was born, the first online casino in history. This online casino only had 18 game modes. However, that was the first seed of an online gaming sector that has seen tremendous growth in recent years, especially with its rapid adaptation to mobile devices.
British players have been able to place online casino bets since 2002, but those gaming platforms did not offer many security guarantees for users. A situation that changed with the appearance of the Gambling Law in 2011, when the General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) was also born. The Gaming Law came into force in June 2012 and more than 70 gaming operators obtained their corresponding licenses to operate in the British Market. Since then, the online gaming sector has grown exponentially, positioning itself as a great catalyst for entertainment in the UK. Today, more than a million active users enjoy playing in the top UK casinos.