Interesting myths, folklore, and stories that almost seem too wonderful to be real may often be found at casinos. Incredible stories of wealth (25 million won at the slots? ), questionable examples of capitalism (atomic bomb parties), and reprehensible examples of poor hygiene (adult diapers to maintain a winning streak?) abound. The difficulty of discouraging individuals from the temptation of a big victory is illustrated by some of the most interesting data on casinos and gambling coming from places where it is not permitted.
While one of the most famous casinos in the world is located in Monaco, locals are not allowed to gamble there at all, forcing Japanese gamblers to exploit a significant legal loophole to satisfy their addiction. Although Indian reservation casinos across the nation are a significant force in the industry despite their modest beginnings, Las Vegas remains the industry leader in the United States. Here are some of the strangest and most fascinating casino and gambling-related facts that you probably didn’t know.
There formerly was a prisoner casino at the Nevada State Prison.
Nevada’s gambling industry is so significant that a casino operated there for 35 years. That’s correct, from 1932 until 1967, prisoners in Carson City could gamble on sports, play blackjack, craps, and poker inside the “Bullpen,” a stone building on the prison grounds. In that same year, it was shut down by a new warden from California who claimed that gambling was “degrading” to the convicts.
The tiniest casino in the world can be found in the trunk of a black cab in London.
The purportedly “World’s Smallest Casino” is without even a physical address. A mobile casino with a gaming table, dealer, bar, and sports TV is available at the Grosvenor Casino in London. Riders can go everywhere in the town for free (even the casino) so long as they donate to a good cause.
A veteran of World War II earned more than $25 million at the slots.
The majority of people think that table games are where casinos make their big bucks, however, there are a few exceptions where the slots pay off the best. In 1989, Elmer Sherman, a veteran of World War II, won an astonishing $4.6 million playing a slot machine at the Mirage. Elmer claimed that winning yet another significant award was his “life’s desire.”
When added together, the numbers of a roulette wheel equal 666.
Since gambling and superstition are closely related, it is not surprising that several well-known casino games have magical qualities. Every casino with a roulette wheel also has the “Number of the Beast,” which is 666, the total of all the numbers on the wheel. Because of the coincidence and gambling’s propensity to ruin lives, the roulette wheel bears the nickname “The Devil’s Wheel.”
“Craps” is derived from “Crabs.”
Why is the popular dice game in North America named craps? Simple math reveals that language plus time equals insanity. According to historians, the traditional British dice game Hazard served as the catalyst (such a better name). Rolling “snake eyes” were known as rolling “crabs” in Hazard (for some reason). Midway through the eighteenth century, French settlers in New Orleans kept Hazard alive, but eventually, a mix of French and English-speaking players and tweaks to the rules led to the transformation of “crabs” into “craps” (for some reason), and a new game emerged, leaving Hazard as nothing more than a relic of the past. The game of craps is not dead yet.
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