The advent of the internet changed the face of the world seemingly overnight. Initially used by researchers in 1989, made publicly available in 1991, it began to rise in popularity in the Silicon Valley scene in 1995 and by 2001, it was in most households. As the internet rapidly grew, so did the draw to make online instant win games. In some ways, the draw and popularity of online gaming helped spur the technological advances needed to push internet developers forward.
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A Brief Online History
The history of online gaming starts as early as 1969 when the US Department of Defense commissioned ARPANET, a network with nodes located at UCLA, Stanford Research Institute, UC Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah. Then in 1971, the first email system to send messages over a designated network was invented. In 1972, the @ symbol began to be used for email addresses.
From there computer technology and the advancement of a digitally connected network exploded. It wasn’t long after that computer gaming began to rise in popularity. First starting with only closed network gaming, it quickly evolved with technology to open network technologies.
Fast forward to 1994 when the very first online casino game, The Gaming Club, was created which offered the first online instant win games. The Gaming Club was created by the Isle of Man software company, Microgaming. That very same year, the Free Trade Processing Act was created in the Caribbean nations of Barbuda and Antigua. This allowed the nations to grant licenses to online companies wishing to start their own online casinos, particularly those that were not allowed to open an online casino in their native country based on local laws.
This act also enacted the regulation of online gambling making it safer for both the player and the casino. In Canada, in 1995, a similar organization was created, called the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. This was created by a Mohawk Indian Tribe in Canada and was created to serve much the same purpose, to grant online gaming licenses.
The Trailblazers Of Online Gaming
In 1995, CryptoLogic, a company known for specializing in online money transactions, created InterCasino. It is now known as the first, and oldest online casino in existence to offer players a chance to win real money thanks to their innovation of safe and secure online processing. The following year saw the creation of the first online sportsbook, InterTops. This allowed players to wager on their favorite sports teams.
From there the world of online gaming and instant win games began to explode. In 2000 the world of online sports betting again began to change with the advent of peer-to-peer betting on sports events in real-time. As more online options became available (such as mobile devices), this form of betting began to skyrocket into popularity.
Planet Poker was created in 1998 and became the first online site to offer poker. Unfortunately, due to slow dial-up internet speeds, it would not become a success. Later, other online gambling sites would take a page from their book though and as technology became more adaptable, the creation of online poker gambling sites began to explode into popularity.
Today, players can find an online gambling site to suit any of their needs or desires. Players can play from virtually anywhere, whether they are commuting on the tube, to relaxing in their living room, the online casino world is right at their fingertips. Even charities have gotten on board and created instant win games online, with proceeds being donated directly to charitable organizations. Who knows what the future holds for online gaming, but it is sure to advance right alongside technology.
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