Betting and gambling are two sides of the same theme that we could define as historical. The passion for gambling is inherent in the soul of every person and leverages that spirit of challenge towards fate that is part of each of us, capable of giving us that small adrenaline rush that comes from the thrill of unpredictability given by the outcome of a bet or a game.
THE BEGINNINGS
The concept of gambling originates in very ancient times, so much so that it is believed that the first game was born in Egypt over five thousand years ago, and the thing then assumed a global character going on to involve civilizations that were very different and distant from each other, such as the Japanese, Indian, Roman and Greek ones, testifying to the fact that the passion for gaming is shared by everyone humans. In Ancient Rome the two sides of the coin – gambling and betting “athletic” – went hand in hand, and there was the custom, on feast days, of going to the hippodromes or arenas to bet on chariot races (chariots and quadrigas) or on gladiator fights.
GROWTH
As time passed, the game evolved into less bloody forms and areas of the city began to emerge, which later developed into real structures, where it was typical to bet and gamble. In fact, the opening of the first casino in the world as we know it today dates back to 1638., in the fascinating setting of Venice, where is the San Mosè Reduced (the Ridotto is historically that recreational area in theatres where people go to relax between the end of the first and the beginning of the second half of a performance. It is here that the custom of gambling was born, while waiting for the opera to start again) officially opened its doors, only to later transfer the location of the casino to Venice Lido, in the 30s and, subsequently, in Ca' Vendramin – current location – from the 50s onwards.
Right in those years, if on one hand the casinos embodied gambling, on the other hand the forerunner of today's sports betting was born: the TotocalciumThe first card dates back to 1946 and had a total of twelve predictions on the outcome of as many matches from different Italian championships (at that time the football landscape was fragmented into a greater variety of leagues, among which the most notable was National Division, which we can identify with today's Serie A). Only a few years later did the thirteen predictions slip become available, which then became fourteen in more recent years.
THE EVOLUTION
The historical structures mentioned above – physical casinos and Totocalcio – are still valid and practiced, however, in parallel, we are witnessing the birth of platforms that exploit the technological medium of the internet to bring betting and gambling to a much more immediate and usable level. Let's talk about betting sites, such as scommesse24.net, where users can access and place bets on countless sports, comfortably from home on their PC or smartphone. Similarly, other websites allow you to play typical casino games in a completely digital version that can be used in total comfort and privacy. Needless to say, such an increase in the level of accessibility to these entertainments has meant that many people have approached this world, thus greatly increasing the number of passionate bettors and - consequently - the business that lies behind the world of gaming. It is no coincidence that - according to a study byEGBA (European Gaming & Betting Association) – it is the betting providers themselves who also financially support the teams and sports leagues, in order to make the game (played and bet on) more and more widespread.
It is therefore clear that the betting sector has been able to adapt its characteristics to the needs of modernity, exploiting previously unseen technological means and thus potentially widening the user base to anyone with access to the internet.
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