Gambling, as many other things in our lives, is a controversial subject. Some consider it nothing but a form of entertainment, allowing people to play their preferred kind of game. Others think of it as a root of all evil, cancer to society. As you might expect, the truth is somewhere in the middle – gambling can relieve stress, and offer tons of fun, but if used improperly, it can have a massive (negative) impact on the individual, and beyond.
Gambling is part of our history – entertainment based on games of chance was present in many societies, from the ancient Rome to the Elizabethan England. It was mostly informal, at least until the opening of the Ridotto in Venice, the first known European gambling house, in 1638. This form of organized gambling was entertainment for the rich – the Ridotto, and the gambling houses that emerged afterward, was the meeting place for the high society, where lower social classes only had access as employees. The nobility of the times, and later the rich of all bloodlines, won and lost fortunes at the gaming tables, often in one night.
Over the centuries, gambling was defined, regulated, and taxed, becoming less informal, and much more a business built on entertainment involving real money. Its popularity continued to grow, as it offered not just games of chance (like lotteries, for example), but wrapped it in entertainment. Today there are hundreds of land-based gambling establishments (casinos) active on all continents, generating over $100 billion in revenues each year.
The internet was invaded by the casino business in 1994, and there was no stopping it ever since. It was an important step in the industry’s evolution and a truly democratic one: it opened up the world of gambling to the masses. Today anyone with an internet connection and some form of electronic payment at hand can create an account at the Red Flush Online Casino, download its games suite (or play its games in a desktop or mobile browser window). But the Red Flush Casino focuses more on the entertainment side of the business: unlike its real-life counterparts, the Red Flush Casino offers its players ways to play its games completely free. Of course, this means that the winnings will also remain virtual. Red Flush Casino players have quite a few reasons to play for real, though – bonuses, promotions, specials, and other benefits. All this just one click – or tap – away.
In a little over two decades, the online gambling industry has grown from virtually zero to an estimated value of $45 billion. While it reaches out to a much larger mass of players, its revenues are much smaller than that of the land-based casino industry, most likely because it’s open to high rollers and lowballers alike.
