Gambling Laws & Decrees of History
By Alex J. Coyne © 2018 Great Bridge Links
As soon as people look like they really start enjoying something, there have to be laws made about it. After all, unregulated fun might just be dangerous – or not. Here’s our list of some of history’s gambling laws and decrees – what are the gambling laws like in your country? Are you hoping they’ll change? Why, or why not? Let us know in the comments!
Pope Benedict XIV was reported to have banned playing cards for the first time on behalf of the Catholic Church in the mid-1700s. The official stance on gambling is much more relaxed, and Catholic Encyclopedia notes that “it is not sinful to stake money on the issue of a game of chance any more than it is sinful to insure one’s property against risk, or deal in futures on the produce market” – as long as it doesn’t become a compulsive, destructive habit.
One treatment for gambling or gaming addiction in Ancient Egypt was to sentence the offending party to forced labor, according to Documentary Tube. Modern treatments for gambling addiction are – thankfully – a lot less harsh and focus on much less deadly forms of distraction from addiction like, well, taking up another hobby.
Gambling was first legalized in the US state of Nevada – yes, that’s where Vegas is – in March 1931. This is largely attributed to what got the state back on its feet after the disaster that was the stock market crash.
Online poker, on the other hand, only became legal in Nevada in 2013 – but unfortunately only for players actually living in Nevada. Players in other states will have to check with their state before signing up with any poker sites.
Gambling laws in India are seriously ancient. How ancient? Well, they’re still subject to the Public Gaming Act of… 1867. Yes, you read that right. Just for a little perspective, the light bulb was invented in 1879. You can read a copy of the law here.
According to Online Nevada, the first casino to lose its gambling license was the Red Rooster in Nevada. Why? Prohibition: When Federal agents raided the place in the 1930’s and found alcohol, it automatically meant that their gaming license would be pulled. Whoops.
In 2001, the radical group known as the Taliban placed a ban on playing cards – and, we’d guess, using them for anything. Other things to share the ban included, for some reason, the game of chess, too.
The year 2009 saw Russia place an overall ban on gambling – which unfortunately seems to include on- and offline players. Of course, players have called for the ban to be repealed, and only time will tell what their appeals will bring.
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Is online gambling legal in my country? This article, written in 2017 (and be aware that things change quickly in the world of online gambling) might give you some answers.
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