A Brief History of Online Casinos
Playing casino games via the Internet may be an everyday occurrence for many today but in reality, gaming in online casinos is a fairly new phenomenon. Obviously, online casinos only came about after the advent of the Internet and its use proliferated only after the use of the Internet became widespread all over.
Most accounts of online casino history regards the passing of the Free Trade and Processing Zone Act in 1994 as an establishing milestone for online casino gaming. The said law was passed in Antigua Barbuda and it basically grants licenses to casinos that are operating on the Internet. It is because for this reason why numerous casinos on the Internet have their bases of operation in Antigua Barbuda.
1994 proved further that it was a really big year in the history of Internet casinos. It is in this same year that Microgaming was founded. The company has since grown to become one of the biggest and most prolific software developer and supplier of the industry up to this day. It is interesting to note that Microgaming did dabble with Internet casino operations at first but they sold off in 1996 and decided that they will concentrate with software development and supply form then on.
The following year, another future software giant in online casino was founded - Cryptologic. Cryptologic's founding is a history in itself since the said company went on to develop software that ensured the transactions between online casino firms and the users were secure and safe from fraudulence and swindling. That development was a huge leap for the industry as it has made Internet casinos a safe environment both for the firms and the players which encouraged growth for the industry.
Microgaming set out to make Internet casino history again in 1998 when it unveiled Cash Splash, the first progressive slot machine to be offered on the Internet. The company would soon be a major player in the world of Internet casino again when it formed a deal with auditing firms in 1999 to report and review the payout percentages of casinos on the Internet. 1999 also saw the release of Boss Media's gaming software which introduced multi-player functionality and the player chat function.
In 2003, another huge step in the history of online casinos was made when the eCommerce and Online Gambling Regulation and Assurance or eCOGRA was established. The eCOGRA was founded to set regulations and standards that will make playing in Internet casinos an even safer pursuit than ever before.
One can see with this brief history of online casinos the ups and downs the industry has endured before making it big. It is certain that tribulations will still come but it is certain that casino gaming online will still persist and be resilient and popular than ever before.