What are the origins of gambling

A.� It was one of the Gods' pastimes. Zeus, Hades and Poseidon are said to have divided the universe by sharing heaven, hell and sea with the throw of dices. Does that answer your question, AOK27 There are plenty of other ancient flutters...< xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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Q. Such as

A.� There's even a biblical mention: Roman soldiers played lots to win Christ's tunic at the foot of the Cross. Greek and Roman nobles went to spas to rest their body and enjoy time with games. As the Roman Empire expanded, so did the spa towns and their gambling places. Gambling often went hand in hand with spa towns.

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Q.� How so

A.� It was part of the watering holes' luxurious living. Card games and dice were particularly en vogue. And then the various governments realised this would be a good way to make money in taxes.� A public gambling house was legalised in Venice in 1626. Soon Venetian high society met to gamble in little houses - casini.�These casini attracted other pleasures, from business dealings and political intrigue to prostitution. The word casino became synonymous with vice.

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Q.� This idea spread

A.� Indeed. Other spa resorts throughout Europe took the lead from Venice. The most famous was Spa in Belgium where the casinos were officially recognised in the 17th Century. Gambling became a legal activity, patronised by the European aristocracy and bourgeoisie. By the 19th Century, more and more casinos were being officially recognised. Napoleon legalised them in France in 1806. Gambling became a fashionable hobby and casinos the places to be seen and show off your wealth.

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Q.� So they all prospered

A.� Not everywhere. In 1837, all casinos in France were declared illegal, although they continued to prosper in Germany. Then a great idea was born in Monaco, the tiny principality at the foot of France. The country was in terrible financial trouble when a man named Fran�ois Blanc suggested a brave gamble.

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Q.� Which was

A.� A casino - in Monte-Carlo. The town is still the most famous and glamorous gambling place on earth. The British aristocracy soon discovered the French Riviera for its winter holidays and Monte-Carlo for its gambling thrills.

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Q.� What about America

A.� Gambling has been an integral part of American society since colonial days, including horse races, dog and cock fights, and lotteries. But it remained illegal. A brief attempt had been made to legalise gambling on the riverboats of Louisiana in 1890. It stayed illicit in gambling joints controlled by the Mob - with the notable exception of Nevada, where gambling was legalised in 1931.

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Q.� Hey ... what about Las Vegas

A.� Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel founded the modern Las Vegas just after the Second World War. He stole Billy Wilkerson's dream of a luxury hotel in the desert, and died in a hail of bullets.

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Q.� And now

A.� People can't stop gambling, the poor fools. The Americans are even worse than the British, where the National Lottery has often been called a 'tax on the poor' as desperate punters squander their meagre earnings on a remote chance of immense wealth. In the USA in 1976, revenues from legalised gambling amounted to an estimated $17.3 billion. Within 20 years, gambling revenues rose to $329.9 billion. In 1995, the net profits from legalised gambling were estimated at $39.9 billion.

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Q.� Somebody's a winner

A.� Yes. And not the gambler.

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By Steve Cunningham

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