The true origin of online gambling and especially the online casinos started back in the 1970 when the land based casinos started to offer casino games that were powered by computers. One of the most primitive forms of gambling powered by a computer was the slot machines. These slot machines were controlled by a computer software that managed to replace the classical electromechanical slots that people got used to in the past. The first forms of computer based gambling were the slots that offered a screen and the power of computer software in order to designate the winners.
However the real online casino gambling that is being made over the internet is relatively new. The first online casino was launched just 14 years ago. The online casino gambling had a very humble beginning, before it expanded to a multi billions dollars industry.
Everything was made possible back in the year 1994, when most of us didn’t even know what the internet was. Back then the Free Trade and Processing Zone Act was passed and these laws were governing the way an online casino should operate. And almost a year after the legislation was passed companies started to work and create online casino.
In the year 1996 the first online casino was launched and it October that same year it started to accept real money bets. This is a historical moment for the whole gambling industry, which changed the way people see gambling. And in the year 1998 the online casinos that were on the internet began to introduce the first progressive slots. These new progressive online slots machines managed to attract many players, thanks to the incredibly high jackpots, that soon managed to reach more than $1 million dollars.
Right now there are more than 500 legalized online casino websites. However the industry has evolved a lot thanks to the many franchises, affiliates and other form of casino related websites and the total revenue that comes from online gambling is estimated to reach more than $18 billion dollars. The industry is constantly upgrading and many new games are being launched almost every day. However most online casinos are mainly focusing on offering the following online casino games that are the most popular: Baccarat, Craps, Roulette, Keno, Slots, Video Poker and the ever popular Progressive Jackpot games.
The online casino industry growth was mainly sustained by the most popular online gambling software developers in the world. These companies managed to power many great online casinos and at the same time they have managed to sustain a high standard of trust to the online gambling industry. Here is the list with the most popular online gambling software developers: Microgaming, Real Time Gaming, Cryptologic, PlayTech, Boss Media, Net Entertainment, GamblingSoftware.com, Vegas Technology and Rival Gaming.
So no matter what type of online casino player you are, you will find an online casino on the internet that is going to exceed all your expectations.
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