History of gambling in Britain: 1700 to 1830 – rich and reckless gambling

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gambling during the Georgian era was commonplace in the upper class. Card games like piquet, faro, ving-et-un, whist and baccarat were the most popular choices of the rich. Vingt-et-un ultimately became what we know as blackjack while faro eventually disappeared because it was so easy to cheat in.

Gambling in gentlemen’s clubs became commonplace. The famous London gentlemen’s club, Whites, had a betting book that had records of all members’ bets, including a record of a bet between two young men on the number of cats to walk on opposite sides of a street.

Meanwhile, the Crockford gambling club was the haunt of the aristocratic. It was started in 1793 and grew to become the most infamous gambling club in Europe until its closure in 1845.

In the 1800’s the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, in order to continue gambling without having to stop for a meal break, asked his servant to bring him a slice of meat enclosed by two pieces of bread – this was how the sandwich was created.

Beau Brummel was a notorious gambler and trendsetter who accumulated so much debt that he had to flee across the sea to France.

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History of gambling in Britain: 1100 to 1700 – a pastime for the rich

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In his book, The History of Gambling, John Aston states that in 1190 an edict was issued banning members of the army who were ranked below knights from playing games that required any form of betting. Clergymen and knights could play as long as they didn’t lost more than 20 shillings per day.

Bull baiting, the cruel blood sport in which bulls were ‘immobilised’ by dogs in a confined space, was a very popular choice to bet on. There was also racing and cockfighting to get the blood racing and the betting figures up. On the tamer side there were games of checkers that could be bet on, unsurprisingly these weren’t as popular.

Cards rapidly surpassed dice as the preferred gambling tool in the 14th century when they made their way from Asia to Europe. The deck of cards was adored by royalty – James IV of Scotland wooed his future bride, Princess Margaret, with a deck when he visited her for the first time.

Princess Margaret’s brother, Henry VIII, banned cards and dice from being played by working class people. His reason: it made men turn to drink and crime.

During the Elizabethan era a card game called Primero was developed. This is the game that is believed to be the precursor to poker. The first version of the British Lottery was also introduced during this era. Queen Elizabeth had the idea of offering 400,000 tickets to the public with prizes that included china and cash. The first London-based lottery event was organised by King James in 1612.

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The British have always loved a good gamble

 

 

 

The British have been occupied by gambling for thousands of years. Whether it’s been with dice, horses, cards, balls and even cats, a good bet seems to be irresistible to the British. Let’s take a look at the pastime that has ancient roots and is now a multi-million pound industry, whether in front of or behind closed doors.

Pre 1100 – primitive gambling

Ceremonies to try to predict the future like the throwing of bones, sticks and stones started off as religious rituals evolved into a primitive form of gambling that even involved, shock horror, human sacrifice. Bets were placed and stakes offered for ‘positive’ results. This often happened after a big hunt with an offering of the best piece of meat – of the animal.

In Ancient Rome, gambling was banned apart from during the week-long Saturnalia festival during which betting on chariots was allowed. While the Romans didn’t introduce gambling to Britain they did introduce it to dice.

The Anglo-Saxons thoroughly enjoyed throwing the dice that the Romans introduced them to and created games like Knucklebones. This game was played by throwing sheep or pig knuckles up in the air and players trying to catch the knuckles on the back of their hands. Bets would be placed on the result and whoever caught the most knuckles would be the winner. Knucklebones was so popular that 50 gaming bones and two deer-antler dice were found in a royal grave.

Read  more in in our next post about the history of gambling in Britain where we look at how gambling fast spread to the parlours of the rich from 1100 to 1700.

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New games in March

Take a look at our new games in March:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•    Rhyming Reels – Old King Cole Video Slot

Get this new take on an old traditional song in this 5-reel, 20-payline video slot game that is jam packed with free spins, multipliers as well as a double Wild and Gamble feature that can double or quadruple their winnings.

 

There is a jackpot of 17,000 in the base game that can jump up to 120,000 with the Free Spins feature which could be music to the lucky player’s ears!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•    Multi-Player Roulette Diamond Edition

Playing roulette at land-based casino allows players to interact with other players and now this can be done online as well. Multi-player roulette is an interactive version in which players can chat with other players and even view the wins of other players. By being able to watch how others play and how well they are doing really adds to the fun and competition of the game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•    Power Spins – Nuclear 9’s Video Slot

Be one of the first to play the new Power SpinsTM feature in the game with a radioactive glow. When in Power Spins™ mode you can activate the ever-popular Rolling Reels feature that adds more Multipliers to wins. You could win more than 50,000.00 in both the standard and Power Spins mode.

 

This week’s hot games

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take a look at the hot games at Platinum Play for this week:

  • Dubya Money: this 3-reel, 1-payline fruit slot is simple but powerful with a 500 x multiplier.
  • Track and FieldMouse: be the best in this 3-reel, 1-payline game and get a gold medal worth 500 coins.
  • Apocalypse Cow: this 3-reeler fruit slot has a max jackpot of 2,000 coins.
  • Crazy Chameleons: join these loopy lizards for a summer showdown with multiple surfboard symbols and gnarly payouts.
  • Game On: this soccer-themed slot game has 3 reels and 1 payline plus bonus games, wilds, multipliers and free points to score.  
  • Pub Fruity: win a max jackpot of 10,000 coins with 100 and 500 multipliers.
  • The Grand Circus: this 5-rell, 20-payline video slot game invites you to join a travelling circus that could make you 50,000 coins richer.
  • Cosmic Cat: these are some seriously cool cats with some seriously cool rewards of over 1,000 coins.
  • Muchos Grande: this 5-reel, 15-payline Mexican-themed game will spice things up nicely with huge jackpot potential.

Online blackjack over online poker

 

 

 

 

One of the best things about playing at Platinum Play is the number of games that are available, and the only real dilemma you might ever face is trying to decide which one you should play over another. When it comes to table games, blackjack and poker have always somewhat dominated the casino scene, thanks to their immense popularity.

They both have a huge following for completely different reasons, with blackjack players favouring the fast-paced play and relative simplicity of the game, over the strategic mind game tactics that tend to be a major part of poker.

That’s not to say that one game is better than another, or that poker players are inherently smarter than their blackjack counterparts; instead it all just boils down to taste and the type of game that you prefer.
Personally I prefer to play blackjack over poker, especially when it comes to the online versions of both games. I really like the high-speed aspect of blackjack, and now that Platinum Play has a multi-hand version of the game, I can play multiple hands each and every round.

I also find that I don’t have very much luck when I play online poker, as I tend to sort of zone out when waiting for other players to take their turn. Good poker players don’t have that problem, and fully understand that they have to pay attention to every move and bet that is placed at the table, even when they have folded out of a hand. The key to being a great poker player is watching how other players bet in different situation, which can help tell when they have a genuinely good hand, or are bluffing. My short attention span does not allow me to be a good poker player, but it does make me a decent blackjack player, so I think I’ll just stick to what it is I do best, as that affords me the best chance to win regularly.

Secret Admirer slot game

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Valentine’s Day may still be a couple of months away, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get a little TLC before the big day arrives. All you have to do to get your heart racing, and get your swoon on, is to check out the super sexy 5-reel, 9-payline slot called Secret Admirer.

The reels are covered with all the gifts that every girl dreams; diamonds, chocolate and perfume are just a few, and if you play your cards right, you might just score a massive 5,000 coin jackpot win.

There are tons of other ways that Secret Admirer shows you the love, including a super hold feature that allows you to hold onto the reels you love, whilst spinning the others to try and get a winning combination. It’s nice to see a feature that usually only shows up in pub slots make an appearance here.

Secret Admirer also comes with a scatter and Wild symbol to help get your winnings up, and it’s those diamond ring scatters that can really make your heart soar. Two or more rings activate the Free Spin feature where the winning can go over 25,000 coins if playing the max bet.

There are tons of playing options, and the multiple denomination levels make this game perfect for people with hearts of all sizes. There really is no better combination than Platinum Play and Microgaming when it comes to themed slots selections, and this is another one that fits perfectly into their already impressive stable of games.

We already know that you love Platinum Play, but why not come on in and see a little action with your Secret Admirer.

Platinum Play’s biggest progressive winner yet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Platinum Play Online Casino is thrilled to announce their biggest progressive winner ever, Susan C!

Susan C won a massive £1,965,956.46 playing The Lord of the Rings™ progressive jackpot, after being a Platinum Play member for only ten days.

This huge win will allow Susan C to retire and take a fun trip to Vegas. She also plans on giving some of her winnings to her children and an animal charity.

Platinum Play has also just been voted the top approved online casino by CSR (Casino Scam Report) in their 2011 Annual “Best of the Best” Approved Online Casinos Awards. The results are based on consistency, 100% transparency, customer support and minimal customer complaints.

 

 

Progressive video poker

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’ve ever been to Las Vegas, I’m sure you have at some point been overwhelmed by the amount of entertainment on display, but one of the most alluring sights is actually found inside the casino. I’m talking about those big electronic displays that display the progressive jackpot amount, which is usually a dollar amount that most of us have only ever dared dream about.

Imagine my excitement when Platinum Play first introduced progressive games, and had that little dollar ticker going on the bottom left of their website. Just watching those numbers tick upwards, and then imagining someone else winning it, was more than enough to get me spinning.

Progressive slots take the excitement to a whole new level, but what about those casino players that has no interest in playing slots? I realize that the jackpot alone is enough to get anyone to play, but to sit for an extended period of time, playing a game that you don’t really care for isn’t anyone’s idea of fun.
That was quickly taken care of with the introduction of progressive table games, as well as a great video poker progressive called Jackpot Deuces.

Video poker is one of the most popular casino games in the world as it is, but adding a progressive element to the game quickly made Jackpot Deuces an instant success. The game itself is similar to Double Joker Poker in that the game is played with a 54-card deck which holds a pair of wild cards.

I’m assuming that you all know how to play video poker, so I’ll just skip to the part where you can win that massive progressive jackpot. Keep in mind that in order to do so you must be playing the max bet when the jackpot combo hits. The winning combination that will land you that big jackpot is a Royal Flush comprised of diamonds. That’s very appropriate when you consider how many diamonds you could buy with all that money.

 

 

Types of online games available

 

 

 

 

 

 

Online casinos, while still relatively new to the world of gambling, have been around long enough for most people to have a basic idea of what you get when you log on to play. What most people may not really understand is the amazing number of games that are available to players. Platinum Play, using the incredible Microgaming software, leads the way in the number and quality of games, and it may come of something of a surprise many gamblers who have yet to make the online leap.

As you might expect, there are hundreds of different slot machines to choose from, including 3-reel pub slots, 5-reel video slots with amazing bonus games and jackpots, and of course those incredible progressive slots offering life changing money should you hit the jackpot. There are also the ever popular video poker games, with a bunch of different versions to choose from. All the best known table games are also available at Platinum play, with blackjack, roulette, baccarat and craps all on offer.

Platinum Play also has its own poker and bingo portals, where fans of those games can go to play 24/7, without ever having to wait for a new game to start. These are all games that you would expect to find in any casino, but there are also a few that may come as a very pleasant surprise.

You can get your keno fill on PP, and if you only have a short time to play, then why not go with a couple of scratch cards, with a chance to win some real quick money. Perhaps the most exciting of those alternative games are the International Blackjack and Slots Leagues, where you can match your skills against other Platinum Play players from all over the world.

While many of these games may not be that familiar to many players, PP gives you the chance to get to know them all by offering the ability to play for fun. It’s how I learned to play the games that I didn’t know very well, but if you just want to jump in and play for real, then it’s clear to see that there are plenty of exciting ways to do so.