Introduction
Last, other industries, especially casinos, also derive elitism from glamour, associated with the probability of risks. But how did these entertainment centers come to be? Jared Poley’s book Luck, Leisure, and the Casino in Nineteenth-Century Europe: A Cultural History of Gambling offers some insights into the roots of today’s casinos and how they’ve shaped our culture.
The Birth of Casinos: A 19th-Century Revolution
We can identify the modern casino in the Rhineland of Germany during the nineteenth-century after France's ban in the 1830s. It was a novel idea on turning the spa towns for leisure, health, and entertainment and transforming it to a major gambling destination. During this period railroads also became popular and casinos were spread across the length and breadth of Europe and intending visitors were also able to travel to these tourist destinations.
Games such as roulette were added to the popularity of casinos and other betting sites. While other games played in the casino required the players to compete against each other, roulette encouraged people to bet against the house thus giving everyone the kind of fraternity that was new in gambling. These turned into more than mere gambling resorts – they included Comestibles, Luxury, and Exclusivity – that captured the essence of the modern day casino.
The Dark Side of Gambling
On the one hand, many casinos became associated with pleasure and glamour; on the other hand, they shed light on the vices people possess. Thus, some of the problems that were disclosed included gambling addiction. In the 19th century opinion shifted and addiction was viewed as illness rather than moral weakness hence early scientific research on psychology. This change of mindset was the dawn of development of acknowledging the problem without religion stigmatizing it.
Casinos Today: A Legacy of Extravagance
Casinos will always be famous, for they continue to be a blend of gambling and food establishments and other luxurious and lavish hall of shows. From opera to opera of the 19th century up to modern performances of Cirque du Soleil, casinos have over time noted trends and adjusted accordingly. However, one of their fundamental ideas—escape from reality—has remained in large part intact.
The Bottom Line
Casinos are above all entertainment establishments for gambling, but they are also parts of culture which shape society's values and aspirations. They have grown from German ‘spa’ cities to American ‘jungle’ resorts and changed the perception of what entertainment and luxury should be together with the role of addiction in our lives.
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