The first online casino was launched in 1996, and it is still active today. There were several casinos in the early years of online gambling (and hundreds more since), making this one of the most profitable industries. As you will see, the online casino industry has not always been a success.
InterCasino's virtual doors were opened in 1996 to a lot of opposition. The anti-gambling lobby and lawmakers lined up in order to fire their shots at the online casino openings. Once the High Commission of Antigua and Barbuda, in the West Indies, passed the "Free Trade and Process Zone Act", all the pieces fell into place for online casinos to become a reality. The Division of Gaming was created to issue the first official licenses for jurisdictional licensing, so that operators could legally launch their online casinos. This is an important part of the history of online casinos because the US and other large countries refused to issue these licenses.
Since then, Canada, the UK, and other countries have begun issuing licenses. This list does not include the United States. The country still refuses to grant licenses.
Online casinos were initially met with much skepticism. Sending information such as credit cards, names, and addresses via the internet still elicited a great deal of suspicion. Online casinos were viewed as shady and run by mobs. Slow connections resulted in stalled graphics and programs. A lack of software providers and quality platforms was also a problem.
Enter CryptoLogic, and Microgaming. Two online casino pioneers. CryptoLogic made it a point to offer encryption technology to online casinos. This ensured that sensitive information such as credit card numbers would be safe from hackers. Microgaming, one of the oldest and best software developers of all time, was the first to offer crisp graphics and realistic sounds online. The cable modems, DSL connections and faster download speeds made it easier to get started with software.
In 1999, Microgaming began to gain trust. That was the year that Microgaming, in an effort to show the honesty of most online casinos, struck an agreement with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, one of the most famous and honest accounting firms in the world. PWC agreed that it would begin auditing online casinos' payout rates to prove they were indeed paying out large amounts of money - often more than Las Vegas casino payouts.
The new millennium was the Golden Age of online casinos because of all these changes. As the online gambling industry grew, so did its stock market. More jurisdictions joined in and first Progressive Jackpots were awarded to customers. The business was booming.
Poker Rooms became popular, often associated with online casinos. The online casino industry reaped billions of dollars in 2004 thanks to the growth in technology for online Poker Rooms. Profits are expected to triple or even quadruple in 2010.
There will be more history to tell about online casinos in the future. The industry is still facing opposition from many sides, and this shows no signs of slowing down. People like Arizona Senator Jon Kyl introduce bill after law to try to shut down the online casinos and make it illegal for US residents to play there, or ban US credit card use to fund online gaming 에볼루션카지노 도메인.
Despite the fact that none of these laws have ever been passed, they are still being introduced. Despite the recent surge in popularity, it doesn't seem that they will have much success. This means that hopefully the next chapter in online casino history will have more positives than negatives.

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