London has always been at the very heart of trends that have affected the nation. From art to commerce and from design to transportation, ideas that originated in the capital have then spread out to the wider world. This is also true of gambling.
There is evidence to suggest that back in Roman times soldiers stationed in Londinium filled their spare time with dice games using “alea”, the ancient equivalent of the die that is used today in modern games like craps. Coming right up to the modern day, many Londoners like to while away some time in online casinos, having first spent some time consulting the ultimate guide to the best gambling sites, but a great deal has come to pass between these two stages of London’s gambling and here we’ll take you through some of the most important events and milestones.
The 16th and 17th centuries
Gambling first began as the preserve of royalty and other nobility. So who else to fully embrace it than that larger-than-life King Henry VIII? He’s known to have invited many to Hampton Court palace to join him in games of dice and backgammon. Given his reputation, it’s likely that his opponents were best advised to let him win.
He even instituted the role of Groom Porter, naming Sir Thomas Neale as the person responsible for ensuring his gambling paraphernalia was always ready at hand. Neale went on to fulfil a similar role for subsequent monarchs carrying out the same sorts of duties as the current Gambling Commission.
This reflected the growing number of gaming houses that started to arise in the 17th century. These took the form of gentlemen’s clubs for which membership was greatly restricted, something that lives on to this day with clubs like The Garrick reluctantly having to change its constitution to permit female members.
Victorian times
The Victorian era saw the gambling scene in London exploding like never before. This was largely driven by the population increase attracted by the city’s economic success. This also meant that people had more money to spend on leisure.
Alongside increasing numbers of casinos, horse racing was also becoming more and more popular. So the19th century saw the establishment of a number of courses around London. For example, Kempton Park hosted its first races in 1878 with Sandown Park coming into action three years earlier in 1875. Ordinary Londoners would climb aboard charabancs to enjoy a day at the races from the cheaper Silver Ring while the toffs looked on from the grandstands. On the casino scene, two distinct types started to emerge. Those frequented by the wealthy and well-connected were known as “golden hells” while those for other classes were called “copper hells”.
The first totally legal gaming establishment was Crockford’s Gentleman’s Club. None other than the hero of the day, the Duke of Wellington, was very active in the promotion of Crockford’s. This still exists today, in name only, the rights having been bought by a major international gaming organisation.
Into the 20th century
Despite being riven by two world wars, the 20th century continued to see gambling thrive in London. One of the most notable events was the advent of greyhound racing. The sport was intended to be a poor man’s version of horseracing. One in which you could bet for pennies or pounds on the six dogs chasing a mechanical hare around the track. In its heyday thousands of Londoners attended race meetings and it even gave rise to a greyhound called Mick The Miller who was as famous as any racehorse.
Once upon a time there were greyhound tracks all over Londen including in White City, Wimbledon, Haringey and Walthamstow. Today most of these are gone with onlyRomford and Crayford being the nearest to the capital.
The Sixties were also a boom time for casinos in the capital adding to its swinging reputation. Following the Betting and Gaming Act of 1960 these proliferated with owners like John Aspinall personifying this brand of exclusive venue. The fact that they attracted everyone from peers to film stars simply added to their allure and appeal.
The Gambling Act 2005
When Tony Blair’s government came to power it was at a time of great change for the world driven, of course, by the arrival of the internet. Conscious that it had been some time since the gambling sector had seen any reform the decision was made to introduce new legislation. In particular, this addressed online casinos and introduced the Gambling Commission to oversee all gambling activity.
The proliferation of online casinos and sportsbooks means that many Londoners now prefer to do their gambling remotely. But the traditional casino sector continues to innovate with some even starting to accept cryptocurrency payments.
So the history of gambling may be long, but it’s also one with a very bright future indeed.
