When you stroll down the glitzy Vegas Strip, you’re surrounded by neon light, theme-park fantasy buildings and all the modern conveniences you could ever dream of. Makes it difficult to believe that gambling is almost as old as history itself!

But indeed, gambling dates back to ancient times, according to archaeologists and historians. Even the greatest ancient societies show signs of gambling as a pastime, from ancient China to Egypt and Rome. The discoveries of ancient dice and writings about games of chance build a picture of how these societies spent their free time.

The earliest evidence of restrictions being placed on gambling is from England in the 14th century. It seems that King Henry was concerned that his soldiers were spending more time on games of chance that they were on practicing their skills, and he put a stop to it by imposing restrictive gaming bans.

Over the decades, gaming laws have come and gone – but did you know that gambling was actually illegal in the state of Nevada during the frontier days? When it became acceptable again in the 1930s, it was a golden opportunity for casino entrepreneurs, and as we can all see today, the city of Las Vegas, Nevada has never looked back!