Different countries have different traditions developing from their long histories and their vibrant cultures.
These influence everything, from clothing and food, to hobbies. Different sports, different forms of music, and even different gambling games, have all evolved in different parts of the world.
While some have left their native shores and spread across the world, others have only stayed popular within their original cultures. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the favorite gambling traditions in different countries.
China
The Chinese have a long tradition of gambling, right back to ancient dynasties. It was seen, not just as a form of enjoyment, but also as a monetary investment.
During periods of particular economic prosperity, uptake of gambling activities soared. But even in decades when gambling had fallen out of favor, the Chinese still loved to place bets on horse races and sporting events.
A traditional Chinese casino game which has made its way over to the West is Baccarat, but there plenty of others which you’ll only find in the country itself. Sic Bo is a game played with three dice where players bet in a similar fashion to roulette.
Areas of the table correspond to different outcomes, for example, the same number on all three dice, or at least one 5 being rolled.
Dice games are relatively rare in Western casinos, so it’s a shame Sic Bo hasn’t become popular over here.
Japan
Another Eastern game that hasn’t made it big anywhere else is Pachinko. Like a cross between slot machines and pinball, Pachinko parlors are everywhere in Japan, and some customers play for hours at a time. The pachinko industry is huge, generating twice as much revenue as the auto industry, so these parlors are extremely valuable commodities.
However, Japan has very strict gambling laws, with playing for money forbidden.
That means that pachinko players collect the balls which are won from the machines and exchange them for tokens or prizes. These are then taken to a different shop, where they can be swapped again for cash.
USA
The United States has a varied history with gambling, as you might expect with so many cultures coming together. The Puritans detested gambling of any kind, however other European colonists had more lenient views.
Betting together helped to unite migrants from different countries over a common interest. In this new world, gamblers championed games of chance, with poker becoming a grand favorite all over the states.
This PA online casino features several different varieties, such as 3-card, 5-card, Omaha, Stud and Texas Hold ‘Em, they differ in the way you make different combinations within a hand of cards.
United Kingdom
Online gambling is big business in the UK, with online casino revenue counting for more than a third of the country’s total gross gambling revenue. And in the UK, one of the most popular forms of online gambling is bingo, a list of fully licensed brands can be found here.
Since the 1960s, when bingo halls were packed every Saturday night, it has been the game of choice for groups of friends looking for a fun activity. Everyone who plays gets a card with a unique set of numbers between 1 and 99.
Balls with the corresponding numbers are drawn from a machine and the first person to match all their numbers wins.
Online bingo has been a roaring success, reaching a new generation of players and reinvigorating the industry. But it’s not the only online game to have captivated the hearts of the British people.
Online slots and poker are also very popular, especially with younger adults. Gamblers in the UK love the flexibility of being able to play their favorite games online, and the industry is blooming because of it.
Australia
Australia is also a country in love with gambling. A recent survey revealed that over 70% of adults gambled at least once a year, with lotteries and scratch cards proving the most popular form of gambling.
Card and dice games are also popular, but one of Australia’s main loves are ‘the pokies’, or video poker machines. They are installed in restaurants, bars, hotels and casinos, as well as other entertainment venues.
Like traditional poker, video poker machines challenge the player to try and make the best hand they can using the cards they are dealt.
Rather than play another gambler, the machine pays winnings depending on the hand made; a pair of jacks being the lowest, all the way up to a royal flush, which would pay the jackpot. Easier to master than competitive poker, the pokies are enjoyed by all manner of different people across Australia.
To sum up…
Gambling is a universal form of entertainment, being enjoyed by different people all over the world, in one form or another.
While some games seem to have a universal appeal, others have found their own niche within a select culture, which is part of what makes gambling in other countries so much fun. The spread of gambling online has helped to share some of these games with new nations and everyone can still indulge in a new game or two.
