In the modern era, we have our pick of the best online slots. we now have the best of the best. We can go online in a matter of seconds and play your favourite slot games at reputable sites such as Amazon Slots. But it wasn’t always so simple. Until recently, going out on the town and stopping at your favourite casino was the norm. Let’s look at the famous Mayfair location and its rich gambling history.
Mayfair is an affluent area in London, but it wasn’t always the case. In the 18th century, most of the Mayfair district was built with upper-class housing in mind. Unlike most of the surrounding areas, it has since never lost its affluent status. Later, with the decline of the British aristocracy, the area slowly became more commercial over time.
Gambling has always been a featured activity in the area, tracing back as far as 200 years ago. Prior to that, the gambling scene was situated elsewhere, as gambling could be traced back as far as 2000 years ago in the roman empire.
Gambling in Britain was introduced by Roman Britain, with a game resembling backgammon becoming popular in all areas of London. In the 17th century, gambling had become so prevalent that King Charles II was even openly involved in horse racing, known at the time and today as the “Sport of Kings”.
From then to now
Gambling became a popular pastime in the middle ages and was enjoyed by people from all classes. The London nobles would splurge their riches on horse racing, chess and other events that were known among the wealthy, whilst the commoners would find gambling opportunities in local pubs and organise cock fights – no doubt in and around Mayfair.
Gambling became so popular that by 1190, King Richard of England had deemed it legal and started legislation to govern the popular pastime. After this, gambling would become a nobleman’s pastime as the new rule required a minimum allowed bet of 20 shillings, roughly £2,400 in modern value. Even the church shunned it as the devil’s work, but nothing could stop the ever-popular activity from spreading.
Fast forward things a little, and soon, bookmakers were established to equal the playing field. This opened gambling to the rich and poor alike, and gambling quickly again became part of the UK culture, especially so in the Mayfair district. After World War 2, the betting world became a more secure environment, and betting shops soon opened up on virtually every street and corner across London.
The modern-day
In modern history, land-based casinos quickly became very popular, and even bingo halls and all sorts of betting races were enjoyed by all throughout the 20th century governed under the gambling act. With the advent of the internet, the Gambling Commission soon anticipated the move to online gambling and made many amendments.
The internet quickly introduced online gambling products to a much broader audience. Today British punters gain access to thousands of sports books and casinos, even operators outside the UK. Until today the established casinos throughout the Mayfair district have stayed and cemented themselves as part of the culture in the district. The Mayfair district has its roots in hundreds of years of history and culture, and that’s not about to change any time soon.
