Lets take a look at the brief history of gambling in the UK
Gambling in the UK, much like gambling everywhere else in the world, goes back to ancient times. People seem to enjoy games of chance throughout history. Of course, gambling back in the old days was quite chaotic.
Today, however, gambling is much more regulated and enjoyable. In addition, it’s quite accessible and widely available.
There are websites, such as Casinowings.com that provide full online service to their customers. Even though land-based casinos are still very much alive and well, people find the online world much more convenient. With that in mind, let’s look at a brief history of gambling in the UK.
Illegal gambling
Back in 1541, The Parliament of England declared that all games of chance be outlawed and banned altogether. The Unlawful Games Act made all gambling illegal throughout the kingdom.
It was believed that the Parliament was forced to ban gambling because it led to the “decay in archery”. Apparently, if you gamble you’re no longer capable of using a bow and arrow. That was a big no no back then. The law was never really enforced but no one dared question the authorities.
Legalisation of gambling
The Gaming act 1845, legalised all gambling but everything was still under a lot of scrutiny. For example, gambling debts couldn’t be collected through court and gambling contracts were legally unenforceable. Cheating was made a crime and regulations were shady at best.
It wasn’t until the 1960s that everything was made legal both gambling and sports betting. Major bookmakers who established themselves on greyhound and horse races were now stepping out of the shadows per se. Land-based casinos and sportsbooks started opening all over the UK.
Modern-day gambling
Many rules, regulations and laws were made since gambling was made legal in the UK. Today, both online and land-based bookmakers and casinos need to be licensed and compliant with government-imposed regulations in order to operate. Gambling and betting are both widely available both online and offline.
As long as you’re a responsible adult, you’re free to place friendly wagers on your favourite sports game or play casino games in whichever establishment you wish. The only requirement is that the establishment is properly licensed to operate in the UK.
Closing Words
Gambling was present throughout human history. It seems that it’s human nature to try your luck on a game of chance. Nevertheless, for some people, these types of activities are entertaining and enjoyable, which is gambling has survived in the UK for so long.
