Do you work as a gaming employee on a licensed premises in Queensland and provide SITHGAM001 Provide Responsible Gambling Services (RSG/RGS)? Here is a little history lesson on one of mankind’s oldest activities.

Games of chance are as old as time, one of the oldest human activities based on evidence found in tombs and other ancient places.

The dice that we are familiar with, probably date back more than 5,000 years. Dice were not only used to gamble but also to predict the future. In 2,000 BC, the ancient Egyptians used knuckle bones as four-sided dice. Further back in time astragli (little sticks in the form of flint splinters) were used. It is estimated that some astragli that have been found could be as old as 40,000 years. Greeks and Romans also gambled with astragli and even today they are used by Arabic and Native American tribes. In addition to this, the bones of animals were frequently used for gambling. In 1500BC the Chinese had spinning discs to play a form of roulette.

Card games were played in China as early as the 12th century. In the 15th century Leonardo da Vinci is said to have tried to develop a gambling machine. In the Netherlands the first horse races took place in the 16th century. However, the first recorded horse race in England took place in 210 AD. In 1588 Queen Elizabeth I approved the first lottery in Britain to raise funds to repair the cinque ports.

The first gambling houses opened in America in 1718 in New Orleans and from 1827 gambling took place day and night. Chicago was the next city to introduce gambling. In 1895, the first slot machine was invented by Charles Fey, a mechanic from San Francisco. A general gambling ban was issued in the United States in attempt to undermine its links with the Mafia. Nevada was the first American State to lift the ban on games of chance in the 1930s.

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica in the late 1800s a gradual shift began in the official attitude toward gambling. From considering it a sin to considering it a vice and a human weakness and, finally, to seeing it as a mostly harmless and even entertaining activity.

As a gaming employee on licensed premises it is important to understand that now, in the twenty-first century, that while most people enjoy gambling without any adverse affects, there are some who find it difficult to control their gambling. Often the safety and wellbeing of the gambler and sometimes their families and friends is placed at risk. The negative impacts also extend to the broader community.

Ensure you understand SITHGAM001 Provide Responsible Gambling Services (RSG/RGS). and keep your skills and knowledge update to-date through Club Training Australia’s online RSG/RGS courses.

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