“Ridotto” – the first modern casino and why it had been closed

Today there are gaming halls on every corner, casinos in every spa town, online casino can be played from anywhere on our smartphones. But when did the first modern gambling house in Europe open its doors? And why did it has to close even though it was successful?

With "Ridotto" gambling should be banned from the back rooms

The mother of European casinos was called "Ridotto" and opened its doors in Venice, Italy, in 1638. The name came from the Italian word "ridurre", which means "to force" or "to reduce". With the Venetian casino "Ridotto", gambling should finally be banned from the back rooms and get controlled by the state.

Theoretically everyone was allowed to visit the gambling house. In reality, however, things looked different: The strict dress code and the high stakes made it possible that only the fine upper class could visit "Ridotto". The casino was also closely connected to the carnival. Except for the croupiers, every visitor in the house had to wear Venetian masks. Under the protection of being masked and because of the wild atmosphere in the house, many princes and aristocrats gambled away their wealth and inheritance.

This circumstance was the reason why the casino had to be closed 136 years later, in 1774: A large number of Venetians destroyed their livelihoods with gambling. Later, the "Ridotto", which was once the palace of the noble family of Dandolo, was used as a ballroom for theater performances.

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Who received the first casino license in Las Vegas? We give you a hint: it was a woman.