The First Online Casino

Today there are over 2 thousand registered sites worldwide offering online gambling services. It took a little more than twenty years for the gambling industry to spread across the web and take root. A relatively short period, but it shows the rapid growth of interest in online gambling. Still, someone had to take the first step in this direction, and we will tell you how the first online casino appeared, who made it possible, and which gambling sites were pioneers in the Russian-speaking segment.

If offline it took one century for a slot machine to evolve from a three-reel one-armed bandit with a single payline to a modern electronic slot with 3-D graphics, various bonus rounds and many winning-combination options, everything connected to information technology develops much faster.

💻 The rise of online gambling

In the early 1990s in the US, the computer network of the independent National Science Foundation, which had been operating since 1984, served as the base for the launch of the Internet. Sites of various directions appeared and the number of visitors grew. Gambling industry people, optimistic about the novelty and seeing great prospects in it, also began to experiment and roll out their developments.

The first company to note success in this area was Microgaming.  In 1998 , when most residents of Russian-speaking countries still hadn’t really grasped the internet or had never heard of it at all,  Microgaming released its first slot for online gambling .

🎰 The first online slot

The first slot from Microgaming that could be played over the World Wide Web was called Pharaoh Fortune.

It was released in January 1998 and wasn’t very different from Charles Fey’s first slot machine in terms of combination variety, except that Pharaoh Fortune’s functionality was provided not by mechanics and gears but by program code and an RNG. But it also had a single payline and three reels. You could win by lining up bars, scarabs or pyramids, and the biggest prize came from three Sphinxes, which could also pair with pyramids.

Then  the Ancient Egypt theme firmly took root among the popular slot plots of all developers  and developed in various directions – from treasure hunts to portraying Egyptian gods as main game characters.

Microgaming noticed the interest in gambling and didn’t delay releasing new slots. Next came Martian Money, Trick or Treat, Golden Dragon. And in 1999 the developer released 20 more machines. Online slots began to add extra prize symbols, the chance to win free spins and bonus rounds. Microgaming continues to release new games to this day.

The first online slot with a progressive jackpot, called Cash Splash, was also launched by Microgaming. By 2000, three more progressive jackpot slots appeared on the platform of the first online gambling software developer. And the Mega Moolah Progressive slot is the game where a progressive jackpot of €18.9 million was won, which made it into the Guinness Book of Records.

🎲 The first casinos on the Internet

To play for real money online, a way to deposit funds into a casino account was needed.

Next came Intertops – a site offering online betting. Its license was issued by the island state of Antigua and Barbuda. In 1999 the first online poker rooms opened – Paradise Poker and PartyPoker.

🇷🇺 The first Russian-language online casino

The first online casino in Runet was also released on the Microgaming platform. It was the well-known among gamblers Goldfishka. Sometimes in chats and threads about this venue you can find not very flattering reviews, but they rarely have solid grounds and are more often a reaction to a loss.

Note:

• Goldfishka keeps bets with kopeck denomination>, which is rare for licensed slots,
• bonuses are given out regularly, loyalty programs are in effect,
• minimum account top-up – ₱ 120 rubles, if you use the Qiwi payment system.

Moreover, although the withdrawal system is not known for fast payouts, there are no complaints about delays beyond the timeframes stated in the rules without good reasons.

🇺🇦 The first Ukrainian online casino

The first Ukrainian online casino where you could top up an account in the national currency was Favbet.

The gambling organization started operating in 1999 as a bookmaker, then expanded its range of gambling services and allowed play online. Back then few people trusted electronic payment systems, but you could deposit money into a Favbet account and cash out winnings directly at a cashier in offline halls that were opened in many Ukrainian cities. Now the Favbet online casino has an above-average rating and allows deposits from 20 UAH or 50 rubles.

But it’s worth noting that while some took feedback into account and improved their service, others stayed stuck in the recent past. The top of the rankings is mostly made up of gambling sites that opened relatively recently. They embraced modern IT achievements, considered a number of important player requirements and secured leading positions, but gambling fans still drop into those online casinos that opened first. 🌆🎰🎆