The Jewish faith has a long history with gambling and much of it has been kept secret for centuries. While the Talmud doesn’t forbid the practice in any of its forms, there are mixed views among the Jewish hierarchy.
In the present day, most players have access to as many casino facilities as they want. As long as gambling is permitted in their country or region of origin, they can find a gaming hall or set up an online account. Having successfully completed the initial registration process, customers can find a new promotion such as a no deposit casino bonus, and start playing. If gambling is expressly forbidden or discouraged by their faith, they only have their own conscience to answer to, but it wasn’t always like this.
Origins of Gambling in the Jewish Faith
Most gambling origins date back centuries and the same applies to followers of the Jewish faith. In Biblical times, we know that it was very common for people to cast lots in order to help them make a variety of decisions.
There are several mentions of this within the bible including instances where sailors on Jonah’s ship cast lots to identify who was guilty of causing the storm. While there is no suggestion that there was any money at stake, this is gambling in its basic form.
Familiarity with Classic Games
Through the years, gambling developed among Jewish players. Traveling communities and settlers began to get involved with games that were already established around the world. By the 15th century, many card games had become popular among Jewish communities in medieval Europe.
A popular game around this time was Karnoffel. Originating in German speaking nations, it involved taking tricks from an opponent, and it’s considered to be the forerunner of many of the best modern titles.
It’s likely that Karnoffel was among the games played by those Jewish communities back in the Middle Ages. From that starting point, players would eventually get involved with today’s familiar casino titles such as blackjack and poker.
Moving forward to the eighteenth century, card games remained popular while the records also show that Jewish people were involved with lottery play. This situation remained until the 1900s when certain Jewish businessmen were at the forefront of many major developments.
Pivotal Period
The 1900s was a pivotal period in the history of gambling: In the early 1960s, Great Britain legalized the practice under the Betting and Gaming Act of 1960. After the legislation was passed, casinos were legalized and gaming shops were opened on the high street of many British towns and cities.
In America, the 1970s saw the casino industry push into key areas such as Nevada and New Jersey. Las Vegas began to enjoy its reputation as the gambling capital of the world, while the first NJ casino was opened in Atlantic City in 1978.
Twenty years later, online gambling had begun with the first operators opening their digital doors. At every step along the way, Jewish entrepreneurs were involved and many high profile businessmen powered the early casinos and gaming halls.
Prior to legislation coming into effect, Jewish operators were involved with many of the underground gaming establishments. From 1960 onwards when the landscape became more welcoming, they moved into legitimate iGaming business.
Big Figure
Perhaps the biggest driver of modern-day gambling amongst the Jewish community was Benny ‘Bugsy’ Siegel. With the state of Nevada looking for an injection of income due to issues with the Hoover Dam, Las Vegas was about to transform from a desert wasteland into a gambling metropolis.
For many years, Siegel was a part of the gambling underworld in the United States, but he arrived in Las Vegas in 1941 with good intentions. His plan was to turn the town into the lega gambling capital of the country, and while others would find it hard to see the potential, Bugsy Siegel was a visionary in this respect.
Through the remainder of the decade until his untimely death in 1947 Siegel financed and ran many of the early casinos that appeared on the now-infamous strip. He had laid the platform for the big-name casinos we see in Las Vegas today. There are many other top gambling locations across the world, but nothing beats Vegas in terms of choice and atmosphere.
This all brings us full circle and back into modern times. The Talmud may be quiet, but while certain Rabbis have been more vocal about the Jewish stance on gambling, it remains open and available across the world.
Online operators do not ask prospective customers to declare their faith when completing registration, so for Jewish players, it’s their personal choice. As long as they are of legal age and gambling is allowed in their region, they can sign up and play. In doing so, they will be adding to a long history of Jewish gambling, much of which has been kept secret over the years.
