There are few pastimes ubiquitously popular as gambling. No matter where you head, no matter how far back you look, gambling is one of those things which has held a unique level of appeal throughout human history. As far as gambling goes, there are few games as interesting – or as fun – as Blackjack.
Blackjack is a unique game in that nobody really knows where it comes from. Slot machines were invented in 1894 by a Bavarian man in America; Roulette is a game from 18th century France. These casino favourites have well-documented origins which allows you to trace the game back to its roots. By contrast, Blackjack is a game whose origins are hotly contested, even today when it’s quicker and easier to play the game online than it is to play with physical cards. By and large, the invention of Blackjack is attributed to the French as a derivative of Vingt-et-Un, a game where you had to get to 21 in 3 cards or more. Despite this, the first recording of the game was Spanish there is evidence to suggest that the game is Roman in origin. Wherever the game comes from, be it France or Spain in the 1600’s or Italy around the time our calendars went from BC to AD, one thing is fairly clear – Blackjack has never been more popular around the world than it is now.
As a game with a famously low house edge, Blackjack has grown over the years to become by far the most popular game you will find in a casino. Thanks to the rapid advent of smartphone and internet technology this is true whether you’re standing in the heart of Las Vegas or standing in the rain, waiting for your bus and playing on your phone. Unlike 10 years ago when the first colour phones were becoming a common sight, you can now stand at the side of the road with a 4G connection and crystal clear video graphics showing you whether it’s best to hit or stick.
Despite the low house edge, the incredible level of skill you can gain as a Blackjack player and the fact that counting cards is actually legal, this incredible level of popularity is fantastic news for the gambling industry. According to the American Gaming Association’s 2014 economic report, the total economic impact of gambling in the US was $240 billion last year. That amounted to a whopping $38 billion paid straight into the US economy through tax alone over a 12 month period. Considering that Blackjack is by far the most popular casino game, a large part of all those billions will be thanks to people looking for a Face and an Ace. Thanks to the fact that everyone is far better connected today than they have been at any point in history, this number isn’t going to be going down any time soon.
On top of this, the mobile gaming sector is experiencing massive growth at the moment. Given that there are Blackjack fans around the world who only dream of visiting The Strip, any software offering a taste of Nevada from the comfort of your own phone is going to draw massive attention from the community. Online casinos around the world have been jumping on this, finding innovative ways to help draw players to the virtual strip. There’s now everything from free advice such as Ladbrokes’ tips on Blackjack helping players at their virtual tables, to live games with real dealers which are played online for the sake of convenience.
The most impressive thing about all of this is that once you know the rules of Blackjack, you’re pretty much sorted no matter which casino you visit. As a game with debatable origins from across Europe, Blackjack has always been a game which transcended borders – now that it’s available online across multiple platforms the game is truly picking up speed like never before. Thanks to the massive global appeal of online Blackjack, there has never been a better time to be a fan than now.
