Internet casinos Inc was first?

[Ian_go]

Was reading Jetset's posting : UK online gambling customer service improving. The original report ( www.talisma.com/onlinegambling. ) says that Internet casinos Inc was the first online casino, opening in 1995.

I have often wondered who the first online casino was. Do readers here have information on Internet casinos Inc?

[Simmo!]

I always thought 888 was first in '95 followed by Gaming Club / Intercasino in '96. But i guess thats proper casinos as opposed to fly-by-nights.

[GaryWatson]

apparently microgaming brought in a mini version in 1994

[RobWin]

I always thought 888 was first in '95 followed by Gaming Club / Intercasino in '96. But i guess thats proper casinos as opposed to fly-by-nights.

If I am not mistaken Simmo, I believe I started playing at Intercasino back in 1995, it may have been their beta version, not sure, I guess I could go dust off my old records and find out for sure....but hell I've slept a lot since then too.....

[jetset]

Casinomeister has everything somewhere on the site or in the archives.

The following can be regarded as pretty reliable because it was compiled by one of Casinomeister's most valued and diligent members (no longer a part of this community, regrettably) who did extensive research on historical as well as rogue operators:


http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...line#post17861


Online casino industry development timeline...
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Sports International Ltd., believes that figure would quickly grow to $30 billion. Formed in the late 1980s by a bunch of guys from Philadelphia and other parts of the US, Sports International operates an offshore service for betting on sporting events via telephone.

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1995 Missouri won an injunction against Pennsylvania-based Interactive Gaming & Communications, forcing its subsidiary in Grenada to refuse bets placed by Missourians. Three months later, Minnesota sued the Nevada-based Granite Gate Resorts, alleging that its Belize-based WagerNet violated state consumer-protection laws by implying that Internet gambling is legal in Minnesota.
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1995 Warren Eugene opens casino.org which operates in the Caribbean from the Turks and Caicos Islands, Nassau, and St. Martin.
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1995 Virtual Vegas opens for free playing.
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1995 Global Gaming opens Wagernet for peer to peer sports betting.
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1995 California-based IWN ("I win") Inc., a subsidiary of NTN Communications Inc., the maker of many interactive TV games, such as QB1 football. IWN has developed software that allows television viewers to use their remote controls to place bets on live horse races.



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1994
The Government of Antigua Barbuda passes The Free Trade and Processing Zone Act, 1994. Many online casinos and sports books today operate under licenses granted pursuant to this legislation. Antigua Barbuda continues to be one of the online gambling industries most popular licensing jurisdictions.


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1994
Microgaming, one of the internet casino industry's first and largest software developers and suppliers, is founded.


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1995
Brothers Andrew and Mark Rivkin found CryptoLogic, with the aim of developing a series of unique encrypted communication protocols to settle transactions securely, reliably and quickly.


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1995
Starnet Communications, based in Vancouver, Canada, is established to develop, license and provide online gambling technology and websites, including online casinos and sportsbooks. To get around local legal barriers, offshore subsidiaries, are established to carry out development, licensing and e-commerce functions for clients.


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1996
The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is established in Canada. Kahnawake Gaming Law is created with the express purpose of regulating Kahnawake licensed online gambling activities hosted within its jurisdiction.


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1996
Boss Specialtidningar AB, Boss Media's parent company, begins to develop a system for casino operations on the Internet.


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1996
Microgaming sells off existing casino operations and concentrates on developing of internet casino technologies.


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1996
Cryptologic begins developing the first Ecash and gaming application, and complete its first generation of gaming software later in the year.


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1996
CryptoLogic's wholly owned subsidiary, WagerLogic, completed its first license.

InterCasino goes online in October 1996, claiming to be the first internet casino to accept a real money wager online.


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1997
Boss Casinos system development work is transferred to Boss Media AB. The game server system is located in Antigua & Barbuda, in the West Indies, one of the few countries in the world willing to sanction Internet gaming operations at that time.


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1997
Starnet Systems International Inc. is created as a subsidiary of Starnet Communications, to license turnkey, customized, Internet gaming systems to independent operators in exchange for a share of the licensees' revenues.


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1997
Starnet launches WorldGaming.net, a proprietary website licensed in Antigua to accept, process and manage wagers via the Internet.
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Handa-Lopez opens Funscape, a casino hosted in the US. Mark Waters is an http://216.239.39.100/search?q=cache...F-8interviewed employee.


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1998
Microgaming launches Cash Splash, the Internet's first progressive jackpot slot.


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1998
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Congress' foremost opponent to online gambling introduces the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, designed to make it illegal for any company to offer an online gambling product to US citizens. The bill eventually fails to pass.


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1998
Starnet Systems signs its first Internet gaming licensee, Atlantis Corp, operating out of Antigua Barbuda.


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1998
Frost and Sullivan report that online gambling industry generated $834.5 million in revenue in 1998.


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1998
Boss Media signs its first license agreement with an external customer.


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1999
Royal Canadian Mounted Police raid Starnet Communication's Vancouver office for suspected participation in illegal gambling. While all gaming servers are located offshore, Canadian Authorities claim that the Starnet's e-mail server which is located in Canada, is an extension of gaming activities and therefore in violation of the Canadian Criminal Code.


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1999
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), reintroduces a revised Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, designed to make it illegal for any company to offer an online gambling product to US citizens. The revised bill also fails to pass.


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1999
Microgaming forms a deal with a big five auditing firm (PriceWaterhouseCoopers) to review and report on casino payout percentages.


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1999
The first Australian Government licensed internet casino, Lasseter's, goes online. Lasseter's operates under license from the Northern Territory Government, which moved quickly to legislate for and offer licenses to online casinos. Meanwhile other Australian states move toward the release of their own online gambling legislation and licensing schemes.


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1999
Boss Media´s shares are quoted on the OM Stockholm Exchange´s O-list.


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1999
As at September 1999, Christian Capital Advisors estimated that there were approximately 700 casinos taking money bets over the Internet


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1999
Boss Media takes the online gambling world by storm with the release of its new gaming software platform with multi-player functionality, allowing multiple players to play the same game at once, and chat to each other while at the virual gaming table.


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2000
The Australian Federal Government passes its Interactive Gambling Moratorium Act, making it illegal for any Australian Based online casino or sports book operators not already licensed and operating prior to May 2000, from operating. Lasseters Online is the only Australian based Internet casino able to operate under the new legislation.



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2000
Microgaming releases its second progressive internet slots game, Lots a Loot Progressive Slot.



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2000
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) introduces a new Internet Gambling Prohibition Act to the US House of Representatives. The bill fails to attract the required two thirds majority vote to pass


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2000
Cryptologic's annual report claims that the number of customers who have used its electronic payment system for online betting has climbed to 680,000 since operations began in 1996.


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2000
The UK sovereign territories of Gibraltar and the Isle of Man offer online sports betting licenses. A number of large UK betting shops purchase licenses from these jurisdictions in a move to avoid UK betting taxes.


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2000
Microgaming releases 3 more of its progressive internet games: WowPot, Fruit Fiesta slots, and SupaJax video poker progressives.


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2000
South African giant Sun International Hotels Limited signs a license agreement with Boss Media for use of the latters online casino software. This is Boss' first agreement with a land-based casino company.


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2000
Cryptologic lists on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol CRYP.


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2000
Casino Sur is launched, becoming the first online casino licensed in Argentina.


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2001
Results of a survey published in PRNewswire (22 March 2001) claims that around 8 million people had already gambled with real money online at that time.


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2001
The Australian Federal Government passes legislation making it illegal for any Internet casino or sports book to offer its product to Australian residents. Following numerous last minute amendments resulting from pressure from powerful terrestrial gambling associations, the legislation contains significant concessions for local sportsbook and racing operators.


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2001
The Nevada legislature passes a bill opening the way for licensed online casinos to operate out of Nevada. It is estimated that it will still be a year or two before the drafting of license regulations and agreement from the US Department of Justice will allow the granting of the first licenses.


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2001
Starnet Communications is fined $100,000 for involvement in internet gambling. No company officers were fined or charged.


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2001
The Kahnawake Gaming Commission hosts its 20th online casino licensee, up from 12 the previous year.


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2001 (September)
An online casino player wins US$414,119 playing the Rags to Riches slot game at The Sands of the Caribbean online casino. This is the largest internet progressive jackpot win to date.


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2001
Alderney (British Channel Islands) passes legislation for Interactive Gambling, and the Alderney Commission is now is a position to accept license applications.


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2001
The Gambling Review Report is released in the UK. Subject to rounds of negotiations before its recommendations become law, the review suggests legalizing all forms of online gambling, which would make Britain one of the few OECD countries to allow it.


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2002
A bill sponsored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va that would update a 40-year-old law banning telephone wagers (the Wire Act) to cover Internet betting, and online casinos in particular, was passed unanimously by the U.S. House Judiciary subcommittee on crime. The bill now moves to the full Judiciary Committee for consideration, and if passed there, on to the House and then the Senate for final approval.


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2002

The first ever $1 million plus online casino jackpot went off on 30 May. A lucky player playing the Microgaming progressive slot game Major Millions at Captain Cooks Casino wins a massive $1,594,649.



Last updated 30 May 2002: http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...line#post17861

[Edward D. Wood]

Kinda makes me think. If someone from the oldies out there can tell the youth (me)...how tight were the slots and was the chance of winning bigger way back then???

[SlotsWizard]

Kinda makes me think. If someone from the oldies out there can tell the youth (me)...how tight were the slots and was the chance of winning bigger way back then???

I would say the chance of winning big was roughly the same. When I first started out I hit a nice $10,000 win on the early Microgaming software back in 1997 or 1998-ish. I was paid by check (in two weekly installments) and had no problems cashing them. Ah, the good old days.

And I'm not all that old! I graduated high school in 1997 and it wasn't long after that when I discovered online casinos.

[me_and_ed]

And what about the 4x rollover bonuses with no game restrictions, oh those were the days!!!

[winbig]

Those were the days, yes....considering back then you didn't have to worry about getting paid ...or arrested, if you lived in Washington state.

[paul02085]

I agree that the games paid out about like they do now back in the mid late 90s. The huge difference was the sub's were unbelievably easy. Made alot of money that way.