It is time to dive once more into history in the second article of SiGMA series “The Online gambling industry: Tales from the Past”. This time the spotlight is on the first wager ever placed. What sparked the idea of online gambling more than 30 years ago, and who were the key individuals involved in turning this idea into reality? In what ways did Antigua and Barbuda establish itself as a favourable jurisdiction for online gambling operators during the 1990s?
The first online wager
The internet revolution of the early 1990s was an exhilarating time for programmers. Once you grasped the mechanics of the internet, it was clear that the potential was limitless.
Ian Sherrington, author of the Online Gambling Chronicles.
One of those possibilities was online gambling, an idea that likely crossed many minds. But only a few had the vision and technical expertise to turn that concept into reality.
Creating an online gambling platform was no small feat. It required more than just a clever idea—it demanded a sophisticated computer system composed of multiple components. A customer-friendly front-end interface was essential, while the back-end needed to handle game logic, possibly incorporating a Random Number Generator (RNG), and a robust back-office system to manage accounts, update odds, and generate reports. Security and scalability were non-negotiable.
In short, there was a lot of tech involved.
As the internet became more accessible and development tools improved, programmers were empowered to bring their visions to life. Costs lowered, and the once-daunting technical barriers to creating an online gambling platform started to crumble.
And crumble they did.
Click to continue reading: The first online wager on the .
The series is a collaboration between SiGMA News and Ian Sherrington, CEO of Crownstar and a visionary in the world of online gaming technology.
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