Blackjack History

The history of blackjack is somewhat mysterious, but it is rumored that the game probably stemmed from such French games as chemin de fer and french ferme. Some historians claim that blackjack originated in French casinos in the early 1700s where it was called vingt-et-un (twenty-and-one) and that it has been played within the United States since the early 1800s.

The game was called Blackjack because any player that held the Jack of Spades and the Ace of Spades as the first two cards dealt was paid extra.

Gambling was legal in the Western U.S. from the 1850's to 1910, at which time Nevada made it a felony to operate a gambling game. In 1931, Nevada legalized casino gambling where Blackjack became one of the primary games of chance offered to casino gamblers. Also,1978 was the year that casino gambling was legalized within Atlantic City, New Jersey.

As of the year 1989, only two states had legalized casino gambling. Since then, about 20 states have had a number of small time casinos sprout up in places such as Black Hawk and Cripple Creek, Colorado and in river boats on the Mississippi. Over 70 Native American Indian reservations operate casinos.

In addition to the United States, many other countries operate casinos including: England, France, Monaco, many Caribbean Islands, etc..