ARTICLES
The History of Horse Racing
It is hard to imagine in today's world that one of our favourite sports, horse racing, has been around for thousands of years. It has been noted as being an organised sport as far back as the Greek Olympics in 638 BC.
Horse racing really came into its own when in the 12th century English horses were bred with Arabian horses. This breeding programme produced sturdy horses that had amazing speed. It was around this time that a more modern version of racing began with racecourses opening and rules and standards established.
Newmarket in Britain was the very first venue for horse racing and is now known all over the world. King Charles II arranged horse races in open fields and the winner would be given a prize.
Horse racing changed during the reign of Queen Anne (1702-1714), the races involved several horses and racing spectators could bet on their favourite horses. It was, at this time, that Queen Anne founded the famous Ascot course and horse racing became a professional sport.
In 1750 the Jockey Club was formed at Newmarket where the "elite" of the horse racing circles met. The club controlled racing and...
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The History Of Video Poker
Video Poker is simply a combination of two popular forms of gambling: the slot machine with the poker game. Winning a game of Video Poker involves a combination of player skill with genuine luck, making it a favorite with players. The game of poker is thought to have originated back in 1830, where it is recorded as having been played by French immigrants living in New Orleans. Video Poker uses a version of the game called five-card draw poker. Meanwhile, the coin-operated card machine (known affectionately as a “slot”) was originally invented in the late 19th century, with poker machines appearing in San Francisco in 1890. These machines were very basic by today’s standards, using real cards rather than symbols.
The machines declined in popularity throughout the first half of the 20th century. Economic difficulties combined with the limited technology of the machines themselves meant that people just weren’t interested in playing anymore. A very primitive electronic poker machine was released in 1964 but achieved only moderate success.
It wasn’t until the mid-1970s that the Video Poker machine as we know it today became available. Advances in technology meant that a central processing unit (CPU) could be installed...
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