According to recent estimates, the worldwide casino and online gambling market is now valued at just shy of ?200 billion – and this figure is continuing to rise. Two of the biggest contributors to that valuation are the US and European gambling industries, but despite the two clearly enjoying casino gambling, they have very different ways of playing some of the most popular casino games.
According to recent estimates, the worldwide casino and online gambling market is now valued at just shy of ?200 billion ? and this figure is continuing to rise. Two of the biggest contributors to that valuation are the US and European gambling industries, but despite the two clearly enjoying casino gambling, they have very different ways of playing some of the most popular casino games. What are the differences between the two, however? Which are the most popular? And is either the European or US style of casino gambling likely to become the dominant force in the years to come?
Roulette
Devised in 18th-century France, roulette is considered one of the most famous and popular casino games currently played. Despite its worldwide popularity, however, there are different variations of the game currently played in both the US and Europe. Those who play online roulette at sites like Paddy Power can access their Premium European Roulette game. This is played on a classic roulette wheel, which features numbers from 1-36 and a single zero. In the US though, the table features a double zero. This double zero wheel has become popular beyond just the USA, with Canada, South America and the Caribbean favouring the table to its European counterpart – it’s usually possible to play it in Europe too.
Blackjack
Blackjack, also known as twenty-one ? or Vingt-Un ? is rumoured to be of Spanish origin, with veintiuna (Spanish for twenty-one) featuring in writings by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes at the beginning of the 17th century. Whilst the objective of the game remains the same in both Europe and the US ? acquire a hand as close to 21 as possible without exceeding it ? there are differences in how the game is played. In American Blackjack, the dealer receives one card face up and one face down. The latter is referred to as the hole card, and insurance bets can be placed on this card if the dealer reveals an Ace as his upcard. In the European variation of the game, however, this hole card does not exist, and the dealer only receives his second card once all players on the table have decided whether to hit, stand, or have busted their hand.
Poker
Whilst Poker has many variations, the game generally uses the same hand ranking system ? with a Royal Flush the highest hand combination. In the US, Texas Hold’em is the most popular variant of poker, and this style of the game is found in the majority of US online poker sites. European poker players also tend to gravitate towards Texas Hold’em, but there are fairly obscure variants still played across Europe. Spanish poker is sometimes referred to as synthetic poker. It is a version of Texas Hold’em that is similar to Omaha Hold’em. The game is generally consigned to Spanish casinos but can be played at specific poker sites.
In short, whilst both European and American players of roulette, blackjack and poker have their own rules ? and names ? for their games, the general principle for each remains the same. Although perhaps expectantly, the two variants remain dominant in their specific regions, there is no reason why the European and US styles cannot coexist in the casino gaming sector.
