Gambling has been enjoyed and a popular pastime for people across all walks of life for centuries. With the class system being an obstruction, It is so ingrained within certain societies, particularly in the Western world, that even members of royal families have enjoyed having a punt on their favourite casino games.
To demonstrate this is true today, we are going to look at some of the top royal characters who enjoyed gambling. It will show that gambling has always been a very crucial part of Western societies and is now a significant contributor to the overall economy. If you fancy playing online slots, you can easily look up a review of premier slot sites today.
King Edward VII
One such royal who enjoyed gambling along with other habits that were frowned upon, such as drinking and having affairs with women in marriage, was King Edward VII of England, who came to the throne in 1901. In fact, he was the last royal to appear at the High Court until Prince Harry appeared just recently. He was summoned to present and give evidence regarding an alleged gambling scandal. One particular casino game that he was enthusiastic about but that was illegal at the time was Baccarat, a game that is still very popular.
King Henry VIII
Another former King of England who enjoyed gambling as a pastime was King Henry VIII. The monarch was known for his excessive spending, and his particular game of choice was a game called ‘brag’, which was a mediaeval variant of what we know today as poker. His addiction to gambling was so bad that over the space of just 2 years, the King ended up losing what would be the equivalent of today’s money of £1.5 million. He was also someone you didn’t want to beat, as he was rumoured to have ordered the hanging of an opponent that he allegedly lost to.
King George IV
Yet another King of England (surprisingly) who was an avid gambler was King George IV back in the 18th century. He was known for using a lot of the money that was generated through the taxation of citizens of the country at that time to spend on activities such as gambling. Likewise, like Henry, he was not known as a skilled gambler, and he too ran up quite excessive gambling debts to the point where he received a bailout from his father but, in return, had to marry someone of his father’s choice.
Do any members of the current royal family gamble?
Although, as of lately, there are no public admissions of any members of the royal family being passionate about gambling, However, like a lot of aspects of their private lives, great and extensive efforts are made to keep them as private and confidential as possible and away from prying eyes. These efforts are a lot more sophisticated than the ones that were in place in previous centuries, and so they could indeed be fans of playing online slots, for example, but we just may never find out.
Affinity with horse racing
One of the biggest sports that players love to have a bet on in the UK is horse racing. It has been around for years, and some of the biggest events in the horse racing calendar are affiliated with the royal family. One of these in particular that you may have heard of is Royal Ascot. Each year in June, some of the most high-profile races are hosted at this prestigious racecourse, and you often see members of the royal family in attendance. The royal family in England also has a history of owning some of the finest race horses to grace the history of the sport.
More about the Royal Ascot
The history of this racecourse and the Royal Family goes back hundreds of years—in fact, to 1711, when it was opened by Queen Anne—and has been closely affiliated with 12 monarchs successively since. The Royal Ascot race became an official event in the racing calendar and was recognised by the Racing Authority back in 1911.
As one of the biggest betting events and races on the calendar, it has long shared a close affiliation with the royal family. From attending races to also being the owner of various thoroughbred horses, There are also plenty of other events on the calendar that have a royal theme intertwined with them.
In Summary
Particularly in England, there is a long history and affinity between the royal family and gambling, whether it’s princes or kings. And it shows just how embedded in our culture here in the UK that gambling is. It has gone from something that was at one time illegal to an economy that, between land-based and online casinos, contributes billions of pounds each year to the British economy and provides employment to tens of thousands of skilled workers.
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