BlackJack History
The history of the BlackJack card game itself
is still hotly disputed but was probably a spin off from
other French games such as "chemin de fer" and
"French Ferme".
BlackJack originated in French casinos around
1700 where it was called "vingt-et-un" ("twenty-and-one")
and has been played in the U.S. since the 1800's. BlackJack
is named as such because if a player would get a black jack
and an ace of spades then the player would automatically
win and be further repaid.
Gambling was legal out West from the 1850's
to 1910, when Nevada made it a crime to operate a gambling
game. In 1931, Nevada re-legalized casino gambling where
BlackJack became one of the primary games of chance offered
to gamblers. In 1978, casino gambling was legalized in Atlantic
City, New Jersey. As of 1989, only two states had legalized
casino gambling. Since then, about 20 states have had a
number of small time casinos built. About 70 Native American
Indian reservations operate or are building casinos.
In addition to the United States, countries
operating casinos include Canada, France, England, Monaco
and some in the Caribbean like in the Grand Caymans and
Bermuda.
