Impressum 
|
Kontakt: AUDIUM / Visonik |
The rampant gaming culture in London's gentlemen's clubsGambling has long been an integral part of British society. It is therefore surprising that the subject has largely escaped the interest of historians. In this article we will look at the history of gambling and specifically look at the relationship between gambling and gentlemen's clubs in London in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. A time of enlightenment, of industrial and technological innovation, but also of poverty, slavery and colonial expansion. It was a time of contrasts - gambling became more and more attractive and flourished among the British upper class. This then led to the establishment of institutionalized casinos in the mid-19th century. The origin of gamblingGambling has been around since the dawn of mankind. There is evidence that goes back to the Paleolithic before history was written. Archaeologists in Mesopotamia have a six-sided cube from around 3000 BC. Found. England has had a working class gaming culture for over a millennium in inns, taverns and other establishments across the country. In these locations, bets were often made on animal fights and other aggressive sports and competitions. Games of chance that were played with a dice were widespread in the 14th century. They were so popular because they didn't require any skill. Games of this type were “hazard”, “queek” and “checkers”. What happened during the course and why we turn our attention to the men's clubs, we will show you in the next few sections. The rise of gambling among the British upper classGambling became more sophisticated in England at the end of the 18th century and this affected all levels of society. London grew rapidly in the 18th century. As a result of the early excitement of the Industrial Revolution and the city's role at the center of the expanding British Empire, the population rose from 200,000 (early 17th century) to 5 million. During this period there was an increase in wealth and luxury in Great Britain, which subsequently led to an increase in leisure activities. The London clubs became the center of the gambling life of many established lineages and attracted men from the upper classes of society. There is a logical explanation for this - as the upper classes have much more time and wealth to spend on gambling together. Another reason gambling flourished during this period could be due to the nature of gambling itself. But there is still speculation here. The financial revolution made it possible to do business with borrowed capital and popularized the idea of speculation as a means of making a profit. Thus gaming and gambling were romanticized in a society that was clearly addicted to the luxury and praise of speculation. The increasing role of gentlemen’s clubsThe original clubs were formed in the West End of London. Today, the St. James’s area is still sometimes referred to as “clubland”. In many cases, clubs emerged from coffeehouses in the 18th century and grew in importance and influence in the 19th century. The first clubs, such as White’s, Brooks’s and Boodle’s, were meeting places for aristocrats and provided a safe environment for gambling that was illegal outside of these facilities. The clubs became very popular in the 19th century. This expansion is due in part to the major expansions to the franchise in the Reform Acts of 1832, 1867, and 1885. Many men went to these clubs because they gave them the feeling that with membership they could attain the elevated status of gentleman. It also gave hundreds of thousands of them the right to vote. Not willing to accept such newly liberated men, the existing clubs began to form their own clubs. The clubs of the wealthy men were often referred to as the "golden hells" while the clubs of the lower classes were the "copper hells". The “golden hells” avoided closure due to their association with lawmakers and the state that came with club membership. Some of the largest and most dilapidated clubs in London were White’s, Brooks’s, Almack’s and The Cocoa Tree. The importance of the club to the integrity of a wealthy manMembership in a gentlemen’s club was vital to the integrity of a man of high standing and wealth. The clubs were a place for business, parliamentary discussion and the promotion of political networks. Not only was it a place for serious discussion, it was also a place to spend your free time, a home from home where men could drink, have fun and play. Over time, more and more clubs have become meeting places for men with the same interests, e.g. Politics, sports, literature, art, travel, cars or other topics. In other cases, members were gathered into a club by membership of the same school, university, or branch of the armed forces. Gentlemen prefer whistThe kind of games played in the men's clubs formed another dividing line between the aristocracy and the lower classes. While most of the lower tier games, such as Dice games, based on sheer luck, required more skill in the men's clubs. Therefore, the nobility preferred the card game, as it was a game that required more demanding skills. Whist was the men's most popular game and the direct precursor to bridge. The game became so popular, among other things, because a man published the correct game strategy and thus contributed to the formulation of the rules. It is a classic trick card game, which is composed of a scientific game and knowledge of technical jargon. The game required a good level of education and the skilled card players gained respect from their peers. Besides, it was a betting game and those who made big bets got a good reputation this way. One of them was the Duke of Wellington, who reportedly staked £ 100,000 on whist every night at White’s. If you are interested in the rules of the game, you can read them here in our article on whist. Risking capital is worth more than making itThe absurd examples from the betting books of the various men's clubs show us that winning just wasn't that important in the aristocratic gaming culture. It was far more important to be seen risking your capital than to necessarily win. In addition, honor was at the heart of the “aristocratic code”. A man would stake a large sum of money and lose, but he would never lose his temper and complete integrity. Otherwise Charles Fox, the prominent British Whig statesman, would have been thrown out of Brooks ’house well before his bankruptcy. Voters may have been interested in the politician's gambling problem, but the members of his club certainly weren't interested. The owners of White’s and Brooks’s have been hugely successful and would pave the way for Crockford’s as the gambling epicenter in London. A population of losers would lead to the establishment of an alternative culture of non-elite gamblers who would use any advantage to win. In addition, the gambling literature of that time shows that there was a counterculture of increasingly clever and tactical gambling. This is where the emerging science of probabilities and the diverse portfolio of game manuals have been used. The Crockford’s Club and the change into an institutionalized casinoEnglish gambling culture changed drastically between the 1790s and 1840s. One of the driving forces behind the promotion of the common casinos was the success story of Crockford’s. William Crockford was a skilled bookmaker, businessman, and gambling capitalist. Crockford’s membership was not as restrictive as White and Brooks’s membership. The club's doors were open to thousands of members. It was the first amusement arcade in London to resemble a modern casino entirely, and it was also the catalyst for the growth of gambling establishments. These modern houses were stylishly furnished and attractive to the gentlemen. While Crockford made gambling less elitist, the government placed limits on the proliferation of new gambling establishments at the lower end of society. The gap between upper and lower tier gambling was gradually narrowing. This led to the establishment of the institutionalized casino in the middle of the 19th century, which paved the way for good Rupee online casinos for Indian players. |