While up for debate, some claim that Microgaming’s GamingClub going live in late ‘95 was the world’s first virtual casino. The very first online casino is believed to be the InterCasino. In 1996 the Kahnawake Gaming Commission was formed – the first of its kind and 11 years prior to the self-proclaimed UK casino police – the UKGC. With the launch of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission came a flurry of online casinos – some successful, others not. While it’s tempting to look at the evolution of online casinos through a European lens, a major development in the growth of online casinos came from The Great White North. Pioneers of both gaming platforms and online casino games, Microgaming was the first software developer to spot a technological gap in the market and brought quality gaming and the platforms on which to play online casino games to the public. The bill gave the islands carte blanche to issue licenses to online casinos and was the acorn that grew into the mighty oak tree of the online casino industry that we know today. Some of the first casinos began their operations from Antigua and Barbuda due to the islands’ Free Trade and Processing Act. Trent car park fast-forwarding to today, where Co-founder and CEO Denise Coates is earning around €635,500,000 ($647,000,000) a year. We’re all familiar with the story of bet365 office starting life in a Portacabin in a Stoke-on.
