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Casino Secrets
By Larry Mak
By Larry Mak
Gambling terms and origins
Beat the House. During the American colonial period, a “house” referred to a merchant’s place of business. And a
customer who could talk a merchant into “giving him a better price could literally boast that he had “beaten the
house.” In today’s usage, “house” refers to a place of business (on the house), a place of entertainment (bring
down the house), and a gambling establishment (house odds).
Big Bertha. The name given to those giant dollar slot machines usually found near casino entrances. In World War
I, Big Bertha referred to the huge long-range cannon used by the Germans to shell Paris. It was produced by the
Krupp Works in Essen, Germany. The name was bestowed on the gun by the Krupp family in honor of Frau Bertha
von Bohlen, head of the Krupp family. Today Big Bertha is used to describe any tool or machine that is large or
cumbersome. Hence, the Big Bertha slot machine.
Bingo. In the U.S., Bingo was originally called Beano and was commonly played at county fairs and carnivals. A
caller would draw numbered discs from a cigar box, and players would use beans to cover the numbers that were
called out. In December of 1929, New York toy salesman Edwin S. Lowe happened to watch a game of Beano being
played at a carnival near Jacksonville, GA. During the game a winner accidentally yelled Bingo!—instead of Beano!
Seeing the game’s potential as a crowd pleaser and money maker, Lowe changed the name of the game from
Beano to Bingo. And with the help of a math professor from Columbia University, Lowe made Bingo the game we
know today.
Las Vegas. In the 1830s, Las Vegas served as a watering stop and comfort station for Spanish pack trains along
the Old Spanish Trail (Santa Fe, NM, to Los Angeles). It was prized for its lush meadows, watered by a creek that
rose from a series of bubbling springs. Las Vegas in Spanish means “the meadows.” From the full Spanish name,
Nuestra Senora de los Dolores de Las Vegas (Our Lady of Sorrows of the Meadows).
One-armed Bandit. In the Old West, two professional bandits were playing a rigged slot machine. After losing
heavily, one crook said to the other, “Boy, with a machine like this, you don’t need a gun to hold up anyone.” Yeah,”
replied the other crook. “And it only has one arm too!” Here’s a less colorful but more plausible origin. In the 1930s,
a slot machine operator was arrested and tried for operating a gambling device. The judge, when sentencing the
man, referred to the slot as a one-armed bandit. And the name stuck.
Video. In Latin, “video” is a verb form meaning “I see.” Its use in a video game refers to the computer-generated
images of cards, cartoon characters, and ghostly hands that a player sees displayed on a viewing screen. The
sound and musical effects produced by a slot are referred to as “audio.” From the Latin “audio,” meaning “I hear.”
Beat the House. During the American colonial period, a “house” referred to a merchant’s place of business. And a
customer who could talk a merchant into “giving him a better price could literally boast that he had “beaten the
house.” In today’s usage, “house” refers to a place of business (on the house), a place of entertainment (bring
down the house), and a gambling establishment (house odds).
Big Bertha. The name given to those giant dollar slot machines usually found near casino entrances. In World War
I, Big Bertha referred to the huge long-range cannon used by the Germans to shell Paris. It was produced by the
Krupp Works in Essen, Germany. The name was bestowed on the gun by the Krupp family in honor of Frau Bertha
von Bohlen, head of the Krupp family. Today Big Bertha is used to describe any tool or machine that is large or
cumbersome. Hence, the Big Bertha slot machine.
Bingo. In the U.S., Bingo was originally called Beano and was commonly played at county fairs and carnivals. A
caller would draw numbered discs from a cigar box, and players would use beans to cover the numbers that were
called out. In December of 1929, New York toy salesman Edwin S. Lowe happened to watch a game of Beano being
played at a carnival near Jacksonville, GA. During the game a winner accidentally yelled Bingo!—instead of Beano!
Seeing the game’s potential as a crowd pleaser and money maker, Lowe changed the name of the game from
Beano to Bingo. And with the help of a math professor from Columbia University, Lowe made Bingo the game we
know today.
Las Vegas. In the 1830s, Las Vegas served as a watering stop and comfort station for Spanish pack trains along
the Old Spanish Trail (Santa Fe, NM, to Los Angeles). It was prized for its lush meadows, watered by a creek that
rose from a series of bubbling springs. Las Vegas in Spanish means “the meadows.” From the full Spanish name,
Nuestra Senora de los Dolores de Las Vegas (Our Lady of Sorrows of the Meadows).
One-armed Bandit. In the Old West, two professional bandits were playing a rigged slot machine. After losing
heavily, one crook said to the other, “Boy, with a machine like this, you don’t need a gun to hold up anyone.” Yeah,”
replied the other crook. “And it only has one arm too!” Here’s a less colorful but more plausible origin. In the 1930s,
a slot machine operator was arrested and tried for operating a gambling device. The judge, when sentencing the
man, referred to the slot as a one-armed bandit. And the name stuck.
Video. In Latin, “video” is a verb form meaning “I see.” Its use in a video game refers to the computer-generated
images of cards, cartoon characters, and ghostly hands that a player sees displayed on a viewing screen. The
sound and musical effects produced by a slot are referred to as “audio.” From the Latin “audio,” meaning “I hear.”