Casino gaming is popular worldwide, whether you’re choosing to step into a brick-and-mortar casino for an evening’s entertainment, or much prefer enjoying the thrills and spills of an online casino, from the comfort of your sofa. Many of the classic casino games have withstood the test of time, barely changing since their inception – and remain popular with gaming aficionados today. But which games are more popular, and where? Let’s globetrot – and while you’re at it, you could well use your new casino welcome bonus on one of these much-loved casino games.

Australia: Pokies

The Aussies love a contraction, and if you didn’t know, Pokies are more commonly known around the world as Slots. Taking their name from the original form of slot game, the Poker machine, invented by Sittman and Pitt in the late 1800s, of course, Slots have come a long way since then. In case you were wondering, there is no difference between Pokies and Slots, and while there are many different kinds of Slots available to play at an online casino – for Australian fans of the game, the most popular are three-reel, five-reel and jackpot Pokies (which can also be categorised by fixed jackpots and progressive jackpots).

China: Sic-Bo

The Chinese are firm believers in good luck and fortune, which is why this ancient dice game continues to be popular – gradually making its way to western casinos and can now be found at many online establishments. For a beginner, looking at the Sic-Bo table might be confusing or overwhelming, but in reality, it’s a fairly easy game of chance. The player is aiming to bet on the outcome of the rolled dice – and this can range from the total number being high or low, odd or even, or a specific number appearing on two or three of the dice being rolled.

France: Roulette

Invented in the 17^th century by French physicist, Blaise Pascal, Roulette soon became popular across Europe – before French settlers also took the game to USA, namely to the state of Louisiana. These days, you can play both European and American Roulette at online casinos – although the European variant is more popular, due to its lower house edge.

But did you know there’s a variant called French Roulette too? This is played on the European wheel, but has additional rules, which also go in the player’s favour. There’s La Partage, which means ‘sharing’ and this rule states if the ball lands in the zero pocket, all even-money wagers will be split in half, with half returned to the player, and the remainder forfeited by the house.

Then there’s En Prison, meaning ‘in prison’. Again, this rule is only permitted on even-money bets and if the ball lands in the zero pocket, the player’s wager is imprisoned for an additional spin of the wheel. Should they then be successful, they will win their wager back – better than losing!

USA: Blackjack

Also known as 21 in the US, Blackjack is popular all over the world. The classic card game has a low house edge, has exciting twists, and while it’s a game of chance, you can employ strategies to be successful – it’s a game all about decision making. In fact, it was in the casinos of Nevada where a very special rule was introduced – to draw in more players, as the game originally didn’t catch on in the US. If a player landed a 21-point hand (known as a natural), made up of a Black Jack and the Ace of Spades, they would be paid out at 10:1. Although these days a natural only pays out at 3:2, the name Blackjack has stuck and the game has remained much-loved.