During the 1700s and early 1800s gambling was a popular past time in both France and Germany. In fact the Roulette wheel was invented during the 1700s and found instant audiences among gamblers of the day.

France and Germany’s Gambling Bans

Louis Blanc, inventor of the modern European roulette wheel, was plying his gambling trade in Germany during the mid 1800s once France had effectively banned gambling. Not long behind France, though, Germany’s government thought it prudent to ban the practice, also.

Monaco, under the rule of Prince Charles III, was giving gambling a go in efforts to boost a lackluster local economy. He invited Blanc to come to Monte Carlo. When Blanc accepted, it became a union of wits that would eventually open the region to the world.

Monte Carlo’s First Casino

In 1863, Prince Charles granted permission to Blanc to construct the first casino in Monte Carlo, the Casino de Monte Carlo. The highly stylized Belle Epoque architecture was an advertising strategy employed to appeal to the most gracious, the most elegant and sophisticated among European aristocracy. The wealthy were the same society who had already had gambling banned in their own countries.

Blanc believed that the unusually mild climate and wealth of sunshine characteristic to Monaco, along with stunning beaches and rocky cliffs, would be a welcome vacation respite for bored Europeans.

A Railroad

The only other critical piece to the success of Monte Carlo was finding a convenient way to get wealthy visitors into and out of the cramped, rocky little portside city. At the time a railway plan was underway to connect the cities of Genoa and Nice. Between Prince Charles and Blanc, the appropriate officials were convinced that the railroad had to run through Monaco.

Marriage of Gambling and Culture

Nearly simultaneously, the Casino de Monte Carlo and the Monte Carlo Opera House were constructed. And nearly simultaneously they rose to fast fame. Prince Charles dreamed Monte Carlo to be a haven for not only the wealthy, but a community of arts and culture. He felt the two were irreparably joined. Besides providing high society with the best that the arts world had to offer, Monte Carlo would become a leader in the European world.

To this day, Monte Carlo is the model for European style both in gambling and in the arenas of arts and culture.