There are few things in the world so instantly recognizable, and with such strong connotations, as a deck of playing cards. Even if you have never gambled in your life, it seems like just about everyone knows the suits, spades, clubs, diamonds, and hearts, and there are very few people in the entire world that couldn't tell you that the ace is the most important of them all.

Although playing cards games are some of the biggest casino games in the world, especially blackjack and poker, many people actually don't understand where they come from, and the secret meanings behind each card.

Modern playing cards are the direct descendants of tarot cards, with the current suits corresponding directly to the tarot cards of the past. Spades equals swords, hearts equals diamonds, clubs equals wands, and diamonds equals pentacles. These were the suits of cards for hundreds of years, and although they have generally fallen out of style with actual casino games, there are still some European casinos which feature cards which look far more like the old style tarot cards than the modern decks.

In fact, European gambling, compared to American gambling, is quite traditional. As an example, European roulette wheels only feature one 'zero' space, while American wheels have both the 'zero' and the 'double zero' slots, increasing the house edge.

All in all, European gambling policies tend to be much more liberal than their American counterparts. Many European countries, such as France, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic all allow their citizens to gamble in casinos at the age of 18, not 21. Likewise, the ability to play the lottery and the availability of sports betting is much easier in Europe than it is in America.

So, although the cards themselves might actually be different in Europe, the differences go much farther than that. While Americans, and increasingly Asians, are the next generation of gamblers in the world, Europeans continue to maintain a traditional gambling culture all their own.