InterCasino: first real-money wager
CryptoLogic's secure e-cash lets InterCasino accept the first real-money online casino wagers.
Confidence: medium. Some details here are debated between sources, or the exact date isn’t fully settled — so we flag it rather than state it as certain. Weigh it accordingly, and check the linked sources below before relying on specifics.
Founded in 1995, Canadian firm CryptoLogic developed secure electronic-cash technology for online financial transactions, operated through its WagerLogic subsidiary. In 1996 InterCasino, powered by that technology, is credited with accepting the first genuine real-money casino wagers online.
CryptoLogic's contribution was less about games and more about trust: encrypted systems that let players deposit and be paid real money over the internet, addressing the biggest obstacle to commercial online gambling. InterCasino, launched from Antigua in 1996, used the technology to take real-money casino bets. As with other early firsts, exact credit is contested and timelines in different sources overlap. The reliable point is that secure real-money casino play became viable in the mid-1990s, combining Microgaming-style software with CryptoLogic-style payment security.
Secure e-cash turned online casinos from demos into real businesses that could safely hold and pay out money.
A teaching summary, not legal advice. Dates and figures are simplified for learning; confirm against the primary sources before relying on them.