While casino games have taken over as a favored pastime for a lot of people around the world, that hasn’t stopped avid players from looking for new ways to play. Far from the conventional gaming tables that we’ve grown familiar with, some casino fans have taken things that one step further, straying away from the norm, and into a whole new world with some of their gaming inventions.
If you love all things weird and wacky then stay tuned, as we take you on a guided tour of some of the strangest casino games around the world.
Meet-the-Pope Lottery
In 2019, Pope Francis visited the United States of America. To commemorate his arrival, the city of Philadelphia put together a special edition of the Lottery, where instead of a nice wad of cash waiting at the end of the game, a once-in-a-lifetime meeting with the Pope was on offer. Although this may be a far cry from the Lottery games available online and other leading games, tickets for this event were also sold online, ensuring that everyone who entered had an equal opportunity to be face-to-face with the Pope.
Dreidel
This is a traditional gambling game, taken from Jewish culture, that is often likened to the dice-based casino games that we often see today. The pseudo-dice takes the form of a four-sided spinning top and the game consists of spinning that dreidel. All wagers will be placed into a betting pot in the middle of the table – whether that be coins, match sticks, or raisins. Each player will take it in turns to spin, and depending on which symbol the dreidel lands on, you can win all or some of the contents of the betting pot.
Rodent Roulette
This unusual game has been around for a number of years and is also referred to as Rat Race Roulette or Mouse Roulette. The basic premise is to place your rodent-of-choice onto an adapted Roulette wheel which has a number of holes created for them to hide in. Players will then place their bets on where they think the animal will run to – the correct bet earning a pay-out.
Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken
Ever heard of noughts and crosses? Well, this edition of the classic game gets an unexpected twist all thanks to a chicken named Ginger. To this day, when you visit a certain casino in Atlantic City, you’ll get the opportunity to play tic-tac-toe against a real-life chicken! Walk away as the reigning champion and you’ll be the proud winner of up to $10,000. However, don’t be fooled – Ginger is not an easy opponent. So far, this talented chicken has remained undefeated, despite touring quite a few casinos in the area. Do you think you have what it takes to take on ol’ Ginger and emerge the victor?
Birdsong
Here comes another bizarre animal-filled game all the way from Belgium. With this game, players are asked to bet on which bird they think will sing the loudest, and in some places, also which bird will sing for the longest. Before placing their bets, prospective players will get to take a look at the birds to help inform their final decision. What exactly they’re looking for, we don’t know!
From the weird to the kind of wonderful, casino gaming has seen it all. And the question now remains – are you brave enough to face this new way to play? And, most importantly, do you think you’d be able to beat Ginger?