Telephone psychic readings emerged in the 1970s, blending early premium‑rate phone services (charging per minute!) with the lure of fortune telling at whim or at need, and had evolved into a global industry by the 1990s. In the U.S., entrepreneurs noticed that 900‑number premium‑rate services already successfully charged per minute for sports scores and weather. They added astrology and “psychic” readings to the menu. Callers might hear a pre‑recorded message or speak briefly with an operator who turned them over to a "genuine psychic" to interpret their stars, tarot, or “energy.” No training was required of those who answered the phone, they were hired off the street.  The phone workers usually made a guess as to what the customer wanted, based on the customer's voice and accent,  and then recited from a list of personal‑sounding statements about what the future held. Workers had dossiers on regular customers, and could give them precisely the reading they were expecting. As home computers and smartphones became common, it was natural to move the services eventually on-line. During the COVID-19 pandemic many people isolated at home turned to digital platforms for conversation and reassurance, and revenue for all online services rose significantly. Contemporary sites offer video sessions, subscription packages and branded merchandise. International sites, ranging from Indian astrologers to African traditional healers, serve clients across time zones through the same apps. The U.S. psychic services market — including phone psychics, tarot readers, astrologers, and mediums — was valued at $2.3 billion in 2025. The industry grew at 5.5% annually from 2020–2025, with another 2.2% growth in 2025. There are over 103,000 psychic services businesses in the U.S., many of which still offer phone‑based readings. Demand often rises during times of economic uncertainty or personal transition.

Do you recognize the customer? I believe the reader is famous Indian mentalist Kuda Bux.

These "weight and fortune" machines used to be found in every store.

Occultists like to claim that the Tarot cards are of mystical, unknown origin, tracing back beyond ancient Egypt. Actually, the reverse is true, because the Tarot deck was invented during the Renaissance to play a specific game, variously called Trionfi, Triumphs or Trumps. Instead, it is the origin of the standard, regular 52 card deck with 4 suits that emerges so far back in the mists of history that it is difficult to trace in detail. It was also used for popular card games during the Renaissance and ever since. [Some readers do insist on using regular playing cards to tell fortunes, for this reason.]

A Brief History

About 1 in 3 Americans Consult Fortune Tellers Regularly!

A Bright Future?
Methods of Divination!

The word psychic was invented by physicist Sir William Crookes in the late 19th Century, and quickly evolved into a meaningless blanket term used to describe anybody supposedly accomplishing a supernatural-seeming feat that the suckers can't figure out.  It is common for fortune tellers to claim also to be psychic, and sometimes to claim to be a medium... a medium being someone who can communicate with spirits of the dead!


Prophets in History