A Review of the History of Gambling

Archeological and anthropological research has demonstrated that gambling has existed throughout the history of mankind.  Articles used for gambling have been small and portable, until the advent of casinos. The building houses for the most part small hand held articles.  Dice and cards can be made from any material and in any size.  The value and material can range from gold to pebbles.

Gambling can be fun and recreation or it can be obsessive and pathological.  As a form of entertainment gambling can bring people together.  As a pathology it separates individuals from their loved ones and society at large.  Gambling proves that man has always been willing to take risks and changes that can exceed what most prudent individuals would do. 

Gambling can be a quick way to fame and fortune or a quick way to failure and destitution.  For whatever reason individuals gamble, they have and will continue to.

Gambling artifacts have been recovered from ancient China (2300 B.C.), India, Egypt and Rome.
A set of ivory dice dating from before 1500 BC were salvaged from Thebes, while specific writings mentioning gambling were found on a tablet in the Pyramid of Cheops. As early as the 14th century, gambling became outlawed, King Henry VIII of England did so when he discovered that his soldiers were spending more time gambling than working on drills and marksmanship.

It is believed that blackjack and poker was born from the practice of shuffling paper money in China around 900 A.D.  It appears this evolved into card playing, which was consequently brought to Europe via the Mameluke Empire.  Being followers of Islam, the Mameluke people did not have their playing cards decorated with human forms; Instead, they were adorned with intricate designs, reminiscent of Muslim carpets.  When the cards made their way to Italy and Spain, card makers began distinguishing cards with the royal ranks of men who held power in the Royal Court.  The Queen of today's decks did not appear on the scene until the 1500's, when the French got a hold of them and replaced one of the male cards with a female figure representing a Queen.  This pack of cards became known as the "French Pack", and served as the prototype of the 52 card deck we are so familiar with today.

The invention of the wheel has served man in many ways.  Roulette, which means "small wheel" in French.  Francois and Louis Blanc are credited with the game.  These two invented the "Single 0" game in 1842, which was brought to America around the same time.  It was the Americans who added the "Double 0" to the wheel, thus creating a different version -  known as American Roulette - distinguishable from European Roulette.  Theories include information that the 17th century mathematician, Blaise Pascal, created the wheel.  Another belief is that the Chinese invented the wheel, and that it eventually made its way into Europe by Dominican monks.  When Prince Charles of Monaco implemented the roulette wheel as a means of counteracting the financial problems of his kingdom in the late 18th century, the popularity of roulette skyrocketed.

It is believed dice original at least 2,000 years ago.  Dice can be used in a variety of games for a variety of reasons.  Dice is the article used in the game of Craps.   It appears that the game of craps was originally called "Hazard".   Craps or Hazard as it was know, was played in the private gambling parlors by only the elite and upper class citizens of 18th and 19th century England.  The game was imported into France soon after and
was called "craps" - a derivation of the word "crabs", meaning "pair of ones".  When the game came overseas to America, it was simplified and became an instant success.  It started being played on the steam powered show boats of America.  It made its way to the streets and houses of major cities across the nation.

When America became an independent country in 1776, the government used gambling as a way to cultivate large sums of money for its early activities.  The government and private citizens gained and loss.  When it became out of control, Nevada made it illegal from 1850 to 1910.  It was re-sanctioned in 1931, and Las Vegas began its rise as the greatest gambling phenomenon of the world.