The history of gambling is entwined with the history of human evolution. Most of the well-known ancient civilizations were known to indulge in some of the other rudimentary forms of gambling. In fact, a lot of the casino games that we enjoy today have their roots in ancient times. Though it isn’t possible to piece together the history and evolution of gambling from ancient times, here we are with some of the interesting highlights of casino games within ancient communities!
The Ancient Chinese and a game of chance
If you have ever indulged in a game of Keno or if you are fond of the lottery, you might be surprised to know that the ancient Chinese shared your enthusiasm for casino games, especially lottery. Archaeologists have unearthed tiles that they though were used for chance games. Additionally, there is evidence of lottery-type games used by governments as a means to raise funds for civic works, etc. Hence, it might be interesting to know that chance games and the system of using a lottery for government revenue have been in use from as early as 2300 BC!
Dice is the favourite pastime of the Romans, Greeks and Egyptians
The dice is an essential part of casino games and has been a part of ancient civilizations as far back as the Egyptians. In fact explorations of Egyptian tombs have resulted in a pair of dice which were thought to have been from 3000 BC. And we know for a fact that the Greeks and Romans enjoyed the sport at around 500BC. Gambling and the game of dice were so popular that people were known to bet in all forms and that it was a popular sport, especially among Romans. The love for gambling became so great that it was even banned completely in the city of Rome, and people had to resort to playing with chips. Perhaps this is how the concept of casino chips came into existence!
China is the birthplace of playing cards
To understand the origins of the playing cards, we once again have to go to ancient China. If you have ever wondered, China is considered the birthplace of playing cards. According to scholars and experts, it is believed that the concept of playing cards made an appearance in China for the first time in the 9th century. Though the shape, the materials used for the cards and the rules of the game, etc. of today are very different, the common consensus is that the concept of playing cards originated in China in the 9th century.
France is where most casino games originated
Finally, if you are wondering when and where the modern casino games as we know them originated it is in France and Italy in the 1400s. Not only was the design of the playing cards from that region and the era and some of the popular card games like Baccarat also originated here.