The Eventful History Of Craps
From Ancient Dice to Las Vegas and Online Casinos
Craps is the heartbeat of the casino floor. The moment you hear the cheer of players crowding around a table, dice flying across green felt, and dealers shouting “Winner, winner!”, you know you’ve found the craps pit. It’s a game of noise, camaraderie, and pure adrenaline.
But behind the electric energy of today’s craps tables lies a long and colourful history. Dice have been with humanity since the dawn of civilisation. The game we now call craps is the culmination of centuries of evolution: from ancient Egyptian dice games, to the medieval English pastime of Hazard (immortalised in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales”), to the lively streets of New Orleans, where French settlers squatted like “toads” shooting dice.
By the mid-20th century, craps had transformed into the loudest, most energised game on the Las Vegas Strip. Soldiers returning from World War II brought the game home, Broadway immortalised it in Guys and Dolls, and Hollywood gave it a starring role in casino films. And today, craps is thriving once again, on mobile apps, online casinos, and live dealer streams.
Let’s roll back through history to see how craps became one of the world’s most iconic casino games.
ANCIENT DICE GAMES, HAZARD & FROM FRANCE TO NEW ORLEANS
Ancient Dice Games: Humanity’s First Gamble
Dice are among the oldest gambling tools ever discovered. Archaeologists have found carved bone dice dating back to Mesopotamia around 3000 BC and ivory dice in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs. Rolling dice was away to tempt fate, a mix of luck, superstition, and ritual.
In ancient Rome, soldiers were famous for playing dice during downtime. They called it “alea” and often used sheep knuckle bones as dice, giving us the phrase “rolling the bones,” which is still slang for craps today. Roman emperors sometimes out lawed dice games, but soldiers and citizens alike kept rolling, often wagering money, wine, or favours.
These early dice games set the foundation for what would eventually become craps. While rules varied, the essential thrill was the same: the suspense of the toss, the cheer of a lucky win, and the belief that destiny could be decided with a roll of the bones.
Hazard: The Medieval Ancestor of Craps
The direct ancestor of craps was the English game “Hazard”, which emerged in the Middle Ages. Played with two dice, Hazard had notoriously complex rules, but its popularity endured for centuries.
Hazard was beloved by English nobility and commoners alike. Gambling houses, taverns, and even royal courts saw players trying their luck. The game was so widespread that Geoffrey Chaucer referenced Hazard in The Canterbury Tales (late 14th century), cementing its place in cultural history.
The name “Hazard” may have come from the Arabic wordal-zahr, meaning “dice,” suggesting that the game travelled to England via the Crusades. Regardless of its exact origin, Hazard became a staple of European gambling.
While the rules of Hazard were complicated, involving designated “mains” and “chances”, the essence was simple: roll the dice, hope for fortune, and revel in the excitement. Over time, Hazard began to simplify, paving the way for the leaner, faster game that would evolve into craps.
From France to New Orleans: Birth of Craps
Craps as we know it today was born in New Orleans in the early 19th century, when French settlers brought Hazard to Louisiana. There, the game was streamlined into a simpler version that was easier to learn and quicker to play.
Street players in New Orleans called the new game “crapaud”, French for “toad”, because people often crouched on their haunches like toads while shooting dice on the pavement. Over time, “crapaud” evolved into “craps,” the name we still use today.
Craps quickly spread from the streets of New Orleans to Mississippi riverboats, where gamblers carried the game up and down America’s great waterway. On those boats, men of all classes gathered to roll dice, betmoney, and bond over the shared energy of the game.
By the mid-19th century, craps had become embedded in American culture. Whether in back-alley games, riverboat saloons, or gambling halls, it was a game of the people, fast, fun, and endlessly exciting.
CRAPS IN LAS VEGAS & CRAPS IN AMERICAN CULTURE
Craps in Las Vegas: The Golden Age
The legalisation of gambling in Nevada in 1931 marked the start of a new era for craps. When the Las Vegas Strip began to develop in the 1940s and 50s, craps was front and centre.
Casinos like the Flamingo, the Sands, and later Caesars Palace built large craps pits, knowing that the energy of the tables would draw crowds. Dealers barked out the action, players crowded in shoulder to shoulder, and when someone hit a winning roll, the entire pit erupted with cheers.
Craps became the social centrepiece of Vegas. Unlike blackjack or roulette, which could feel solitary, craps was communal, dozens of players betting together, rooting for the shooter. The camaraderie and spectacle made craps the liveliest game in town.
Its popularity soared after World War II, when returning American soldiers brought a love for craps back from barracks and battlefields. Craps tables filled with veterans who had shot dice overseas, making the game part of a shared cultural experience.
By the 1960s, craps was firmly entrenched as the quintessential Vegas game. Celebrities like Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack were spotted at the tables, cementing craps as not just a game of chance, but a symbol of glamour and cool.
Craps in American Culture
Beyond the casino floor, craps became a cultural touchstone in America. Its fast pace and high-energy atmosphere inspired Broadway and Hollywood alike.
· On stage, craps featured prominently in the hit musical Guys and Dolls (1950), where New York gamblers belt out “Luck Be aLady” while rolling dice in the sewers. The show became a Hollywood film in1955, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, immortalising street craps as part of American pop culture.
· In film and television, craps scenes often symbolise risk, rebellion, or raw energy, from gritty street games to glamorous casino sequences.
· Street craps remained popular in urban neighbourhoods across the United States, reinforcing its reputation as both a gritty street pastime and a game of camaraderie.
Craps was no longer just a gambling game. It was woven into the American imagination, symbolising luck, risk-taking, and the thrill of community.
ONLINE CRAPS & CRAPS' REPUTATION
Online Craps: The Digital Evolution
As the 1990s ushered in the age of online casinos, craps followed suit. Early online versions offered simple, digital dice rolls powered by RNG (random number generators). Players could finally enjoy craps from home, even if the electric atmosphere of a Vegas pit was hard to replicate on a screen.
The true breakthrough came in the 2000s with live dealer craps. Online casinos began streaming real craps tables in high definition, complete with professional dealers and chat features that allowed players to interact and cheer together. Suddenly, the energy and social excitement of craps could be experienced virtually.
Today, mobile apps and online platforms bring craps to players anywhere, anytime. Whether rolling virtual dice on a smartphone or joining a live-streamed table, craps has entered a new era, one where the camaraderie of the pit meets the convenience of modern technology.
Craps’ Reputation: From Street Game to Casino Crowd Pleaser
Craps has always existed in two worlds. On one hand, it carries gritty roots, born from medieval Hazard, popularised in New Orleans streets, and immortalised in Broadway’s gamblers. On the other hand, it represents the ultimate in casino energiser, the velvet-lined pits of Las Vegas, the cheers of crowds of players, and the spotlight of Rat Pack cool.
This duality is part of craps’ enduring appeal. It’s a game of chance but also of community. It’s unpredictable, thrilling, and full of personality. Whether you’re rolling dice in a Vegas casino or tapping your phone screen at home, craps delivers the same rush of energy it has for centuries.
From Chaucer’s Hazard to New Orleans street corners, from Sinatra’s Vegas craps pits to today’s sleek online tables, craps has always been about energy, community, and excitement.
Now, you can experience that same thrill online. With live dealer craps, interactive chat, and exclusive casino bonuses, the legendary game of dice is closer than ever.
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OVERVIEW
The history of craps is a story of transformation. From ancient Roman soldiers rolling bones to English nobles playing Hazard to French settlers shooting dice in New Orleans, the game has always reflected humanity’s fascination with luck and chance.
Craps found its voice in America, first on Mississippi riverboats, then in the neon glow of Las Vegas, where it became the most energetic and exciting game on the casino floor. Pop culture celebrated it in Broadway musicals, Hollywood films, and music, embedding craps into the collective imagination.
And now, craps thrives in the digital age. Online casinos and live dealer platforms have brought the dice game to new audiences, ensuring its legacy endures for generations.
Craps remains what it has always been: a game of hope, suspense, and community. The cheers of the table, the roll of the dice, the thrill of chance, these are timeless. From the streets to the Strip, from ancient dice to online apps, craps will always be the game that makes players lean in, hold their breath, and shout for joy when the bones roll their way.
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