History Of Craps - UK Online Casino

History of Craps

Craps is a casino based game played using dice.  It is played at a table within the casino and is often known as being a loud and rowdy environment to play in.  As with many casino games it is very difficult to assume the history of each game.  Therefore, sources can be disputed and theories are based on speculation.  However, it is generally acknowledged that early dice games originate from the Roman Empire where roman soldiers would use cubes made from pig knucklebones to roll and play games with.

There are various other theories relating to the history of Craps.  One of the most renowned versions is that of the game was established during the middle ages.  At this time Arabs were playing a game using small numbered cubes called “Azzahr” which translates to mean “the die”.  It appears that the game moved onto France where it was renamed “Hasard” and whilst it was gaining popularity there, England also picked the game up and it became known as “Hazard”. 

The game that was known as Hazard had rules that stated the roll of the lowest value was called Crabs.  The French also adopted this ruling but they called their version “Crabes”.  Now the game was gaining momentum and in the early 1700’s the game moved from England and France to appear in the French colony of Acadia.  It wasn’t until 1755 when England gained power over the French to settle in Acadia which they renamed as Nova Scotia.  When England removed the existing French dwellers from Nova Scotia, they moved onto settle in Louisiana, New Orleans.  It was there that the original dice game was still being played, however the name of Crabes was dropped in favour of Crebs or Creps. 

It would appear that by the mid 1800’s, the name had evolved further and during this time the game was given the name that we know now as Craps.  Using the word Craps to include other words associated with the game were becoming unpopular and difficult.  It was agreed that the final S of Craps would be dropped to allow words such as “Craptable” to become easier to use.  This also meant that terms for the play of the game would be easier to pronounce, such as he crapped out as opposed to he crappsed out.

Many people believe that is was United States of America that truly developed the game to become one of the most popular casino games of today.  However, the game appeared to suffer from a dip in trends during the 1990’s when other games took over in the popularity stakes.  Many people seemed to take to playing other casino games rather than playing at a craps table.  However, with the onset of the internet, things soon changed.  Online casinos and gaming companies were expanding in this industry and with it, players and gamblers were waking up to the fact that they could play 24 hours a day from the comfort of their own home.