What Did The Gambling of Our Ancestors Look Like?

Gambling is one of the oldest recreational activities in the world. The evidence of the activity is seen in ancient writings and playing items have been found in tombs and other places. Gambling was not perceived as a recreational activity back then, it was so important that people had to be curtailed from randomly practicing it. Our ancestors had a good taste for their games and they passed it on to us. It is probably why we have such a vibrant community of gamers.

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Divine Gambling

Gambling was considered divine by our ancestors. The main objects were marked sticks and other objects, which can be compared to the dice of recent times. They were thrown up and the outcome would be used to predict the future. It was also seen as a way of getting communication or the intentions of the gods. The Bible, for instance, has instances where lots were cast to divide the property. When Jesus was crucified, the guards cast lots for his clothes. This has been a source of castigation of gambling by Christians. It was not only a way of dividing property but also a way of predicting luck or fate. Therefore, the dictionary meaning of casino gambling would not befit the activity that our ancestors practiced. Studies show that gambling often took place among the spiritual communities that believed in the supremacy of certain gods.

This activity was so important that it was even used to pass judgment to people suspected of doing various crimes. The criminals would be paraded and lots would be cast to identify who made the crime. Once identified, punishment would be carried out without any other form of trial. This is how crucial gambling was to our ancestors.

Gambling Regulation by Our Ancestors

Many societies regulated gambling in one way or another. They include the following:

• Ancient China;
• Islam;
• Ancient Rome;
• Ancient Egypt;
• Europe;
• Buddhists.

The activity was curtailed by the law since it had a lot of meaning. Contrary to the modern times where gambling is considered a recreational activity, our ancestors perceived it as a divine activity. It was meant to obtain certain communications from the gods, hence, it needed to be reserved for the privileged in society. 

Some of these communities had specific people who would cast the lots or the dice and interpret the message that the gods were trying to pass. These diviners would be the judges in criminal cases and were responsible for offering wise counsel to the leaders. However, some of our ancestors had a blanket ban on gambling. In Ancient Egypt, for instance, gamblers would be forced to work in the quarries as punishment. The ancient city of Rome had also banned the activity and the penalty was a fine of four times your bet. The European society of the past also had a lot of contempt for gambling. There are various texts, decrees, edicts, and encyclicals that condemn gambling. This could also be used to predict how popular the activity was. Society can only condemn an activity that is already taking place and was probably causing negative effects on the people. 

Evidence of Gambling 

There have been shreds of evidence of gambling through history that prove that our ancestors practiced it. The practice must have taken place throughout history but we are only limited to the events that we can prove. Farther in the article you will find the prooved shreds of evidence known nowadays.

BC Era

Ancient China is home to the earliest evidence of gambling. Tiles were discovered and they are believed to have been used for a gambling game around 2300bc. The Chinese ‘Book of Songs’ also mentions ‘the drawing of wood’, which could mean that the tiles were used for a certain lottery-like game. These pieces of evidence suggest that lotteries may have been used to fund huge state projects, possibly even the Great Wall of China. The same was further demonstrated in later times where great universities like Harvard were constructed using lotteries. 

Dice are also believed to have existed in this era. Sophocles, a Greek poet, claimed that they were created by a mythological individual during the siege of Troy. The first mention of dice can be traced to around 500bc. However, it is wrong to claim that the dice were invented in this era because there is evidence that they existed much earlier, around 3000bc. Nevertheless, the love for gambling among the Romans and Greeks is obvious. As aforementioned, gambling has been banned, and violating this would lead to a fine. The Romans decided to circumvent this ban by inventing gambling chips. Hence, when they were caught, they would claim to be playing for chips and not real money.

0-1400ad Era

The first sign of cards is believed to have appeared in this era. Studies show that they were seen in China but the rules of the game remain unknown. The cards appeared in China in the 9th Century even though they don’t resemble the modern card games that we have now. 

Our ancestors in Italy show the earliest signs of modern card games that are currently played. Baccarat, a 2-player game, had a version that was first seen around the 1400th. Its concept migrated from Italy to France. However, the rules of the game do not resemble the current game. It is believed that the standard version got its inspiration from Cuba and migrated to the US via Britain. Some of the modern variations of the game that are currently available include:

• Baccarat Banque;
• 3 Card Baccarat;
• Chemin de Fer;
• Punto Banco;
• Mini Baccarat.

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The 1600th

Blackjack was first mentioned in the 1600th by an author by name Don Quixote. The game is believed to have originated from Ventiuna, a Spanish game that was mentioned in the book. However, other games are also believed to be related to this game. The Ventiuna is not the version that inspires the modern version of the game. The modern version was obtained from vingt-et-un, which was played in France. It migrated to the US from France when the early settlers moved there. The Americans converted the name to Blackjack in the 1930th during a promotion. 

The 1600th also witnessed the mushrooming of the first establishments that are comparable to the current casinos. The first casino appeared in Italy where Ridotto was built in Venice to provide a gambling hub for the people during the festivals. The rest of Europe had a lot of activity in the 19th Century. In the US also illegal gambling houses were springing up at around this time.

The 1700th

Roulette originated in this era. It began in the betting houses of Paris, France where the roulette wheel with double zero was prominent. Even though it was first seen in this era, the game’s popularity hit its peak when it was launched in the Monte Carlo casino. About fifty years after the invention of the roulette wheel, the European wheel with a single zero was invented. It spread across Europe and the entire world and became quite popular when it finally got into Monte Carlo.

The fascinating thing is that the American roulette wheel did not come from America. It was the first version that was made in France. However, the unique thing is that the Americans stuck with the earlier version even when the rest of the world preferred the later version. What are the differences between American and European roulette?

The last point explains why the world preferred the European version. Unfortunately, the Americans stuck with the wrong deal in their insatiable thirst for originality. 

The 1800th

Our ancestors kept progressing as the years went by and the 1800th saw evidence of some of the most popular games that are played to date. Poker does not have an exact point of origin. However, in 1829, Joseph Crowell, an English actor, states that he had seen such a game in New Orleans. Hence, it is convenient to state that it was the first sign of poker.

Poker did not experience rapid growth in popularity until the 1970th when poker tournaments started taking place. Online poker further accelerated its growth and more people took interest. Currently, poker is among the most popular games across the continents.

Slots can also trace their origin to this era. Messrs Sittman and Pitt built the first game in New York that resembled a slot machine. Around the same time, Charles Fey created the Liberty Bell slot, which inspired the current slots. This explains why the bell symbol is popular in modern slots. However, Fey did not patent his innovation, hence, many people created similar machines. Slots became quite common in bars until various legislations influenced the way they are played. At some point, it was illegal to use real money, which forced the innovators to replace money with other prizes like candies or chips. 

The 1900th to the Current World

This era experienced tremendous growth in the gambling industry. The first video slot was created in the 1970th and other innovations followed suit. A breakthrough was the advent of online casinos in the 90th. It was the beginning of the growth of the gambling industry that has made it a multibillion-dollar industry.

Conclusion

The gambling of our ancestors was interesting. It transitioned from being a divine activity that is used to predict serious events to a fun activity meant for entertainment. The forms of gambling also changed gradually to what we have now. We should appreciate our ancestors for the amazing gambling activities we enjoy now.