What do we know about Ancient gambling?

The gambling business is one of the most popular and profitable in the world. As you know, the gambling business is one of the most popular and profitable in the world. Owners of slot machines and casinos receive trillions of dollars every year. However, how did these games come about, what was the first gambling game in the world, and why are millions of people obsessed with winning roulette? According to historians, passion for gambling. Even in ancient times, first people began to pay special attention to their fortune. After all, if you’re lucky, the prey will fall into a trap and the family will not starve. Besides, around the same time, all kinds of rituals aimed at attracting good luck appeared.

Let’s go way back in time!
Around 7000 BC the fertile lands of Mesopotamia which now occupies Iraq allowed people to change their nomadic life to a settled one. This led to the formation of a stable society, which was a prerequisite for the development of knowledge, skills, and tools. Moreover, from this moment in history, human civilization begins. It is not surprising that the first gambling accessories were discovered by archaeologists among finds made in this part of the world. In many archaeological sites, scientists have found tetrahedral talus dating from 6000 BC, and hexagonal cubes from 3000 BC, on the edges of which their dignity is indicated by dots.

Additionally, the playing boards from the same period gave scientists the idea that the people who inhabited Mesopotamia at that time played board games. Moreover, they are structurally similar to modern backgammon. The number of points that dropped out after throwing the dice determined to which mark the player could move his piece on the board. Indeed, the set for the Mesopotamian game “ur” is the oldest board game in the world. It includes a board, 14 tokens, and 3 tetrahedrons. Fortunately, the set is now in the African Museums and it is about 5000 years old.

What do we know about ancient gambling: The first game of dice
And in Persia, which was the territory of modern Iraq, the dice game was very popular. The Greek historian and biographer Plutarch tells how the Persian king Artaxerxes played dice with his mother Parysatid. Indeed, this game is remarkable in that it served as an instrument of terrible revenge. Artaxerxes had a brother Cyrus, who wanted to seize power and went to war against the king, but was defeated and executed. Parysatida, wanting to take revenge on the eldest son for the death of the younger, came up with an insidious plan. She invited Artaxerxes to play dice with her.

Moreover, Parysatida skillfully played dice, but deliberately succumbed to her son, to force him to play at higher stakes. Therefore, Parysatis offered to put eunuchs on the horse and Artaxerxes agreed. The king’s bid was the eunuch who executed Cyrus. In this way, Parysatida won the game of dice, took her winnings, and brutally dealt with him.

Fun in Ancient Egypt.
So what do we know about ancient gambling on this territory? The Egyptians were as passionate about gambling as the Persians and the people of Mesopotamia. Besides, they decorated the Ancient Egyptian tombs with sculptural reliefs, many of which depict scenes of gambling. Moreover, hieroglyphic writings that have survived to our time indicate that about 3000 BC in ancient Egypt, they introduces laws to prohibit gambling. This circumstance points to the fact that by the time these laws were introduced, gambling was a significant part of the daily life of ancient Egyptian society. Additionally, Plutarch wrote down the ancient Egyptian myth of how the gods gamble.

The Egyptians played a game with a board and two dice. The player threw the dice and, following the number of points received as a result of the throw, moved his chips on the playing field. Therefore, the winner was the one who first moved his chips from one end of the board to the other. Among gambling games, the game “Even odd” was also popular, as well as guessing games. Indeed, their rules were very simple. The player had to guess how many fingers another player was showing behind his back. Or, for example, how many objects he held in his hand.

Chinese are famous for their gambling passion since ancient times.
Indeed, no nation has succeeded in surpassing the Chinese in their passion for gambling. Gambling has kept pace with the development of Chinese society since its inception. And by 1000 BC has already become an integral part of the culture. Moreover, every big street in every Chinese city had a gambling hangout. Betting on animal fighting and racing was very popular. Besides, the game of cricket, cockfighting, dog, and horse racing has always attracted a huge number of gamblers, and the rates skyrocketed.

Additionally, in the 5th century B, board games began to gain popularity, the victory in which was not only by luck but also by the player’s skills. Later, around the 7th century AD, the Chinese reshaped western dice and created the Chinese dominoes. In this game, 31 chips had 21 numbers indicating the value of each specific chip (they repeated some numbers). In the 12th century, during the reign of Emperor Seun-Ho, Chinese playing cards entered the scene, causing a new surge in popularity and giving zest to the already rich and varied gambling life of China. There were three groups of games: simple games, games using dice, and betting on animal competitions. Fortunately, in modern online casinos, you can find a bigger variety of gambling sections.

About Post Author