The earliest humans engaged in gambling activities for entertainment purposes and this is still happening in different parts of the world.
Evidence suggests that ancient humans participated in gambling before the emergence of online casinos.
We’ll focus on the gambling activities in Ancient Greek.
Gambling Gods
The earliest Greeks engaged in gambling activities and it’s believed that their Gods were the first gamblers.
According to a Greek myth, Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon wanted to share the universe, so they decided to cast lots.
Poseidon received the sea, Hades got the Underworld, and Zeus got the Sky.
Another Greek myth suggests that Poseidon and Athena (strength and wisdom goddess) wanted to find a patron deity for Athens, so they decided to place bets.
Poseidon lost and cursed Athens.
The Earliest Gambling Games
The ancient Greeks developed some of the gambling games played today.
All people including masters, slaves, and farmers enjoyed gambling even though the activity was illegal.
Some of the popular games during that time included Checkers, Heads and Tails, and Dice games.
The early Greeks played checkers on chess boards and later developed a board with 12 pieces.
People who played Heads and Tails started with shells and shifted to coins later.
Most dice games involved using a cup to shake and throw 3 or 4 dice.
Greek objects have revealed that the ancient Greeks betted on bird, chicken, and dog fights.
New Types of Games
The ancient humans believed that their gods controlled dice games and luck didn’t play a significant role.
People used to make guesses and bet on circumstances, but things have changed over the years.
Thrilling table games and online pokies have become more popular today.
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