Curiosities of the origins of gambling is the theme chosen for this week’s edition of the Sunday Readings series.
The origin of gambling is lost in the mists of time, people wanting to feel the adrenaline emanated, but also to have fun with bets of all kinds.
That is why, in this edition, we discuss the curiosities of the origins of gambling.
Curiosities of the Origins of Gambling
We are all about the action, but hey, don’t we also like learning some curiosities here and there from time to time?
Here are a few cool things we have picked about the very very beginnings of gambling, which has really been around for as long as humans have, did you know?
Check this out!
Back in 3,000 BC, dice cubes were uncovered from Egyptian tombs. It is believed Egyptians enjoyed playing Backgammon-type games and gambling was already part of daily life during that time, as was in Mesopotamia.
As early as 2,300 BC, proof that betting was taking place emerged in Ancient China. Tiles were unearthed that appear to have been used as some sort of lottery game. Chinese are also thought to have developed Card games, Keno, Mahjong and others, and are considered the grandfathers of gambling!
In the centuries-old Indian epic Mahabharata, a Game of Dice is depicted in which Duryodhan and Shakuni trick Yudhisthir and the Pandavas into playing a dice game that would cause them to lose the empire, brothers and Yudhisthir’s wife Draupadi.
Around the year 540 BC, a wildly popular depiction of gambling in Ancient Greece was painted on an amphora, in which Greek heroes Ajax and Achilles play dice during the Trojan War.
Heavy betting related to games and contests also took place in Ancient Rome, to the point were gambling laws were passed forbidding any type of gambling! This caused for clever gamblers to gamble with chips instead of money to avoid getting processed under such laws.
Patolli was the name of an ancient Aztec and Mayan game of strategy, popular among the masses. Some players would call on ‘god of games’ Macuilxochitl to bring them luck. (Hey, that’s a tip)
Now you have a few stories to tell other fun-loving folks like yourself for some head-nodding and amusement.
The entire series of Sunday Readings is HERE.
Source: fantasino.com
