Gambling is considered one of the first forms of entertainment because the first games of chance emerged centuries ago. Have you ever wondered what the oldest gambling games in the world were? How did they look and how did they change? Take a look at the four games with a long history that can still be found in modern casinos.
Most gambling games were created not that long ago. Poker, roulette, blackjack- all these popular casino games emerged a couple of centuries ago. Slots are even considered one of the newest gambling games with the first machine created in the late 19th century. If you are a beginner gambler, you can always learn how to play these games from our online casino game guides for beginners.
On the other hand, there are games with a truly long and rich history. They survived wars, they were modified and renamed, they managed to stay popular until these days. As you might have understood, we are going to talk about some of the oldest gambling games that exist in 2022.
Oldest gambling games in the world
We have decided to make a list of four ancient casino games in the world. Surely, there were much more than four games people used to play for money back in those times. However, not all of those games can be played in modern casinos or on online gambling websites. So here is an overview of the four oldest gambling games one can play today.
- Keno
- Baccarat
- Pai Gow
- Sic Bo
Keno
Keno is widely considered one of the oldest gambling games in the world. Following the legend, the game was invented to help raise money for building the Great Wall of China. True or not, Keno still remains an ancient gambling game with Chinese roots that made it to the 21st century. Interestingly, its modern name emerged much later and had French or Latin roots. In both languages, Keno means “five”.
How do you play Keno today? This is a lottery-like game where players choose up to 20 numbers on their numbered tickets. Then, the draw takes place and winning numbers are announced. Players are paid based on how many numbers they guessed correctly.
Sic Bo
Another game with Asian roots, Sic Bo belongs to the most popular Chinese gambling games. The history of Sic Bo goes back to ancient China, but the exact date of its “birth” is unknown. During its long history, the game has changed many names but reached western countries under the name Sic Bo.
The modern version of Sic Bo is played with dice and requires players to be present at the table with a betting layout. The player should bet on the outcome of the dice using the layout and let the dealer roll the dice. If the outcome of the roll matches the player’s bet, he wins.
Baccarat
According to various historians, Baccarat was one of the first card games to emerge in Europe. The history of Baccarat started in Italy around the 1400s with Felix Falguiere creating the game named “baccara” (“zero” in Italian). Then, the game spread to France and became a truly popular activity around the 18th century.
Playing Baccarat in the 21st century is a bit different than it was hundreds of years ago. To win the game, players place bets on their hands to have totals close to 9. The closest hand to nine wins if it doesn’t exceed this number.
Pai Gow
There are two games named Pai Gow: the original Pai Gow played with tiles and Pai Gow Poker. The latter is more popular nowadays, but the first one is definitely older. The roots of Pai Gow go back to the Song Dynasty which began in 960 and ended in 1279, so it is quite difficult to tell exactly when Pai Gow was created. Nevertheless, Pai Gow is one of the oldest gambling games in the world.
To play Pai Gow, players need to have a set of 32 Chinese dominoes. The objective of the game is to beat the dealer’s two hands with your own hands. One of the hands should be high, while the other one should be low. If the player’s both hands are better than his opponent’s hands, there is a win.
