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2500 BCE
Artifact: Terracotta Dice from Monhenjo-Daro
This artifact was found in residential areas and game pits of Monhenjo-Daro, a archeological site in Larkana District of Pakistan. The dice assumed to be used for gambling and decision-making. They also could have been used for ritualistic games. The idea of chance that is produced from the dice is a form of gambling, and it shows the earliest signs of it in the dice. -
Period: 2500 BCE to 2499 BCE
The Origin of Gambling
The first signs of gambling arise. There are dice and papers written about gambling and it feats. The Rigveda a text from ancient India speaks about the moral dilemmas of gambling during the time. -
1500 BCE
The Rigveda, (Book 10, Hymn 34)
The Rigveda is a ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. It is a Hindu text that shows a insight into the life of the people during the time period. There is writing specifically on gambling during the time. In the text it writes, "My wife holds me aloof, my mother hates me. The wretched man finds none to comfort him.” This shows that there is feeling of social consequences and moral warnings associated with gambling as early as the Vedic era. -
Period: 200 BCE to 500
Regulation/Institutionalization of Gambling
The early governmental regulation. -
200
The Laws of Manu
The Laws of Manu were early documents of governmental regulation. They were papers that wrote of laws and societal norms for during the time period. Within those regulations there is writings of gambling. It states, "Let the king exclude gamblers and keepers of gambling houses from his realm." This reflects and highlights the early rise of the distaste for gambling. It also highlights the attempt at reduction. -
1400
Mamluk Playing Cards (Egypt)
The discovery of ancient cards, like the playing cards used in current society. The cards are not the same, however they carry the same ideas. There is suits, polo sticks, cups, swords, and coins. They used these for playing games and wagering there money during the time. They served as the foundation of modern playing cards and were spread through trade routes into Europe. They eventually evolved into the common playing cards which are used for gambling games like poker and blackjack. -
Period: 1400 to
Global Transmission & Game Evolution
The creation of new items for the use of gambling such as the Mamluck Playing cards. -
1541
The Statutes of the Realm
The Statutes of the Realm were the laws of the land in England in earlier years of society. This primary source explains the early development of regulation towards gambling. In the statutes it states that there is, "An Act for the Maintenance of Artillery, and debarring unlawful Games,” This was made to cut out the distracting and addicting games of gambling. -
Industrialization and Legalization
The legalization and government involvement in gambling took a turn. Rather than the government fighting it and trying to evict it, they coined it and used it. They created the lottery. A system of gambling still in todays society. They also had the invention of slot machines which caused a lot more people to fall into the cycle of gambling. -
Period: to
The Digital and Legal Revolution
The new side of gambling rises. With the invention of technology it made it easier and more scary. People are more accessible and anyone can gamble if they try hard enough. The case Murphy v. NCAA is the major turning point of this. -
Case: Murphy v. NCAA, U.S. Supreme Court
The government lightens regulations and opens more barriers to gambling. State by state legalization of sports betting was allowed. This opened the floodgates for online and mobile gambling expansion. There are now online slots and online blackjack. Playing for real money just on your iPhone. Placing bets on whether your favorite team will win is at your fingertips. The will and accessibility is scarily free.