History of Backgammon Gambling

Backgammon has been traced to date back to 3500 BC. Gambling with dice has been traced back to the days of cave people. Since even the earliest forms of backgammon already used dice, it would not be farfetched to surmise that backgammon gambling has always been there from the start.

In fact, one of the earliest forms of backgammon was Tabulae, also known in 54 AD as Alea, meaning dice. By the 6th century, Alea was already taken to mean "the art of gambling with dice". It was probably the earliest acknowledgment of backgammon gambling.

If historical accounts are not as forthright, one way of discerning whether or not a game was considered a gambling game is prohibition. Throughout the ages we see many accounts of backgammon or its earlier forms being forbidden or outlawed in certain societies. It seems that backgammon gambling has always been very popular, so much so that leaders often found a need to curb the practice..

In Japan in the late 7th century, Empress Jito declared backgammon gambling illegal. It was known there as Sugoroku.

In the 11th century, backgammon was known as Jeux de Tables in France and was said to be a favorite of gamblers. True enough, by 1254 King Louis IX of France forbade the playing of Jeux de Tables, along with other gambling games, in his court.

In 1526, during the reign of Henry VIII in England, the church ordered the burning of all backgammon boards. People then created folding boards disguised as books in order to continue backgammon gambling. This is why there are still backgammon boards designed to look like this even today.

In 1571, still in England but in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Elizabethan law banned the playing of "games of tables" which is another early name of backgammon gambling.

In the 1660s, Francis Willughby wrote his Book of Games in which the game of Trictrac is described, still another early form of backgammon gambling. The account describes the "vie" which is similar to backgammon doubling.Wilughby clearly states that in Trictrac the second vie allows the player to play for thrice the stake while the third vie quadruples the stake, acknowledging that there were wagers in the game.

Today, backgammon gambling is a very popular online activity. Contemporary society has found a way to integrate the ancient pastime with current technology. People are just as fascinated with backgammon gambling as they have been through the ages.