Where Did Gambling Originate?

Games of chance are interwoven into contemporary society. While gambling of any sort was once outlawed in many societies, and still is in some, it has become more and more an accepted part of everyday life. What are the roots of gambling? And, more to the point, is there one particular moment at which gambling can said to have originated?

Identification

The identification of one specific place or moment in which gambling first began is impossible. All of recorded history contains instances of gambling, and it can only be extrapolated from that fact that gambling predates history extensively. In fact, if the inclination of modern-day humans to gamble is any indication, it can probably be assumed that gambling has existed almost as long as mankind. It seems that wherever and whenever people own possessions of value, they feel the need to wager those possessions in games of chance with one another.

History

Virtually every major culture that exists in the annals of recorded history exhibited some manifestation of gambling. Whether it was ancient card games in China or dice-based gambling in the Roman Empire, gambling has been around for a long time. In fact, in many ancient cultures gambling was seen as a reasonable method of bloodless conflict resolution. A legend exists that around the year 1000 A.D. the King of Norway and the King of Sweden peacefully settled a territorial dispute based on a few rolls of dice.

Geography

Cultures that existed on completely separate continents all had their own games of chance and manifestations of gambling. This fact suggests that gambling is something that is a cultural universal. In other words, gambling probably didn't originate in one location and then spread from culture to culture. Instead, it is something that naturally occurs any time human beings organize themselves into groups and interact with one another.

Types

The earliest recorded forms of gambling were extremely simple in nature but didn't vary tremendously from contemporary incarnations. Dice and card games were common in ancient cultures, which is interesting considering the fact that many modern casino games still rely on these two ancient gaming tools. It is also known that sports wagering existed in the ancient world. For instance, it is believed that it was a common practice for Roman citizens to gamble on the gladiatorial matches and chariot races that took place in major cities.

Theories/Speculation

In the end, the universal nature of gambling beggars the concept of one origin of gambling. Instead, gambling appears to be something that is ingrained in human beings as a basic part of human nature. There are many psychological theories that attempt to explain this, and each has its own unique insights. Something so intrinsic as gambling, however, can be difficult to explain with any one concrete theory. Gambling seems to simply be another example of the competitive drive within human beings.