The History of the modern game of Craps

First of all it is important to note that any investigation into the past is sometimes a matter of conjecture but that there are several aspects of the game that are basically agreed to by most historians.
For example, one of the earliest mentions of dice in gambling comes from Greek mythology where Zeus, Poseidon and Hades tossed lots to divide the universe. The term "tossed lots" most likely refers to a form of dice known as astragal, which were rectangular with rounded ends and were made from the ankle bone of sheep. The four flat sides were inscribed with various numbers, symbols, etc. The original Egyptian calendar had 360 days, but there is a legend in history that the Egyptian god Thoth played a dice game with the moon and the stakes were one seventy-second part of the moons light. When the god Thoth won, he presented his winnings to the goddess Nut, in the form of five new days that resulted in our modern 365 day calendar.
It is clear that dice have been around, along with games of chance, for a long time. No one knows the earliest beginnings, but dice of one form or another have been dated as far back as 3000 B.C.
It is interesting as a footnote here to add that the term gaming, which is a modification of the term gambling, was put forward by the modern corporate rulers of the casino industry as being more sophisticated and acceptable than the word gambling which prompts negative thoughts in the minds of many. The term gambling is believed to derive from the Anglo-Saxon words gamenian which is defined as meaning "to sport, to play", or gamen which means "joy, pleasure, sport".
The ancestor of the modern game of craps is a European game called hazard, which is derived from the French word hasard, which in turn is a derivation of the Arabic word for dice - az-zahr. There are earlier games of chance using dice which were similar to craps, such as passe-dix (also referred to as the game called ten which was played by the Romans) which used three die, but hazard is the most commonly cited basis for our current two die game.
The rules for hazard are fairly simple. The shooter places an initial bet, that is then matched by opposing players. He throws he dice while verbally declaring a specific number between five and nine, this number is referred to as the main. If the shooter throws his selected number, he wins. If he throws either a two, or a three, he loses (this was referred to as crabs). If he throws any number other than his main, or the two/three, that number is called the chance. The shooter must now roll the chance number before rolling the main number in order to win. (Note: I didn't make a spelling error above - the words is crabs)
Let's compare this to the modern game assuming you are a pass line bettor:

Craps - roll 7, or 11, you win (Hazard - roll your own main number, you win)
Craps - roll 2, 3, or 12, you lose (Hazard - roll 2 or 3, you lose)

Craps - any other number you must repeat before rolling a seven to win, roll a seven you lose (Hazard - any other number you must repeat before rolling your main from the initial roll to win, roll the main number and you lose)
The game of hazard described above is not to be confused to what was sometimes called hazard in the early gambling days of Las Vegas which was really a version of the old chuck-a-luck game which used three dice in a hour glass shaped cage mechanism which tumbled the dice.
The game of hazard was played against individuals, unlike the modern game which is played against the casino and is usually referred to as bank craps.
The general consensus is that the game of hazard came to America along with the Pilgrims, migrated westward, and was eventually mutated into the modern game by southern Negro dock workers. This view is sometimes disputed by writers who claim the game of hazard was brought to New Orleans by the French in the early 1800's which sometimes referred to the game as crapaud. This claim is disputed by many since there are many mentions of the game of hazard being played in America before the French settled in Louisiana.
The word craps is believed to be derived from the original term crabs which meant throwing either the 2, or 3, as opposed to some who claim derivation from the French word crapaud mentioned earlier.
The game continued to mutate somewhat over the years, along with the table layouts, and the largest growth in the number of people knowledgeable about the game came during the years of World War II.
At one time the game of craps was the premier game in the industry, this has declined over the last fifty years with the explosive growth of the slot and video poker games, as well as blackjack which was promoted as a game that can be beaten by the knowledgeable player in Edward Thorpe's book "Beat the Dealer" which presented the mathematical analysis of the advantages that could be gained by keeping track of the cards that had been previously played.
According to the September 4, 1997 figures from the Nevada Gaming Control Board there are 463 licensed craps tables in the state of Nevada. Compare this to the 197,144 licensed slot and video poker machines, and the 3,536 blackjack tables.
Craps has been steadily losing ground to the other games primarily due to the perception by many gamblers that the game is difficult to play, confusing and the action too fast for the beginner. There have been recent attempts to stimulate interest in the game by using variations such as crapless craps, and pyramid craps, which have not been successful. In order for the game to survive it is important that those of us who love the game take the time to introduce new players whenever possible. I have found that once the game is properly explained, and new players try the game for themselves, that the speed and excitement of the game easily convinces the players that craps is the best game in the casino.