Gambling in Ancient Rome
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The Roman Empire was one of the most influential civilizations in history. Its influence can be found in politics, architecture, and engineering. The Romans have also influenced the culture of gambling.
Gambling was illegal in Ancient Rome, but some emperors continued to gamble. Claudius wrote a book about playing dice. Commodus managed to bankrupt his treasury. Caligula was a prolific cheat and a furious loser. He was sometimes willing to kill rich people to keep gambling. The Romans invented the first casino chip. . They could circumvent the law by using chips.
Gambling was not prohibited during the Festival of Saturnalia. The festival is in December each year. Masters would serve their slaves dinner and dice games were allowed.
Dice games, or Alea, were popular amongst the Romans. The best throw was to get a total of eighteen, three sixes. If a player threw one or more dice showing a one, they would be required to pay a fine. Up to 250,000 Romans would go to the Colosseum to watch Chariot races. People of all classes and backgrounds could attend these races and gambling was rife. Archaeologists have found evidence of people maintaining detailed records of the past performances of individual horses and their drivers.
