Dice and dice games go back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is just about 100 years old. Modern craps evolved from the archaic English game called Hazard. No one is certain of the beginnings of the game, but Hazard is considered to have been invented by the British man, Sir William of Tyre, in the 1300’s. It is rumored that Sir William’s soldiers gambled on Hazard at the time of a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Initial French settlers brought the game Hazard to French North America (the area of Acadia, which is now Nova Scotia). In the 18th century, when exiled by the British, the French moved south and located refuge in southern Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they left Nova Scotia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the dice game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns altered the name of the game to craps, which was derived from the term for the losing roll of two in the dice game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi river boats and throughout the territory. Many see the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the current craps table design. He added the Do not Pass line so folks could bet on the shooter to not win. Later, he developed the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.