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Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps developed from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for sure the beginnings of the game, but Hazard is said to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is believed that Sir William’s knights played Hazard during a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French headed down south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was gotten from the term for the bad luck throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi barges and across the nation. Many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In 1907, Winn built the modern craps setup. He appended the Do not Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to not win. Later, he developed the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.