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Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about one hundred years old. Current craps evolved from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is said to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It is theorized that Sir William’s horsemen gambled on Hazard during a siege on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.
Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when driven away by the British, the French relocated south and found refuge in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which was acquired from the term for the losing throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi riverboats and throughout the nation. A good many acknowledge the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In 1907, Winn created the current craps setup. He added the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he designed the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.