Modern forms of gambling can be traced back to many ancient cultures, from China to Egypt and beyond.
Yet, the truth is that ancient Greece played a bigger part in the development of modern forms of gambling than most places.
A Look at the Origins of Gambling in Greece
You wouldn’t expect casinos with the highest payout slot machines, but Ancient Greece had their own means of placing wagers.
Gambling games based on throwing dice and tossing coins have been mentioned in some ancient Greek books and stories. Some sources suggest the game of poker may also have begun here, although others think that it was first played in China or Persia.
Ancient Greek icosahedronal Dice
What can’t be denied is that gambling was hugely popular in this culture, with special places where gamblers could go to place some bets. We can see it in sculptures and paintings too, with people betting on fights and races.
Interestingly, the Gods Hermes and Pan are both said to have placed wagers, while Zeus, Poseidon and Hades decided how to split up the world by drawing straws. Yet, some Greek philosophers were against gambling and thought that it would damage civilization if left unchecked.
Some of the Most Popular Games
One of the games that is often mentioned as being popular in the olden days in Greece is Heads and Tails. This was first played with shells, before the introduction of coins made it easier to gamble on which side would end up facing upwards. Pitch and Toss was a game that involved throwing coins at a wall.
Perhaps the simplest game of all was the one called Par Impar Ludere. One player would hold a bunch of small items in one hand and the other person had to guess whether the total number of objects was odd or even. The Greeks would bet on the outcome, and it also became popular in the Roman empire. Gambling is also believed to have been a huge factor in the early Olympic Games
It is claimed the Palamedes invented dice when Troy was under siege and that this led to his dice being used in a Temple of Fortune in Corinth. However, this appears to just be a legend, as the first mention of dice in Greece can be traced all the way back to 6000BCE.
A theory that runs through the ancient Greek’s love of gambling is that the Gods controlled the games. Even the outcome of a game of pure luck like throwing dice was considered to be in the lap of the gods.
Ancient Greek astragali used for playing gambling games
Modern Gambling in Greece
If we fast forward in time to the present day, we can see that gambling in Greece is legal in land-based establishments. The big cities all tend to have a few casinos in them, while the islands that are popular with tourists also offer casinos to visitors.
Among the most famous casinos in the country is the Mont Parnes Regency Casino of Athens. It dates from the 1960s and is located in the National Forest of Parnitha. A luxurious landmark in the capital, this is a stylish casino with lots of different ways of gambling.
Apparently, the oldest casino in Greece was built in Loutraki in the early part of the 20th century. Most modern casinos here are refined and exclusive establishments where players can bet in comfort.
The Greek Gambling Commission controls betting in the country, while players in Greece can easily and safely access a large range of online casinos and sports betting sites from foreign operators. This means that currently people can wager on the likes of soccer, tennis and basketball betting online.
It is still something of a gray area, though, as the Greek regulators and the European courts have produced different opinions on the legality of online gambling in Greece.
Therefore, it is worth keeping an eye out for any future changes to the legislation in this fast-moving industry that could have an effect on Greek players.
