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Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is only about a century old. Modern craps evolved from the 12th Century English game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is said to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It is believed that Sir William’s horsemen gambled on Hazard during a siege on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 1700s, when banished by the British, the French moved down south and found safety in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which is gotten from the term for the bad luck throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi river boats and throughout the country. A good many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn designed the modern craps setup. He added the Do not Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to not win. Afterwords, he established the boxes for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.