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Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but modern craps is just about 100 years old. Modern craps formed from the 12th Century Anglo game called Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It is presumed that Sir William’s knights bet on Hazard amid a blockade on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when banished by the British, the French moved south and settled in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which is gotten from the term for the bad luck toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi barges and throughout the nation. A good many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps setup. He put in place the Do not Pass line so players can bet on the dice to not win. Later, he created the spots for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.