Gambling In Ancient Greece – A Hellenistic Guide To Games

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Posted: September 12, 2023

Updated: September 12, 2023

  • Hellenistic gambling history
  • Did people bet on arena fights?
  • Gambling in Ancient Greece

In this article, we are going to tell you everything about gambling in Ancient Greece. From the last of the philosophers and Gods. We will discover every aspect of this activity. Written by someone who actively studies the religion, culture, and history of the land, you will find your answers for sure. Furthermore, we will give you an insight into modern gambling opportunities and how different they are.

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Today we are going to talk about one of the most exciting topics in history. Hellenism has been the creator of most philosophies, arts, systems, and of course stories. Therefore, it is important to understand the Hellenistic tie to the topics you like. Whether it is coding, mathematics, sports, poems, fidget spinners, meme-making, or gambling. The latter we are going to review in this article.

As we are discovering gambling in Ancient Greece, we will realize that humans did not evolve too much, we just changed our tools and methods. Therefore, all you have to do is register at some of the online gambling sites in Greece to relive the same things people experienced back in the day. Except, nowadays we don’t think jellyfish are medusa!

The God Of Gambling In Ancient Greece

Let’s start by saying that back in the day, the world was much different. In fact, so different that the laws of logic, despite originating from there, would not apply to their thinking. Back then, they believed everything had a God. Whether it is true, we can not truly say. Up until today, it is a great debate to wonder what God truly meant to these people, and we will never know. But we do have a list of all the Gods of gambling.

In ancient Greece, the God of Gambling was no one else but Hermes, who was also the patron of travelers. He was rewarding those who managed to find their ways in life. And if someone needed gambling to find their way? Winning was considered to be a Godsent fortune and aid. Nowadays Hermes is hanging out in Tsars Casino.

Hermes, The God of Gambling

The Philosophy Of These Games

Gambling in ancient Greece was a two-sided sword. Yes, on one hand, it was a Godly act, some of the Emperors loved to gamble, and it was a popular activity in the Polis. Furthermore, it was also approved by many different Cults and priests, and of course, it soon became a philosophical question.

Thanks to gambling, we have Pascal trying to prove God, thus creating a lot of experiments and equations that form the basics of our physics studies today. Gambling was an ultimate motivating force that drove philosophers to think and to keep trying to prove cosmical things. It created Hermeticism and thus Tarot Cards. However, not everyone enjoyed it. According to MBN, despite all of this, philosophers considered gambling a shameful act. Perhaps it is due to the ethics of taking money and lazing around. 

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Did People Play Cards Within The Polis?

Playing cards were not as popular in Ancient Greece. We all know that they were legendary in their stoneworks. This is why we know for a fact that dies and other sculpture-based games became popular. Furthermore, there is a little interesting story to add to the pile. According to Arts and Culture, chess originates from India. However, we all know that India loves their colors and a bit less western-simplicity.

Their chess was about escaping the table, instead of tossing each other down. This is why I believe that the smooth and seamless design of black and white figures was invented by gambling in Ancient Greece. Just think about it, the statues of Buddha and Apollo are identical because the two cultures learned from each other!

Polis gambling in Greece

Laws Of Gambling In Ancient Greece

According to the Greek Reporter, Emperor Augustus greatly enjoyed playing gambling games. Much like every single aristocrat, noble, and royalty in the history of our world. However free-form gambling was not always approved. Because gambling losses might have led to aggression and vendettas. Therefore, they decided to not allow gambling within the walls of the Polis. This is how chips were invented.

Because a guard couldn’t push a few guys trading weird rocks with each other. Of course, they exchanged these weird rocks later in their houses for valuables and money. Later during the reign of Rome, they invented the lottery. However, illegal gambling was heavily punished.

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The Colosseum Games – Gambling In Ancient Greece

Do you think gambling in folklore would exist without something to base it on? Back in the days of the Colosseum and the Olympic Games people were going hard. And no, when I say hard, I mean things you might have missed during history classes. The gladiator games to death? Yeah, they existed.

But they were nothing compared to the moments when they filled the whole Colosseum with water, and had actual battleships burn each other while the losing ship’s crew had drowned in front of everyone’s eyes. Do you seriously believe that they didn’t bet on these gigantic events just because of the law or the ethics? People were betting a whole fortune on nearly fictional heroes.

Colosseum hardcore gambling

Online Gambling In Greece Today

We told you everything we could about the gambling in Ancient Greece. But if you are interested in playing today, then we have a full Greek gambling guide for you to read. Furthermore, if you are not interested in learning how to travel to a far country and spend your whole holiday in an all-in-one resort. Then I highly recommend you to just register at Tsars Casino. You are going to find everything you need.

Furthermore, you can browse our dictionary for the most trustworthy and safe platforms for sports betting, entertainment betting, roulette, slots, blackjack, poker, DFS, lottery, bingo, or even interactive gambling games. Find your game today and check out our dictionary. Or just take our recommendations with Tsars Casino

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