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Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps come about from the 12th Century English game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the beginnings of the game, but Hazard is said to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s knights played Hazard amid a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.
Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when exiled by the British, the French headed down south and located safety in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they took their best-loved game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s believed that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which is derived from the name of the losing throw of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi barges and all over the country. A great many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn assembled the current craps layout. He appended the Do not Pass line so players can bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he designed the spaces for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.