Gambling History Show In Paris

January 7, 2013 : HISTORY OF GAMBLING ON SHOW IN PARIS

In ancient Rome they tried to ban gambling, but it remained a popular pastime

The more things change, the more they stay the same, says an old truism which could be applied to the situation of online gambling in the United States today.

In ancient Rome, despite government bans on dice games, the pastime remained a firm favourite with Romans and was widely enjoyed; eventually an emperor even wrote a book on the game.

This, and other fascinating elements making up the story of gambling through the ages is part of an exhibition titled “The Art of Games and Games of the Art, from Babylon to Medieval Europe,” currently being presented at the Musee de Cluny in Paris.

The museum brings together 250 gambling artefacts from antiquity spanning four millennia and many countries.

And, according to a Bloomberg report, the wing of the museum in which these appear is particularly apt: It used to be the frigidarium, or cold pool, of a Roman bath when Paris was still Lutetia.

Among the oldest items on display is the palm tree game from ancient Egypt. It was played with 10 ivory pieces, five with the head of a dog, five with the head of a jackal, to be moved across a small piece of furniture with animal legs and 58 holes. The game was found in a tomb, suggesting the Egyptians expected to keep up their gambling habits in the hereafter.

From a burial site in ancient Mesopotamia comes a board game crafted with such skill as to suggest it belonged to nobility, and from imperial Rome there is a 12 line game thought to be a precursor to the game of backgammon.

The exhibition shows that chess arrived in Europe around 1000 A.D., more than three centuries after it was invented in India. Bloomberg reports that on its way through the Islamic world, some pieces changed their names and their functions: The fers, or vizier, morphed into the queen; the aufin, or elephant, evolved into the bishop.

Card games arrived even later in Europe, probably from China. The exhibition includes a small number of beautifully hand- painted cards.

PartyPoker Rakebak - Partypoker brings back rake back for players. All new ‘partypoker weekly Cashback’ launches.

NHL Odds: Lone Canadian Team Plays on Friday - “Stingy” is a word that many have used to describe the Ottawa Senators in Round Three. The Sens know that they’re overmatched against a Pens lineup that features the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evengi Malkin and Phil Kessel, but with determined defensive play, Ottawa managed to frustrate the Penguins on their home ice, stealing one of two games.

NBA Odds: Will Cavaliers Be Rusty in Game 1? - The Boston Celtics needed seven games to get past the Washington Wizards, but they got the job done Monday night, winning 115-105 as 5.5-point home favourites. Next up: the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers, who visit the Garden Wednesday night at 8:30 PM ET on TNT.

4 New Microgaming Releases in May 2017 - Candy Dreams is a 720 ways to win, variable reel game. Players spin on a colorful reel area filled with candy treats, as they play towards enticing bonus triggers.

PKR Company Statement Update - Microgaming can confirm that David R Taylor and Matthew R M Wild of RSM Restructuring Advisory LLP were appointed Joint Administrators of PKR Ltd and PKR Technologies Limited on 11 May 2017 by the High Court, Chancery Division.

Microgaming Wins The Spark Award 2017 - The Spark Award celebrates organisations that experiment with ways of working differently. Previous winners include GCHQ and Places for People. It’s a part of Spark the Change, a global movement dedicated to empowering people and building happier workplaces.

NHL Predators First Ever Conference Finals Appearance - With three of the team’s top four point scorers residing on the blueline, the Nashville Predators have found a strategy that frustrates even the best in the West. After qualifying as the lowest-seeded Western Conference team, the Predators made quick work of the Chicago Blackhawks (4-0) and St. Louis Blues (4-1) in the first two rounds.

NBA Odds: Wizards-Celtics at the Garden - The Washington Wizards are making this a series. They’ve won back-to-back games against the Boston Celtics to knot this second-round matchup at 2-2 with Game 5 at the Garden on Wednesday. TNT has the coverage starting at 8 PM ET.