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Games that use dice and the dice themselves date back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately 100 years old. Current craps evolved from the old English game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is said to have been created by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is believed that Sir William’s horsemen gambled on Hazard during a siege on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 1700s, when driven away by the British, the French moved down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was acquired from the name of the bad luck throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi scows and throughout the country. A great many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In 1907, Winn created the current craps layout. He put in place the Do not Pass line so players can bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he designed the boxes for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.