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Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately 100 years old. Current craps evolved from the old English game called Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the birth of the game, but Hazard is said to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s paladins bet on Hazard during a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortification’s name.
Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when driven away by the English, the French relocated south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s believed that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was derived from the name of the bad luck throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and throughout the country. A great many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the current craps setup. He added the Do not Pass line so players can bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he invented the boxes for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.