The History of Backgammon Gambling

If you're someone who thinks that backgammon gambling is simply another new fad, think again. While many people seem to think that the backgammon doubling cube was introduced to the game in the 1920's, it has in fact been used since the 17th century!

In a 2003 book entitled "Francis Willughby's Book of Games", backgammon is explicitly mentioned. The publication is based on a manuscript written in the 1660's and referes to a gambling technique called the "vie". A vie was issued in the form of a challenge from one player to another. For example, if one player had an advantage over his opponent, he would say "I vie." This would effectively double the amount of the wager already laid down for backgammon gambling.

So rather than use an actual cube, the intention to participate in backgammon gambling was explicitly stated by English fans in the 1600's. Wagering using the vie method was also commonly used to play the card game Gleek. This proves that the use of the actual backgammon doubling cube may be a relatively new and more convenient addition to the game, but the excitement of risking it all on backgammon has survived the centuries.