Craps developed from a simplification of the Old English game hazard. Its origins are complex and may date to the Crusades, later being influenced by French gamblers. What was to become the modern American version of the game was brought to New Orleans by Bernard Xavier Philippe de marigny de Mandeville, scion of wealthy Louisiana landowners, a gambler, and politician.

There was a flaw in Bernard's version of the game in which players could exploit the casino using fixed dice and taking advantage of the way players can bet with or against the dice thrower. A man named John H. Winn introduced the "don't pass" betting option in order to fix this problem and it is this version of craps that still exists today.[2] The game, first known as crapaud (a French word meaning "toad") reportedly owes its modern popularity to it being spread through the African-American community.

A casino craps table is run by up to four casino employees: a boxman who guards the chips, supervises the dealers and handles "coloring out" players (exchanging small chip denominations for larger denominations in order to preserve the chips at a table); two base dealers who stand to either side of the boxman and collect and pay bets; and a stickman who stands directly across the table from the boxman, takes bets in the center of the table (hard ways, yo, craps, horn, etc.), announces the results of each roll, collects the dice with an elongated wooden stick, and directs the base dealers to pay winners from bets in the center of the table.

 Each employee makes sure the other is paying out winners correctly. Occasionally, during off-peak times, only one base dealer will be attending the table, rendering only half the table open for bettors or one of the two base dealers will assume the role of the stickman. In some casinos, there is no boxman; the boxman's duties are shared between the dealers and a roving supervisor who covers many tables.