Edited by
Gerhard Meyer
Tobias Hayer
Mark Griffiths

2009

Challenges, Prevention,
and Interventions

It should come as no great surprise that gambling is alive and well in Europe. Since the beginning of civilization, people have been wagering on the outcome of unpredictable events. Gambling was well known to the Babylonians, the Etruscans, the Romans, the Greeks, and the Chinese. Examples of early gambling have appeared in ancient art and literature and gambling was evident in the writings of Homer, Chaucer, and Shakespeare. While there is dispute as to who invented dice, most historians suggest that it was developed several centuries bc and was a favorite game in Europe.