India’s role in the history of gambling is also manifold. Throughout the Vedic Period (1700~500 B.C.), dice games were played there using five-sided nuts from the vibhitaka tree. These were often replicated in wood, ivory, terracotta, silver and gold. Today, gambling with dice is still considered a ritual of mystical importance during the celebration of Dewali, or “the festival of lights”—said to be a good time for gambling. In fact, by tradition, those who fail to gamble on this special day are in danger of being reincarnated as donkeys!
Indeed, animals are especially significant with regard to gambling in India. Elephants, horses, serpents and cattle appeared on the earliest Indian playing cards, which were considered a vehicle for perpetuating Hindu heritage, religion and folklore. And the people of India were among the first to embrace contests involving animals, upon which bets could be placed.
Cockfighting, in particular, was popular in India, where it thrived from about 2000 B.C. onward. Fowl were specifically bred for battle, as were other animals. The beasts that fought were often the prizes as well as the contestants. There were chariot races during the Vedic Era, too, with cattle going to the winner.
The idea of pitting animals against each other may appall many today, but humankind’s use of lesser species for wagering has by no means been limited to India. Early Greeks staged chariot races and horse races. Bull fighting—bull against bull—has been around in Asia for thousands of years.
In the 18th century, “blood sports” such as bear fighting and dog fighting were hugely popular in England, as was bull-baiting and bear-baiting (dogs against bulls or bears), until outlawed in 1835. In the 19th century, cockfighting was celebrated all over the world. It still continues as a tradition in parts of Asia, Africa and South America. And, of course, races held among animals, including elephants, camels and even pigeons, have long been popular, with wagers tossed in to make the contests more interesting.
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