Gambling is not a new concept for India. In fact, betting is ingrained in the Indians and it is prevalent in the country since time immemorial. The Indian epic Mahabharat shows early traces of betting whereby the Pandavas lost their empire in gambling. Since then, gambling activities never ceased in the nation. In Indian mythology too gambling has played a very important role. In the Mahabharata which is one of the greatest epics of the Hindu religion the Kauravas and the Pandavas take part in a game of dice which is seen as the turning point in the story. The Pandavas lose everything, their kingdom, their right to rule and are sent to exile.
| Mythology says that the dice used by Shakuni were made from his father's thigh bones and hence generated any desired number. Unaware of this fact the Pandava's were defeated in the gambling match with the Kauravas. |
Vidura went to Indraprastha with a very heavy heart to invite Yudhisthira. Meanwhile Dhritarashtra called Duryodhana to his side and said, 'I want you and Pandavas to be friendly and affectionate with bonds of mutual brotherhood. You can perform a sacrifice greater than Rajasuya. Our architects have constructed the most up to date assembly hall. Wealth procured by wrong means will not last long. I want you not to indulge in the vicious vice of gambling.' Duryodhana replied, 'The game of dice is the sacred sacrifice for me. I want to possess the matchless Maya Sabha by hook or crook. Game of dice is as old as creation and had been a vedic past time. It is said in the Puranas that celestial beings achieve self realization through the game of dice. A prince is expected to conquer all his enemies by all means. The end justifies the means. If the valiant enemy can be vanquished by peaceful and non violent means without spilling sacred human blood, it is certainly a more desirable way. The king of the Gods, Indra, killed Namuchi, certainly not by righteous means. Even slight indisposition, if neglected with indifference, may grow into a mortal disease. You have made the Pandavas unnecessarily great and I am reaping the consequences. We must nip them in the bud. Delay is dangerous.' Dhritarashtra felt very unhappy at the disastrous determination of his son. He felt helpless at the inexorable march of destiny.
Dharamaputra received Vidura, equal in wisdom to Brihispati the preceptor of Indra- the King of Gods- with respect and reverence. Vidura frankly explained the purpose of his visit to Yudhisthira and extended the invitation to the Pandavas, of course on behalf of Dhritarashtra, to come, to Hastinapura, adding by way of caution that he personally disliked the disastrous game of dice. Dharamaputra was placed on the horns of a dilemma – to go or not to go was the question. The Kauravas cooperated with the Pandavas in the performance of Rajasuya. An invitation from Dhritarashtra according to Yudhisthira was tantamount to a mandate. It was against the prevailing etiquette for a kshatriya to decline the invitation for a game of dice. So Yudhisthira accepted the invitation and went to Hastinapura, followed by his brothers, Draupadi and Dhaumya and bowed to Dhritarashtra and Gandhari and other elders. Gandhari surrounded by her daughters-in-law, Bhanumati and others shone like the Rohini constellation. Next day the Pandavas were taken round the newly constructed assembly hall and Yudhisthira extolled its exquisite workmanship and elegance.
When everybody was seated happily in the new assembly hall constructed at the behest of Dhritarashtra, Duryodhana proposed to Yudhisthira a friendly match of dice to while away the time. Dharmaputra said, 'Game of dice is a sinful preoccupation and princes should never be addicted to it. Invariably it leads to immoral practices and any victory gained by immorality will lead to ultimate ruin.' Dharmaputra with a sense of prophetic premonition quoted Devala who said that success achieved by fraudulent practices in war or dices was not permanent. But Sakuni contradicting Yudhisthira, said, ' Everything is fair in war and dices. Game of dice is a hoary practice with the royal famiies. If you lack self confidence, Dharmaputra , you need not play. As you have acquired reputation as an adept at the game of dice Duryodhana has invited you.' Duryodhana intervened and said to Yudhisthira 'In fact the game is arranged in honour of your visit for your pleasure.' Yudhisthira said, 'Alright I shall play.' Duryodhana said, 'I do not know even the alphabet of the great game. But by uncle Sakuni who is a match to you will play on my behalf.'
Pandavas Gambling Rules
At the outset the game of the dice started as a friendly match and Yudhisthira won the first round. Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Asvatthama and others were provided with special seats and they watched the proceedings with interest and exhilaration. When the next round was about to begin Sakuni said, 'Let there be some bet, the game looses all pep without wager.' Duryodhana intervened to say ,'I will accept full responsibility for any bet which my uncle Sakuni makes. In fact he is my proxy and is playing only on my behalf.'Pandavas Gambling Meaning
Dharmaputra meekly accepted Sakuni's suggestion. However the inner struggle and mental reservations of Dharmaputra to sit at the game of dice was evident in his face. Still he was willing to play. Human psychology is very complex. Victims of vicious vices are not villains. They are wisest fools and very often are quite conscious of their guilt and do not defend themselves. Dharmaputra knowing fully well the consequences of gambling accepted to take part in the game of dice impelled by his innate love for it.Sakuni is a shrewd psychologist and exploited the weakness of Dharmaputra to the fullest extent. He was a master at the game and knew all the tricks of the trade. He attained professional perfection in playing the game and no trace of sportsmanship was left in him. Dharmaputra knew full well Sakuni's consummate craft at casting the dice. The result was a foregone conclusion. But 'hope' is the soul of gambling and Dharmaputra entertained his own dreams of success like any other gambler in the world in spite of his wisdom and rectitude. The dice were in the hands of Sakuni and Dharmaputra's first bet was the precious jewellery on his person. The dice were cast and Dharmaputra lost the bet. Again he offered the royal exchequer, the heavenly horses presented by Chitraradha, the royal elephants he received as homage from the princes at the time of Rajasuya, and the five treasures preserved in the underground cellars as contingent reserves, one after another and lost them in quick succession to the crafty manipulations of Sakuni.
Vidura who visualized the logical conclusion to which the game was heading went to Dhritarashtra and told him in secrecy, 'Dharmaputra is being duped by Duryodhana at the instance of Sakuni. Duryodhana is a deadly liability to the dynasty and will be the ultimate cause for its degeneration, decay and destruction. You must immediately disclaim his nefarious intrigues and disinherit with him forthwith. Dharmaputra is being deceived and deprived of all his possessions. Your son is playing with fire and trampling on cobras. Delay is dangerous.' The blind King paid a deaf ear to the pleadings of Vidura as he was in no mood to accept the drastic remedy proposed by him. 'You are a traitor and untrue to your salt. You are a poisonous snake in the guise of a philosopher. You ought to know that it is presumptious on your part to arrogate to yourself the right to dole out unsolicited advice to us.' Vidura was pricked with humiliation. Still he said, ' Prince, I have to discharge my duty towards Dhritarashtra and his sons,' and added philosophically , 'Innumerable persons are there at every place to proclaim pleasing propositions; infinite number of people can be found everywhere ever ready to listen to them eagerly. But it is a pitiable paradox that the nourishing naked truth can find neither worthy propounder nor a single willing listener.' With these words Vidura kept quiet. Meanwhile the game of dice proceeded in its inexorable course. Sakuni continuing his wining spree and Dharmaputra hoping against hope. Dharamaputra lost all the immense wealth he gained at the time of Rajasuya as well as the mythological Maya Sabha to Sakuni's matchless machinations.
Sakuni joked, Dharmaputra, possessions have gone but the brave persons still remain; will you continue the game.' Undaunted Yudhisthira replied, 'Prince Nakula, handsome son of Madri, the conqueror of the West, is my bet.' Sakuni cast the dice forthwith and proclaimed, 'Here you are, I have won.' Yudhisthira still persisting said, 'Then I offer Sahadeva, the conqueror of the South, as my wager.' Again the bet was lost by Yudhisthira who looked bewildered and unnerved. Sakuni said, 'Yudhisthira, I know you cannot afford to loose Bhima and Arjuna who are your two arms. Moreover you are answerable to Kunti Devi, your living mother.' Dharmaputra did not like the implicit insinuation and at once said without any hesitation, 'Now Arjuna, the worthy disciple of the worthy preceptor of the bow as my wager,' Once again he lost the bet.' History repeated itself. Sakuni said, 'I hope you do not like to loose yourself.' Dahrmaputra said, 'You are wrong. I offer myself as the final bet.' Sakuni exclaimed, ' Dharmaputra you are true to your reputation. Let me reciprocate your noble gesture. If you win this time let me concede you will gain all that you have lost in all the previous bet so far.' The spectators awaited the result with animated suspense. Sakuni cast the dice with studied recklessness, characteristic of a veteran who attained the zenith of professional perfection and proclaimed aloud, 'Here you see, again I have won.' Yudhisthira hanged down his head in shame and humiliation. There was commotion in the hall. Sakuni said, 'Dharmaputra all is not lost. I think Panchali can be your wager. Don't you count her as your possession?' Yudhisthira said, 'Draupadi born of the sacrificial fire, the empress of Rajasuya, is my wager.' Sakuni threw the dice and announced that Draupadi was won. Bhishma, Drona and Kripa were overwhelmed with sorrow. There was a great jubiliation in the Kaurava camp.
China
No matter the millennium, China has always harbored a culture of gambling. Currently, it can be seen in the exploding gambling culture in their Macau region, and you can also find some ways to gamble in Hong Kong, but thousands of years ago, they were doing their best to revolutionize gameplay too. Some even believe that gambling even began in China! It can be traced all the way back to the Xia Dynasty, which took place between 1900 and 1600 B.C. Because of the fickle nature of gambling and its ability to bring power and stability to its knees if not played responsibility, gambling activities were mostly banned in the country. Still, that wouldn't stop the ancient Chinese. It became so difficult to keep under control that the government finally caved and legalized it. They were some of the first to see the benefits in its taxation, and they reaped fortunes from their citizens.
You might be surprised to learn that many of the casino games we know and love today originated in China. As the inventors of playing cards, variations of games such as blackjack, poker and keno are said to have come from the ingenuity of the Chinese. Many of these games were created in the Tang Dynasty around 900 A.D. and relied on special playing cards as being not just the tools to play the game, but also a paper currency that held a material value outside of the game too. If that wasn't enough, the Chinese were to create the first tile games, which is the ancient ancestor of today's dominoes game.
Pandavas Gambling Movie
Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt
As some of the oldest civilizations known to current scientific studies, remnants of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt contain the oldest evidence of gambling yet to be found. Although we can make guesses as to how these certain artifacts were truly used, it is believed by a broad consensus that they were instruments for good old-fashioned wagering. For example, a number of four-sided Astragli, also known as knucklebones, have been unearthed. As the precursor to our modern dice, the found Astragli have been made from materials as varied as wood, metal, and stone.
Pandavas Gambling Places
These strange instruments weren't necessarily used how we would use dice though. Initially, it is believed that they were used to communicate with Gods, or rather, that Gods were believed to have communicated through them. By asking questions and rolling them, the answer would reveal what the Gods were supposedly thinking. In 2012, an Astragli was found with 20-sides, the purpose for it yet to be discovered. Perhaps they believed that four answers from the all-seeing Gods were not enough.
But it wasn't just for religious reasons that the tools were used. The Egyptians also utilized them for different games, including the board game Senet. As the first board game of its kind in known-existence, the rules of Senet are still argued about today. Luckily for historians, more can be said for the Game of Ur, a board game found in Iraq's Royal Tombs of Ur in the 1920s that although comes from an ancient time, is still at least 900 years younger than Senet.
The Americas
Being the continent on which the fascinating Mayan and Inca thrived and fell, it's surprising how little knowledge has been preserved of the ancient civilizations of the Americas. It was known for some time that they had their own version of dice games, but what these were exactly no one can surmise. It wasn't until 2010 that an archaeologist discovered an ancient scoreboard that she believed to be for scoring dice. At 5,000 years old, it is the oldest and perhaps most significant evidence for early games in the Americas that has been found.
Another Ancient American game, Patolli, was a two-player board game that saw each player place six markers that represented an individual wager of a high valued item, which they would play one by one until a single player would come out victorious. Lower stakes games could include food, jewelry or personal valuables, but there is evidence of high-stakes games being played that saw contestants bet their homes, wives and even their freedom! It is a far cry from its descendant Ludo, but it must have made for an extremely entertaining watch.
When everybody was seated happily in the new assembly hall constructed at the behest of Dhritarashtra, Duryodhana proposed to Yudhisthira a friendly match of dice to while away the time. Dharmaputra said, 'Game of dice is a sinful preoccupation and princes should never be addicted to it. Invariably it leads to immoral practices and any victory gained by immorality will lead to ultimate ruin.' Dharmaputra with a sense of prophetic premonition quoted Devala who said that success achieved by fraudulent practices in war or dices was not permanent. But Sakuni contradicting Yudhisthira, said, ' Everything is fair in war and dices. Game of dice is a hoary practice with the royal famiies. If you lack self confidence, Dharmaputra , you need not play. As you have acquired reputation as an adept at the game of dice Duryodhana has invited you.' Duryodhana intervened and said to Yudhisthira 'In fact the game is arranged in honour of your visit for your pleasure.' Yudhisthira said, 'Alright I shall play.' Duryodhana said, 'I do not know even the alphabet of the great game. But by uncle Sakuni who is a match to you will play on my behalf.'
Pandavas Gambling Rules
At the outset the game of the dice started as a friendly match and Yudhisthira won the first round. Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Asvatthama and others were provided with special seats and they watched the proceedings with interest and exhilaration. When the next round was about to begin Sakuni said, 'Let there be some bet, the game looses all pep without wager.' Duryodhana intervened to say ,'I will accept full responsibility for any bet which my uncle Sakuni makes. In fact he is my proxy and is playing only on my behalf.'Pandavas Gambling Meaning
Dharmaputra meekly accepted Sakuni's suggestion. However the inner struggle and mental reservations of Dharmaputra to sit at the game of dice was evident in his face. Still he was willing to play. Human psychology is very complex. Victims of vicious vices are not villains. They are wisest fools and very often are quite conscious of their guilt and do not defend themselves. Dharmaputra knowing fully well the consequences of gambling accepted to take part in the game of dice impelled by his innate love for it.Sakuni is a shrewd psychologist and exploited the weakness of Dharmaputra to the fullest extent. He was a master at the game and knew all the tricks of the trade. He attained professional perfection in playing the game and no trace of sportsmanship was left in him. Dharmaputra knew full well Sakuni's consummate craft at casting the dice. The result was a foregone conclusion. But 'hope' is the soul of gambling and Dharmaputra entertained his own dreams of success like any other gambler in the world in spite of his wisdom and rectitude. The dice were in the hands of Sakuni and Dharmaputra's first bet was the precious jewellery on his person. The dice were cast and Dharmaputra lost the bet. Again he offered the royal exchequer, the heavenly horses presented by Chitraradha, the royal elephants he received as homage from the princes at the time of Rajasuya, and the five treasures preserved in the underground cellars as contingent reserves, one after another and lost them in quick succession to the crafty manipulations of Sakuni.
Vidura who visualized the logical conclusion to which the game was heading went to Dhritarashtra and told him in secrecy, 'Dharmaputra is being duped by Duryodhana at the instance of Sakuni. Duryodhana is a deadly liability to the dynasty and will be the ultimate cause for its degeneration, decay and destruction. You must immediately disclaim his nefarious intrigues and disinherit with him forthwith. Dharmaputra is being deceived and deprived of all his possessions. Your son is playing with fire and trampling on cobras. Delay is dangerous.' The blind King paid a deaf ear to the pleadings of Vidura as he was in no mood to accept the drastic remedy proposed by him. 'You are a traitor and untrue to your salt. You are a poisonous snake in the guise of a philosopher. You ought to know that it is presumptious on your part to arrogate to yourself the right to dole out unsolicited advice to us.' Vidura was pricked with humiliation. Still he said, ' Prince, I have to discharge my duty towards Dhritarashtra and his sons,' and added philosophically , 'Innumerable persons are there at every place to proclaim pleasing propositions; infinite number of people can be found everywhere ever ready to listen to them eagerly. But it is a pitiable paradox that the nourishing naked truth can find neither worthy propounder nor a single willing listener.' With these words Vidura kept quiet. Meanwhile the game of dice proceeded in its inexorable course. Sakuni continuing his wining spree and Dharmaputra hoping against hope. Dharamaputra lost all the immense wealth he gained at the time of Rajasuya as well as the mythological Maya Sabha to Sakuni's matchless machinations.
Sakuni joked, Dharmaputra, possessions have gone but the brave persons still remain; will you continue the game.' Undaunted Yudhisthira replied, 'Prince Nakula, handsome son of Madri, the conqueror of the West, is my bet.' Sakuni cast the dice forthwith and proclaimed, 'Here you are, I have won.' Yudhisthira still persisting said, 'Then I offer Sahadeva, the conqueror of the South, as my wager.' Again the bet was lost by Yudhisthira who looked bewildered and unnerved. Sakuni said, 'Yudhisthira, I know you cannot afford to loose Bhima and Arjuna who are your two arms. Moreover you are answerable to Kunti Devi, your living mother.' Dharmaputra did not like the implicit insinuation and at once said without any hesitation, 'Now Arjuna, the worthy disciple of the worthy preceptor of the bow as my wager,' Once again he lost the bet.' History repeated itself. Sakuni said, 'I hope you do not like to loose yourself.' Dahrmaputra said, 'You are wrong. I offer myself as the final bet.' Sakuni exclaimed, ' Dharmaputra you are true to your reputation. Let me reciprocate your noble gesture. If you win this time let me concede you will gain all that you have lost in all the previous bet so far.' The spectators awaited the result with animated suspense. Sakuni cast the dice with studied recklessness, characteristic of a veteran who attained the zenith of professional perfection and proclaimed aloud, 'Here you see, again I have won.' Yudhisthira hanged down his head in shame and humiliation. There was commotion in the hall. Sakuni said, 'Dharmaputra all is not lost. I think Panchali can be your wager. Don't you count her as your possession?' Yudhisthira said, 'Draupadi born of the sacrificial fire, the empress of Rajasuya, is my wager.' Sakuni threw the dice and announced that Draupadi was won. Bhishma, Drona and Kripa were overwhelmed with sorrow. There was a great jubiliation in the Kaurava camp.
China
No matter the millennium, China has always harbored a culture of gambling. Currently, it can be seen in the exploding gambling culture in their Macau region, and you can also find some ways to gamble in Hong Kong, but thousands of years ago, they were doing their best to revolutionize gameplay too. Some even believe that gambling even began in China! It can be traced all the way back to the Xia Dynasty, which took place between 1900 and 1600 B.C. Because of the fickle nature of gambling and its ability to bring power and stability to its knees if not played responsibility, gambling activities were mostly banned in the country. Still, that wouldn't stop the ancient Chinese. It became so difficult to keep under control that the government finally caved and legalized it. They were some of the first to see the benefits in its taxation, and they reaped fortunes from their citizens.
You might be surprised to learn that many of the casino games we know and love today originated in China. As the inventors of playing cards, variations of games such as blackjack, poker and keno are said to have come from the ingenuity of the Chinese. Many of these games were created in the Tang Dynasty around 900 A.D. and relied on special playing cards as being not just the tools to play the game, but also a paper currency that held a material value outside of the game too. If that wasn't enough, the Chinese were to create the first tile games, which is the ancient ancestor of today's dominoes game.
Pandavas Gambling Movie
Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt
As some of the oldest civilizations known to current scientific studies, remnants of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt contain the oldest evidence of gambling yet to be found. Although we can make guesses as to how these certain artifacts were truly used, it is believed by a broad consensus that they were instruments for good old-fashioned wagering. For example, a number of four-sided Astragli, also known as knucklebones, have been unearthed. As the precursor to our modern dice, the found Astragli have been made from materials as varied as wood, metal, and stone.
Pandavas Gambling Places
These strange instruments weren't necessarily used how we would use dice though. Initially, it is believed that they were used to communicate with Gods, or rather, that Gods were believed to have communicated through them. By asking questions and rolling them, the answer would reveal what the Gods were supposedly thinking. In 2012, an Astragli was found with 20-sides, the purpose for it yet to be discovered. Perhaps they believed that four answers from the all-seeing Gods were not enough.
But it wasn't just for religious reasons that the tools were used. The Egyptians also utilized them for different games, including the board game Senet. As the first board game of its kind in known-existence, the rules of Senet are still argued about today. Luckily for historians, more can be said for the Game of Ur, a board game found in Iraq's Royal Tombs of Ur in the 1920s that although comes from an ancient time, is still at least 900 years younger than Senet.
The Americas
Being the continent on which the fascinating Mayan and Inca thrived and fell, it's surprising how little knowledge has been preserved of the ancient civilizations of the Americas. It was known for some time that they had their own version of dice games, but what these were exactly no one can surmise. It wasn't until 2010 that an archaeologist discovered an ancient scoreboard that she believed to be for scoring dice. At 5,000 years old, it is the oldest and perhaps most significant evidence for early games in the Americas that has been found.
Another Ancient American game, Patolli, was a two-player board game that saw each player place six markers that represented an individual wager of a high valued item, which they would play one by one until a single player would come out victorious. Lower stakes games could include food, jewelry or personal valuables, but there is evidence of high-stakes games being played that saw contestants bet their homes, wives and even their freedom! It is a far cry from its descendant Ludo, but it must have made for an extremely entertaining watch.
Things have changed a lot over the years, with the current United States gambling laws still in a state of constant flux. If you want to have a look at what games you can legally wager on and where you can place bets, check out our guide to gambling in the USA.
India
In modern India, gambling tends to be looked down upon as being both morally wrong, with laws reflecting this attitude too. Free online slots sphinx. You can read our India gambling page to see what forms of betting are legal and popular. However, at one point gambling was a prevalent facet of India's ancient civilization. Hindu texts dating from 2000 B.C. specifically mention gambling games, namely the Mahabharata, an epic myth that features a game of dice that acts as a major plot twist in the story. It is this game of dice which results in the story's Pandavas brothers losing their kingdom and power. They are then exiled and their wives are humiliated in court by their rivals, the Kauravas, which provokes the God Krishna to intervene and save the wives. So influential was this game of dice that it even led to an epic battle.
It may seem as though that gambling was used here as a plot device to show it's amorality, but there's more to the story. As the epic unfolds, it is revealed that the Kauravas were convinced into playing dice with the Pandavas as an act of revenge, the schemer the Kauravas' uncle who predicted that the game would ultimately lead to a battle which they would surely lose, which they did. Ultimately, gambling per se is not portrayed as an unacceptable activity, rather, its the use of it as a means of trickery that is.
As well as this, both of India's most significant festivals, Holi and Diwali, tend to facilitate the most gambling activity in the year. The festivals are traditionally celebrated as the welcoming of new phases, both marking seasonal shifts that are believed to bring in revived fortunes. Diwali, in particular, is believed to be favored by Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, and so many Indians find that this day is the best to gamble. Although it's easy to interpret this as exploiting a blessing for personal gain, there is historical evidence that suggests that in fact, gambling activities were also used to end disputes between two opposing factions.
Rome and Greece
Known for their love of hedonistic living and vice, both the Ancient Greeks and Romans were keen gamblers, to say the least. A game that transcended both civilizations was the game of Par Impar. The modern game of Odds and Evens is extremely similar – you take two players, with one hiding a number of objects in their closed fists. The other player then has to guess whether the number of items was odd or even, and if they guessed it correctly then presto! They'd win a small wager.
The Ancient Greeks were also known to be fans of dice games that wagered on luck. They even had their own versions of what we'd call casinos today – special places where people could meet and gamble. In saying that, those places didn't have the same level of prestige as the modern casino has today, with most looking down on the people who would use them. Like going to a brothel in many countries today, being caught in one would be enough to give a high-standing member of society an ill reputation.
Even ancient Greek mythology wasn't immune to these games – in some stories it is said that the Universe was split because the Gods played a game of dice. Hades was said to have the worst throw against Zeus and his brothers, and thus he was gifted with the Underworld. With luck being a center point to their beliefs of the Universe's conception, it's no wonder why they placed so much value on them.
Although gambling was strictly prohibited in ancient Rome, an annual Saturnalia Festival saw gambling allowed for one night. In saying that, all customs and laws were turned askew for this particular night – as it was a night when masters would serve slaves and partying would replace conservative civility. It's allowance on this night just goes to show how debased they considered gambling to be.
Regardless, it didn't stop them, as many Roman civilians tended to gamble in secret of the authorities. Because of its illegality, it allowed for cheating to become so ingrained in gambling culture as one could not be reported to if they were being dishonest. A notable representation of this phenomena was found in graffiti in the ruins of Pompeii, where a number of gamblers wrote phrases like, 'I am skilled enough to win without cheating.'
Outside of the plebiscites, a number of Roman emperors are reported to have been keen gamblers. Both Augustus and Nero were, in fact, famous for it, despite Augustus admitting himself that he was never quite successful. But neither of them had nothing on Emperor Commodus, whose love for the sport became so out of hand that he not only gambled the state treasury away but turned his royal palace into a casino to try to recoup the losses! And they wonder why Rome fell…
