The history of craps is not altogether clear. The games source is thought to originate in the game known as Hazard. This doesn’t explain too much, since Hazard's history is also blurred.

Rumor has it that the game of Hazard was designed by Sir William of Tyre during the Crusades. Either it was invented by this Englishman or a different person that spoke Arabic.

Reason has it, that if it was invented in Tyre, it has to have been by Sir William and his knights, as a means to fight off the boredom. Indeed, many games involving gambling were invented during this period for this reason.

Nonetheless, the word hazard is thought to originate from the Arabic word azzah which means dice.

Hazard was a popular game throughout Britain. From there it spread throughout Europe. There is even mention of the game in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. During the time it reached France, many were moving to the new country – America. In this way the game spread through the French to the US. In fact, in New Orleans, the famous French-American hotspot, the game was played illegally in the back alleys and dark illegal casinos.

Only once the game had been in America did its name change to craps. 

Craps had simpler rules than the original hazard. In New Orleans the game was mostly played on the Riverboats that populated the Mississippi River near by.

Finally, John H. Winn entered the Craps scene. He introduced a new rule that ultimately made it useless to cheat in craps. Indeed, before the rule kicked in, you could only bet that the other player would win. Winn introduced the option that the casino could also win. For his contribution, today, Winn is known and recognized as the father of modern Craps.