Mythological Moguls Behind the Mysteries of Luck

Gambling has been around since the earliest recordings of history. It is safe to bet that wagers were made as early as one person could challenge another to do something. Of course, money hasn’t always been the currency of bets, just like randomness has not always been attributed to gambling outcomes. 

Many ancient civilisations and religions in the past have attributed the hand of the gods to gambling outcomes. In fact, specific gods were thought to have a direct influence on outcomes related to fortune and luck. Many believed that that luck was a virtue granted upon them by supernatural forces and was rarely a random occurrence at all.  

It is for this very reason that many ancient religious cultures would cast the lots or dies when needing guidance in decision making. 

But there have been many gods and patron saints assigned to fortune and luck over the thousands of years that mankind has been around. Join us as we take a look at the mythology behind gambling by unveiling 10 of the most well-known deities and saints who were attributed special graces when it came to fortune. 

 Gods of the Gamble  

✓ Hermes 

Hermes is known as the son of Zeus. A Greek mythological deity in his own right and the messenger to the gods. Perhaps you were not aware, but his trickster nature and his keen ability to outsmart many of the other gods, earned him the reputation as the god of the gamble, too. 

Hermes started life on the front foot when he grew up to full adult stature the same day he was born. It is said that he went about his trickster antics from that day forward, earning the title as the ‘divine trickster’. It is believed that Hermes invented the dice, and as such became the father of chance. 

Hermes is known in Roman culture as Mercury, however, their designation for gambling and luck is given to the goddess Fortuna. 

✓ Fortuna 

Venerated by the Romans as the goddess of luck, her name is the route from where we get the word ‘fortune’ and ‘fortunate’.  Her most ancient connection was traditional to farming, prosperity, fertility, and increase; hence her connection with the fruitfulness of the soil and the fertility of women. 

Attributed oracular status, Fortuna was known to see into the future and was able to invest abundance and blessing upon humans through the cornucopia she bore. 

In Ancient Rome, gamblers would call out to goddess Fortuna while rolling a 20-sided dice during a game of chance. Their wish at the time was that they would become fortunate through their prayer. They relied on her for their luck. 

✓ Thoth 

With a similar rank and roll to the Greek god Hermes, Thoth is the Egyptian deity of the moon, wisdom, magic, and time. His affiliations to magic and wisdom obviously stereotyped him, as gambling and chance were also consigned to his jurisdiction. 

Thoth is often depicted with the image of a man’s body with an Ibis’ head. There is debate about his origins. While some believe he is self-created, others believe he was born from the lips of RA, while others say he was born of the seed of Horus from the forehead of Set. Either way, he was venerated as a remarkable supernatural being with tremendous powers, bringing equilibrium to the universe with his wisdom. 

Binding wisdom with gambling is always a good idea. Fun with wisdom is the recipe for balance. He represents the perfect image of responsible gambling; perhaps an example that many should look to for inspiration when hitting the casino. 

✓ Macuilxochiti 

Known also as Xochipilli (flower prince), he is identified as the ancient Aztec god of many things related to the pleasures in life, including dancing, music, art, feasts, games, and gambling. He is one of 5 Aztec deities that represent excess and indulgence in life. The fact that there are 5 deities involved in this sort of lifestyle also speaks of excess, as the number 5 means ‘too much’ in Aztec culture. 

While some ancients may have worshipped the indulgence in all these feel-good activities, this god came with some stern warnings. Macuilxochiti was the delineator between pleasure and excess, dishing out punishments to all those he deemed to be indulging inappropriately.  

This god serves as a lesson that those who indulge in gambling should know their limits, lest they find themselves in trouble. 

✓ Lakshmi 

Lakshmi is still worshipped to this day by Hindus, Jainists, and Buddhists. She is one of the most important of the millions of gods in Hinduism and serves as Vishnu’s (the most important god) divine consort. Lakshmi personifies good fortune, prosperity, delight, wealth, and fortune. It is for this reason that many of her believers attribute to her the power over gambling outcomes. 

Lakshmi is depicted with four arms. Two of them speak about worldly pursuits and those things that appeal to our carnal natures, while the other two speak of spirituality. The balance of her four arms speaks of the fact that the soul must be enriched along with the body. There should always be a balance. 

She is not slow to lavish her followers with great gifts and good luck, but she is not shy either to bring hardship on those who cannot practice balance and become too greedy. Many will know that greed can be your downfall at the casino. One should never chase bets or play merely for the sake of winning. Rather, casino games should be played mainly for their entertainment value. 

✓ Nohoilpi 

Nohoilpi is the Navajo god of gambling. He is known in the culture as the greatest gambler. He loved to play games of chance and skill and prided himself on the fact that he could never lose.  

We know that some serious gamblers have their lucky talismans and superstitious lucky trinkets, but perhaps Nohoilpi was the founder of this type of practice, for he always wore a giant turquoise talisman. 

Nohoilpi’s greed for winning began to destroy the lives of those he played against, claiming houses, possessions, and their livelihoods from them. This angered the other gods, who then devised a plan to topple his pride by empowering a mere man to outwit and beat this god of gambling. Their plan worked and with the help of the man, they stripped Nohoilpi of everything he had, setting the people he had wronged free. The gods then banished him to the sky. 

This story is a sober reminder that no one is safe from the gamble, even self-proclaimed gambling ‘gods’ can lose, so best we do away with greed before playing any casino games. 

✓ Nezha 

Nezha hails from Chinese culture and is recognised as the god of gambling and fortune. While his life is littered with both victories and shame, he remains a firm stalwart of all things good to the people.

He was brought to earth via virgin birth with the pure purpose of fighting the demons in the world. The suggestion is that his ability to bring fortune combats the evil that seeks to curse mankind. 

Nezha is a token of the good grace of the gods, as he disgraced his father and committed suicide in shame. His teacher, Taiyi Zhenren, then brought him back to life and added to his stature with embellishments such as a fire tipped spear and a pair of wind fire wheels, things he hardly deserved. 

Believers in Nezha pray to him for guidance, as it is said that he reveals winning lottery numbers. Its quite fitting that its lotto numbers that he reveals, as Asian culture is hooked upon number games, dice games, and dominoes.

A great lesson of second chances can be learned from this fable. No matter how many times you luck out, there will always be a chance for fortune in the future. 

 Legends of Luck and Fellows of Fortune 

While many of the gods ruled the spirit realm, raining fortune on those they pleased, the world has been subjected to patron saints who have been tasked with the work of protecting and guiding good fortune and luck. Three primary saints fall into the patronage of gambling. 

✓ St Cayetano 

Ordained as a Catholic Priest in 1516, St Cayetano had a growing disdain for all earthly belongings. He was hung up more on what people needed than what they desired and as such was said to bring miracle aid to those who needed it. As such he was commonly referred to as the Father of Providence and the patron saint of good fortune. 

Those who have been in the online casino world will recognise this man’s name, as one of the casino game providers (Cayetano Gaming) has adopted it as their trademark. 

✓ San Simon 

Said to be part Catholic Saint and part Mayan god, San Simon is the patron saint of gamblers and drunks in Guatemala. 

A shrine has been erected for his veneration attracting the prayers of many people needing fortune and luck. The gifts brought as sacrifices to his shrine include alcohol, tobacco, and money. Some people even spit Coca Cola and other alcoholic beverages on his statue to ask him for a blessing. 

✓ St Bernadine 

Also known as Bernardino of Siena, this saint was a Franciscan missionary. His charismatic preaching and teachings made him famous and were directed specifically against sorcery, witchcraft, infanticide, sodomy, Jews, usury, and gambling.  After he was canonised, he became known as the patron saint of advertising, communications, compulsive gambling, and respiratory problems. 

Unlike the two saints mentioned before, who became synonymous with bestowing favour and fortune, St Bernadine was instead empowered to stand against the problems of compulsive gambling.  

His heritage lives on in the top gambling regulatory bodies of the world who work tirelessly to ensure that problem gambling is rooted out of the casino world. 

 Conclusion 

While mythology and religion have done so well to place the responsibility of gambling upon a third party, we need to draw back to reality and take responsibility for our own actions when gambling.  

Great lessons of temperance and balance can be drawn from the myths and fables of the past, but we must actively work to route greed and problem gambling from the industry so that gambling remains a source of enjoyment and entertainment rather than hardship and sorrow. 

Be assured that when playing casino games at a Gambler’s Pick partner casinos, these operators practice business in line with the strictest responsible gambling protocols and offer helpful tools to keep you on track towards gambling enjoyment.