Dominoes do not have a single identifiable inventor. Instead, they are believed to have emerged in China as a development of earlier dice and tile games, and then spread and evolved over centuries into the sets and rules we recognise today.
Historical evidence points to the Song dynasty (12th century) as an early period when domino-like tiles were used in China. These early tiles represented the outcomes of two dice and were used in games and sometimes for trick-taking play rather than simply as matching tiles.
Betting
Dominoes reached Europe much later — documentation shows they were known in Italy by the 18th century, where local variations and new playing styles developed. European sets and rules differed from the Chinese originals and helped shape today’s global domino culture.
Rummy
Because the game evolved regionally over long periods, historians treat dominoes as the product of gradual cultural innovation rather than the work of one inventor. Modern domino play and set design reflect contributions from many places and eras.
Rummy
In short: no single person invented dominoes — they originated in China and were adapted and spread worldwide across centuries.
Historical evidence points to the Song dynasty (12th century) as an early period when domino-like tiles were used in China. These early tiles represented the outcomes of two dice and were used in games and sometimes for trick-taking play rather than simply as matching tiles.
Betting
Dominoes reached Europe much later — documentation shows they were known in Italy by the 18th century, where local variations and new playing styles developed. European sets and rules differed from the Chinese originals and helped shape today’s global domino culture.
Rummy
Because the game evolved regionally over long periods, historians treat dominoes as the product of gradual cultural innovation rather than the work of one inventor. Modern domino play and set design reflect contributions from many places and eras.
Rummy
In short: no single person invented dominoes — they originated in China and were adapted and spread worldwide across centuries.