Domino games probably originated in Asia. They developed from dice games as the domino is a modification of a die. The first one has from 1 to 6 pips. Blank dominos are an European invention. In the past, bigger th an normal sets were used, for example one of 55 plates - having from 0 till 9 pips and one of 91 plates - having from 0 till 12 pips.
Dominos have long been known in China as 'kwat pai', 'nga pai', 'chiu pai' or 'tim pai', in Korea, as 'ho hpai' or 'kol hpai' and in Laos as 'tau tem'. Many historians believe that dominos were first brought to Europe by Marco Polo at the end of X III century.
From Italians the craft of playing domino was adopted by Frenchmen, then in the XVIII century by the English. Today it is known all around the world. According to an European legend, domino was invented by Bernardine monks on Monte Casino, which suggests that the game was popular and common among monks and priesthood before it became widely known.