Unlike today's dice, Roman dice were often irregular and lopsided. This could be because their users could then manipulate the games, or because they believed that fate would determine the roll. Ancient Romans played a number of games involving dice, such as knucklebone games that were win-or-lose, or regular four-sided dice called "tali", the six-sided tesserae were the most common. They used the dice, a metal or clay cup for shaking, and the some sort of chips to keep track of scores.

Gambling took place in taverns, brothels, streets, and military camps. It became a social issue, and the Roman government restricted the use of gambling, imposing heavy fines and penalties. However, the large number of dice found in Roman sites suggests that gambling continued to take place despite the restrictions.