Tarot History Forum

In 1423, Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan, issued an ordinance that prohibited gambling games, specifically targeting dice, while continuing to permit board games.

Key Details of the 1423 Decree

Prohibition of Dice: The decree strictly forbade games of chance involving dice, which were often associated with immoral behavior, swindling, and civil disorder.
Allowance of Board Games: While gambling was restricted, board games were explicitly allowed, categorized as acceptable leisure activities for the nobility and upper classes.
Inclusion of Playing Cards: Historical accounts of this 1423 decree note that the list of permitted or regulated games likely included card games, marking an early secular legal stance on playing cards in Milan.

1420-1429, gives various laws about card playing. His laws are tolerant.

1420: Filippo Maria forbids anyone to play cards, if not according to the correct and ancient system [Nel 1420 vietò qualsiasi giuoco delle carte, quando non fosse secondo il retto e antico sistema](F. Malaguzzi Valeri, "La corte di Ludovico il Moro" (Milano, Hoepli, 1913-1917) vol. I, p. 268).

1423: Filippo Maria acceded to the demand of the commune of Piacenza to stop the corruption in the gambling houses [baratteria](which gave the Ducal coffers 100 fiorini per year); that is to say, that he banned the game [Nel '23 accolse favorevolmente la supplica onde il comune di Piacenza chiedeva si togliesse la gabella della baratteria (rendeva alla Camera ducale 100 fiorini l'anno), cioè si proibisse il giuoco] (Boselli op. cit.(title not found), II, p. 160).

1426, 19 March: Filippo Maria proclaimed an ordinance "against gaming and holding 'biscatia'" [emanò ordini 'contra ludentes et tenentes biscatia]((N. Ferorelli)'I Registri dell'Ufficio degli Statuti di Milano', Milano, 1926, p. 277).(I guess 'biscatia' might be a game party or gambling house; modern Italian: bisca = gambling hell, biscazziere = owner of a gambling-hell)

1427, 17 February: Filippo Maria prohibits the use of the dice or of carticelle [proibì l'uso dei "tasselli" o delle "carticelle"](F. Malaguzzi Valeri, "La corte di Ludovico il Moro" (Milano, Hoepli, 1913-1917) vol. I, p. 268).

1429, 4 May: Filippo Maria approves the April 6 decision of the Cosiglio generale of Como to forbid games of dice and also zara, also abolishing the permit of the gambling house; only to be permitted were the games of tables, chess, cards or cartelle, except those games of pure chance; it would also be forbidden to bet more than 20 soldi a day per person [approvò la deliberazione 6 aprile dei Cosiglio generale di Como di vietar i giuochi dei dadi ed altri di zara, con l'abolir il dazio della baratteria: erano permessi solo i giuochi della tavole, scacchi, carte o cartelle, eccettuati però sempre quelli di pura fortuna, e anche nei permessi era vietato esporre a perdita piu di 20 soldi al giorno per persona](Rovelli, op. cit. (title not noted), part III, vol. I, pp. 133ff.).

[All of the above are collected in A. Butti, F. Fossati, G. Petraglione, eds., 'P. Candidi Decembri: Opuscula historica' (Rerum Italicarum Scriptores XX/I, Bologna, Zanichelli, 1925) pp. 326-327, n. 1 (ll. 97-115; 1-11)]