Various early versions of backgammon seem to have been popular in Britain. Though the game was known in Anglo-Saxon times and is mentioned in old English glossaries of the eighth and ninth centuries, its great popularity apparently dates from the Crusades. In fact, this and other gambling games were so popular with the Christian soldiers in Richard the Lion-Hearted's army that he and his ally, Philip of France, issued a joint act during the Third Crusade in 1190. King John played his court favourites for modest stakes, if he lost, the amount was faithfully noted in the record of his daily expenses. It remained a favourite game of the upper classes in Europe throughout the middle ages.
Tables spread from the upper classes throughout medieval society in Europe .
Innkeepers attracted customers by providing them with boards, men, and dice, Apparently the medieval board was twice the size of the usual chessboard, and the men were larger than our modern playing discs. The Church, which of course did not approve of any kind of gambling, waged a long and losing war against the popular game. One hundred and fifty years later the Archbishop of Tournai was busy prosecuting people caught playing tables. By then, towns in France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and Holland were exempting tables from municipal censure so long as the stakes were kept small. However, the game remained forbidden to university students and apprentices learning their trade.