Legal Definitions - aleator

An aleator, in the context of ancient Roman law, refers to an individual who engages in games of chance, particularly gambling. It specifically denotes a gambler or a player of dice.

• Imagine a Roman citizen named Gaius who spends his evenings at a public house, placing bets on the outcomes of various board games and card games played with friends. He regularly risks small sums of money, hoping to win more.

  Explanation: Gaius would be considered an aleator because he is actively participating in games of chance for stakes, which aligns with the definition of a gambler.

• Consider a group of Roman soldiers stationed at a frontier outpost. To pass the time during their off-duty hours, they frequently gather to roll dice, with the loser of each round having to pay a small amount of coinage to the winner.

  Explanation: Each soldier involved in this activity would be an aleator, as they are directly engaged in playing dice for monetary stakes, fitting the description of a dice player.

• During a bustling market day in Rome, a merchant named Julia sets up a small game where customers can pay a small fee to draw a token from a bag. Some tokens offer a prize, while others offer nothing. Julia profits from the collective fees, while customers hope for a lucky draw.

  Explanation: Although Julia is running the game, she is also participating in a form of gambling by offering a chance-based activity for money. From the perspective of Roman law, both Julia and the participating customers could be seen as aleatores due to their involvement in a game of chance.