Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK Und.) one who plays with crooked dice.

1552		G. Walker Detection of Vyle and Detestable Use of Dice Play 17: They call their worthy art by a new found name, calling themselves cheators, and the dice cheaters.
1591		Greene Notable Discovery of Coosnage in Grosart (1881–3) X 9: The chetors that with their false Dice make a hande, & strike in at Hazard or Passage with their Dice of aduauntage.
1608		Dekker Belman of London E2: Of all which Lawes, the Highest in place, and the Highest in perdition, is the Cheating Law or the Art of winning money by false dyce: Those that practise this study, call themselves Cheators, the dice Cheaters, and the money which they purchase Cheates : borrowing the tearme from our common Lawyers.
1611		Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girle V i: You your self shall cant Better then poor Moll can, and know more laws Of cheaters, lifters, nips, foysts, puggards, curbers, With all the devil’s blackguard, than it’s fit Should be discovered to a noble wit.
1653		Urquhart (trans.) Gargantua and Pantagruel (1927) I Bk II 333: He was a notable cheater and cony-catcher.
1822		R. Nares Gloss. (1888) I 154: cheater, is said, in many modern notes, to have been synonymous with gamester: but it meant always an unfair gamester, one who played with false dice; though the name is said to have been originally assumed by those gentry themselves.