Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK Und.) cheating for profit at bowls and later cards.

1591		Greene Second Part of Conny-Catching in Grosart (1881–3) X 82: The Vincents Law is a common deceit or cosenage vsed in Bowling-allies amongst the baser sort of people.
1608		Dekker Belman of London F3: Those that are Students in the Vincents Lawe: whose Inne is a Bowling-Alley, whose bookes are bowles, and whose law cases are lurches and rubbers.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Vincent’s law, the art of cheating at cards, composed of the following associates: bankers, those who play booty; the gripe, he that betteth; and the person cheated, who is styled the vincent; the gains acquired, termage.
1801		‘Modern Dict.’ in Sporting Mag. May XVIII 102/2: [as cit. 1785].
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.