History of Roulette

Roulette is one of the classic casino games, glorified in Hollywood movies for its excitement, sexiness, and the way the game holds its players fate by the actions of a tiny ball. Red and black, victory and defeat, bliss and dejection...all separated by a number of millimeters. Roulette has gained popularity in recent years not only in Vegas and other gambling cities but also on online casinos. So where did one of the most well-known casino games originate?

European Roulette
The word "roulette" comes from French and means "little wheel." It is believed by many that the first roulette wheel was created in the mid-17th century by Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician. Others believe that monks brought the game from China to Europe. Either way, the French are responsible for developing the game into the popular roulette we play today.

After finding its way into an early Parisian casino, one legend claims that the devil taught the secret of roulette to a couple of gamblers named Francois and Louis Blanc in exchange for their souls. The story continues that these two picked the numbers 0 to 36 for the wheel. The significance? Adding the numbers in this range results in 666, associated with the devil! While this is purely legend, it has given roulette a mystical reputation.

The Casino Game Reaches America
It took until the early 19th century for this casino game to make its way to the US and became well-liked by professional risk-takers, namely gold miners in the West during the Gold Rush. One quick change was the replacement of the "0" with the double-zero, "00", giving the house a bigger edge to work with than the European casinos boasted. The terms "European wheel" and "American wheel" refer to these two variations of wheel. When given the chance to choose, a European wheel is preferable due to one fewer zero, or pocket.

Meanwhile, in the 1860s, the government of Germany outlawed gambling abolished gambling, causing the Blancs to move to the last European casino, located in Monte Carlo. Roulette became widely popular here before spreading around the world from there. It was here that the game gained its nicknamed "The King of Casino Games".

Roulette and Online Gambling
With the birth of online gambling, roulette has discovered a new generation of fans through online casinos. Since the mid-90s, the internet has sparked a new craze in casino games and roulette has gained a new generation of fans. With thousands of online casinos to choose from, there is no shortage of opportunities to gamble and roulette figures to only gain popularity in the coming years.

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