The History Of Roulette
Entertainment, Gambling
Few casino games embody a sense of excitement quite like Roulette. With a spin of the wheel gravity takes over and where the ball lands is all up to physics. While all casino games are games of chance, there’s something different about Roulette. The time between the ball leaving the dealer’s fingers and landing in its final spot are some of the most tense on the casino floor. It’s no wonder it's a mainstay of gamblers from Las Vegas to virtually any mobile casino. Let’s take a look at the history of Roulette.
The aim of Roulette
The objective in Roulette is to try to predict where the ball will land within the spinning Roulette wheel. Players place their chips on which number they think will be the winning number after each spin.
Getting the ball rolling
It’s theorised that the Roulette wheel was the invention of Blaise Pascal. Pascal was a French inventor, physicist and mathematician from the 17th century. The story goes that Pascal accidentally invented the Roulette wheel in 1655. He didn’t intend to create one of the world’s most popular casino games of all time. Pascal was actually trying to invent a perpetual motion machine. A perpetual motion machine is a theoretical device that can operate without drawing any energy from an external source. It’s interesting to note that the law of physics dictates that a perpetual motion machine is impossible. Pascal’s Roulette mechanism was soon adapted into a game of chance and incorporated into French gambling houses.
The late 18th century would however see the introduction of strict gambling laws across Europe that would slow the growth of Roulette on the continent. Prince Charles of Monaco saw potential in the game of Roulette however. Charles opened several gambling houses in Monaco which increased the popularity of the game among the wealthy and powerful of Europe.
The game changers
By far the biggest change that led to a surge in the popularity of Roulette came about during the 19th century. The pioneers of this revolution were two French brothers named Francois and Louis Blanc. The brothers’ addition to the game of Roulette was to remove the double zero pocket in 1842 in favour of just one zero. Having just one zero effectively halves the house’s chances of winning, which is better for the players. This new version of Roulette would set the standard of what is now known as European Roulette.
Gambling was however illegal in France at the time. The Blanc brothers therefore moved to Hamburg Germany to introduce their new version of Roulette there. The game quickly grew in popularity. The brothers would eventually move back to France to open a modern casino that was the first of its kind. The main attraction of the Blanc brothers’ casino was of course their single zero roulette. The brothers would eventually open the Monte Carlo Casino Resort in Monaco. After this Roulette became very popular throughout Europe.
The new world
European Roulette was brought to America in the early 19th century by way of European settlers. However the game would not find the same popularity that it did in Europe. Casino owners did not enjoy the poor house odds and made the game more difficult for players by adding the double zero back in. This style of Roulette would become known as American Roulette.
Taking a spin online
The introduction of online gambling has seen yet more evolutions of the game of Roulette. Players are now able to play from virtually anywhere and can play any form of Roulette they wish in an online casino. One advantage of online Roulette is that it cuts out the distractions of being on a crowded casino floor. Playing online also allows players to choose the version of Roulette they prefer.
Roulette is still a wildly popular game. Whether or not it continues to evolve still remains to be seen. But for now, it’s not going anywhere.
