Roulette is one of the oldest casino classics that is still widely played by hundreds of thousands of casino players worldwide. Part of the reason why casino players enjoy Roulette so much is the game’s simplicity; all you need to do is place your wagers and hope that lady luck favours you.
From the 17th-century French gambling houses to today’s online and mobile casinos, the game of Roulette has come a long way. In this article, we delve deep into Roulette history and explain how it became such a popular casino classic. Stick with us!
The Origins of Roulette
The exact origins of Roulette are not known. But it’s widely believed that the initial form of Roulette was created by French mathematician Blaise Pascal in the 17th century. The legend goes that Pascal was trying to a perpetual motion machine – a machine that would run indefinitely without drawing any external power. While Pascal failed in his attempt to develop a perpetual motion machine, his experiment led to the creation of the popular Roulette wheel.
Another theory surrounding the origins of Roulette is that the casino classic is based on a Chinese board game. The Chinese board game was invented by Dominican monks and required players to arrange 37 animal figurines into a square. While the specific gameplay rules of the Chinese game are unknown, the numbers on the game’s board added up to 666. Interestingly, the total of the numbers on the modern Roulette wheel is also 666.
The development of single-zero Roulette
The 18th century saw Roulette becoming highly popular in France. Back then, the game of Roulette had a slightly different layout than modern Roulette variations – it featured a single zero and a double zero slot coloured red and black respectively. But despite their red and black colour, these zero slots were house pockets. So, if you wagered your Roulette chips on the red or black colour and the ball landed in one of the zero pockets, you’d lose your bet. Naturally, this led to a lot of confusion among Roulette players. So, the zero slots were coloured green in the 1800s.
Another major development that happened at that time was the development of single-zero Roulette. In the 1840s, two French brothers named François and Blanc removed the double zero slot from the Roulette wheel. This resulted in decreased house edge and improved Roulette odds. Soon after its development, the single zero version quickly gained traction among Roulette players and became popular throughout Europe.
The Rise of American Roulette
The 18th century was also the time when Roulette made its way to America. At that time, the Roulette version featured 28 numbers, a single zero slot and a double zero slot. Also, the old Roulette wheel came with an eagle symbol, which gave some extra house advantage to the casino.
The Eagle symbol on the Roulette wheel was eventually removed, but the double zero pocket stayed. This double zero variation then evolved to take the form of American Roulette that’s available at our UK casino.
20th century and the advent of online Roulette
In the initial half of the 20th century, gambling venues weren’t widespread. The only noteworthy places where players could try their hands at Roulette games were Monte Carlo and Las Vegas. But in the 1970s, casino gambling venues went mainstream and began to flourish across several regions of the globe.
The real boom in the Roulette world came with the advent of the internet. With more and more people having access to a desktop PC and an internet connection, it led to the rise of a new generation of gambling venues where players could gamble online.
With the rise in computing power and stable internet connections, online casino platforms evolved quickly. Today, it’s possible for players to try their hands at a vast selection of online Roulette titles such as Progressive Roulette, 3D Roulette, Lightning Roulette and more. Also, mobile casinos make it possible for players to enjoy their favourite Roulette games and participate in Roulette tournaments anywhere, anytime. What’s more, online casinos also offer live Roulette titles where there’s a real human dealer to assist you throughout the gaming action. Indeed, the game of Roulette has come a very long way!