It goes without saying that Roulette is a highly renowned casino game. It’s one of the few casino classics that appeal to all types of casino players, from recreational gamblers to experienced players and high rollers.
Just like its fun and entertaining nature, the game of Roulette has a fascinating history to it. Here’s an article that offers an overview of Roulette history and explains how Roulette became a casino staple at both online and offline platforms.
The origins of Roulette
The exact origins of Roulette are unclear. But there are several theories surrounding the game’s invention and early development. A widely accepted theory is that it was the French mathematician Blaise Pascal who created the first form of Roulette. Legend has it that Pascal was trying to create a machine that would run indefinitely without drawing power from an external power source. In other words, a perpetual motion machine. Pascal’s attempt to create a perpetual motion machine failed. But in that process, he laid the foundations for the development of one of the most popular casino titles.
Another theory about the origins of Roulette is that the game was invented by French Dominican monks as a way to pass their time. It’s believed that the monks’ version of Roulette was based on an ancient Tibetan game whose objective was to arrange the 37 different statuettes into a magic square of 666. But there is no clear evidence to support that claim.
The development of single zero Roulette in Europe
The 18th century saw the introduction of Roulette in France. And it soon became a popular offering at French casinos of that time. Back then, the Roulette wheel featured two zero slots. One zero slot was coloured black while the other was coloured red. But despite their colours, both of them were house pockets. So, if a player wagered on the red or black colour and the ball landed in any of the zero slots, they’d still lose their wager. To make things easier for players, casinos started colouring the zero slots green in the early 19th century.
In 1842, two Frenchmen named Francois and Louis Blanc developed a new Roulette variation and introduced it at the Bad Homburg casino. Instead of two zeros, their version of Roulette featured a single zero. This reduced the casino advantage of the game from 5.26% to 2.70%. So, it’s no wonder that the newly developed version soon became incredibly popular at gambling venues throughout Europe. It’s worth noting that this was also the time when the first versions of modern Roulette chips were introduced.
Roulette travels to the US
The European immigrants took the game of Roulette to the US in the early 19th century. But it took some time for Roulette to make its way into the American casino gaming world. Initially, casino operators weren’t content with the relatively low house advantage. So, they went to increase it further by adding an Eagle symbol. This only resulted in European settlers losing interest in the game.
American casinos then changed the format of the Roulette wheel and Roulette table to include numbers between 1 and 36, along with two zeros. The double zero version of Roulette then became the dominant game in America. Today, the Roulette variation is referred to as American Roulette. If you want to give it a try, you can easily access it at our casino UK.
The rise of online Roulette
In the late 1990s, the world saw the advent of the first online casinos. Back then, the casino offering was limited to a few casino titles. But soon after, the game of Roulette was introduced. And this forever changed the way Roulette players access and play Roulette games.
With online gambling platforms, players don’t need to spend hours travelling to a brick-and-mortar casino. Instead, they can easily access and enjoy their favourite online Roulette games using a laptop PC or a mobile device. When playing online, there are several exciting Roulette variations to choose from, including Lightning Roulette, 3D Roulette, Live Roulette and Auto Roulette. What’s more, many online casino sites offer Roulette simulator and have demo versions for players who want to try the Roulette games for free first. All in all, online casinos have made Roulette highly accessible and entertaining.