Roulette is one of the few casino titles that have been around for a long time and continues to be popular even today. Part of the widespread appeal of Roulette is its simplistic nature – all you need to do is place your wagers and hope that lady luck favours you.
Just like its exciting nature, the game of Roulette shares a rich and long history. In this article, we delve deep into the origins of Roulette. Also, we explore how Roulette became such a popular casino classic. Continue reading!
The Origins of Roulette
The exact origins of Roulette are difficult to verify. But there are several theories surrounding the origins of the game. A widely accepted theory is that the game of Roulette was invented by French Mathematician Blaise Pascal in the 17th century. The story goes like Pascal was attempting to create a perpetual motion machine. For the unversed, a perpetual motion machine is a machine that continues running indefinitely without drawing any external power. While Pascal failed in his attempt to create a perpetual motion machine, his experiment led to the creation of one of the most popular casino games.
The Rise of Roulette in Europe
Historical records show that the game of Roulette, as we know it today, has been around at least since the late 18th century. The mention of the game being played in the late 1700s in Paris can be found in French author Jaques Lablee’s novel ‘La Roulette, ou Histoire d’un Joueur‘. Back then, the game was limited to the elites in France. At that time, people from the French upper class would gather in gaming parlours and wagered their Roulette chips on the outcome of the spinning Roulette wheel.
With time, the popularity of Roulette increased and the game became popular in wealthy German spa towns such as Bad Homburg. From here, a French casino operator named Francois Blanc took the game to Monte Carlo. In the Grand Casino de Monte-Carlo, a new Roulette variation named “French Roulette” was created.
It’s said that the King of Monaco, Charles III, requested Blanc to add a “zero” slot to the Roulette wheel. This was because the King wanted to generate substantial revenue from his new gambling venue. And he believed that having a casino advantage would benefit him in his quest. Soon after their introduction, the zero slots and casino advantage became a permanent part of the French and European Roulette variations that are often featured in Roulette tournaments.
The advent of American Roulette
After becoming popular in several parts of Europe, the game of Roulette made its way to the US. And this is where a new Roulette variation named American Roulette was born. But unlike the current American version of online Roulette featuring two zero slots, the early American wheel came with three zero slots. This gave gambling venues a whopping house edge of 12.9%. Naturally, the presence of the third zero slot didn’t go well and it was quickly removed from the wheel.
The modern form of American Roulette featuring two zero slots was developed in the US state of Mississippi. While the American wheel came with two zero pockets instead of one and gave casinos a comparatively higher house edge, it stuck among US players and became available at several American casinos. This was also the time when many Roulette players began using a Roulette strategy system to try to improve their winning chances.
The rise of online Roulette
The rise in computational power and the advent of the internet resulted in the introduction of a new form of Roulette – online Roulette. Today, the popularity of online Roulette has grown by leaps and bounds and the game can be found at almost every casino gambling venue.
When playing Roulette online, players have several exciting Roulette variations to choose from, such as online Roulette, 20p Roulette and Lightning Roulette, amongst others. Also, for players who want to enjoy Roulette gameplay in a more realistic setting, online casinos offer live Roulette games. For the unversed, the gameplay action in live Roulette games takes place in a real-life studio and is streamed onto your device. Also, live Roulette games come with several features that make the Roulette gaming action highly realistic and entertaining.