Roulette History
The origins of the game of Roulette remain shrouded in the mists of time.
One theory attributes the invention of roulette to the Chinese, and its arrival in Europe in the 17th century was as a result of european traders returning from their great adventures in China. Yet another theory suggests that roulette was invented by the french at the start of the 17th Century. In the word fact roulette is a french translation for “small wheel”.
Whichever theory is more accurate, there is no doubt that the French had a major impact on the popularity of roulette. Blaise Pascal introduced a primitive version of roulette in the early 17th century which had 38 numbers including both a single zero and a double zero on the wheel. In 1842, Frenchmen Francois & Lous Blanc invented the single “0″ roulette wheel game. This change which eliminated the double zero “00″ in the original game, became hugely popular due in no small part to the slightly better odds and more attractive wheel designs.
As gambling was then illegal in France, the Blancs brought their new game to Hamburg, Germany where it created quite a stir. So much so in fact that Francois Blanc and his son Camille eventually returned to Southern France, where the Prince of Monaco, Charless III became a big fan. His patronage resulted in the foundation of the world famous gambling resort in the principality of Monte Carlo. In the luxurious surroundings of Monte Carlo, roulette remained exclusively the purvey of the rich and famous until the 1930s when it became much more accessible in casinos around the globe.
Roulette arrived in the USA, in the early 1800s and the original 38 numbered wheel (including the 00) became hugely popular in the wild west during the Californian Gold Rush. Given the popularity of the double 00 wheel in America, the game became known as “American Roulette”.
Whatever the full facts of roulette’s long history, there is no doubt that today Roulette is amongst the world’s most popular games of chance, and it is played in almost every corner of the globe. The introduction of online roulette has brought this illustrious game many more fans worldwide.
