Inventing the Wheel: The History of Roulette

Some say life is a gamble, and some say it is a wheel. If both are correct, then the game of life must be Roulette. As the player's fortune relies on the turn of the wheel, the history of roulette has gone through some fortunate turns of its own.

Deriving its name from the French word meaning "small wheel," credit for the creation of the game roulette has been attributed to everyone from 17th century French mathematician Blaise Pascal, to Chinese traders who supposedly brought the game over to Europe. But the first known form of roulette was played in France during the 18th century. This incarnation of the game is said to be a combination of English wheel games such as E.O. (Even or Odd), Roly Poly and Ace of Hearts, and the Italian board games Hoca and Biribi.

Frenchmen Francois and Louis Blanc introduced the single 0 roulette wheel in Homburg, Germany in 1843. It differed from the traditional roulette wheels of the time, which had single and double zero pockets. Interestingly, the sum of the numbers on the wheel (1 to 36) was 666, which suggested the legend that Francois Blanc made a deal with the devil for the secrets of the game.

The German government's abolition of all gambling activities during the 1860's forced the Blancs to relocate to Monte Carlo, a gambling haven for the European elite. The popularity of the single 0 roulette flourished, and it was eventually introduced to other parts of the globe. However, the single 0 wheel never really caught on in the United States. While the single 0 became famous worldwide, American casinos still preferred the traditional double 0 roulette wheel. Up to now, the double 0 is in use in the U.S., South America and the Caribbean.

The introduction of roulette to America in the 1800's would lead to the reinvention of the wheel, so to speak. Whereas European roulette was played in high-class casinos, at that time its American counterpart thrived in makeshift gambling dens. As a deterrent to cheating, the roulette wheel was placed on top of the table to make sure it held no secret devices. Also, the American style of playing was much simpler and more fast-paced than the European version. Today, it is the American style roulette, played with either a single or double 0 wheel, that is prevalent in casinos the world over.

Known as the "King of Casino Games," the Roulette sits like a crown among the popular mainstay games of casinos all over the world. The small wheel has rolled great distances across continents to get to where it is now, and has been given some different spins along the way as well.