What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about a glamorous night at the casino? The crowded roulette table, filled with excited and concentrated players, waiting for the magic ball to stop on their lucky number. And there’s the buzz around the table, the fancy bystanders, socializing and enjoying the thrill of such an exhilarating game.
The amazing atmosphere around the roulette table is the number one reason why this casino game is so popular around the globe. Every casino has at least one roulette game, while the online ones offer plenty of options to roulette enthusiasts. But how did we get to have and enjoy this wonderful and mysterious casino game today? Find out the whole history of roulette throughout this guide.
The Origins of Roulette Game
As in most cases, the origin of the roulette game has an obscure shade over the first signs of its existence. The word itself comes from the French roulette, which means little wheel. This important detail connects the origin of the game with the French physicist and mathematician named Blaise Pascal. Known as an avid gambler, he was inspired by two similar games – also based on spinning a wheel, called Roly Poly and Even-Odd.
Back in the 17th century, while working on a perpetual motion machine, he actually developed the earliest form of roulette, as we know it today. Evidently, the varied options of roulette we have access to, in land-based casinos or online platforms like India-Casino.in, are complex and fairly entertaining. Going back to the roots of this game can help us better understand the modern variations of roulette.
The Chinese Conspiracy
Some other sources are tracking the origin of roulette back to Ancient China. Dominican monks were introduced to a Chinese board game that implied an interesting square with numbers totalling 666 – just like the numbers on today’s roulette do. This board game used to have 37 tiles depicting animals that required to be arranged in the square.
Later on, the Dominican monks made some adjustments to the game, adding the zero slot on it and turning the square into a circle. Then brought it to Europe, where it was very well received. The only detail that might actually detour this theory comes from the earliest French roulette game, that already had a zero and another special slot for double zero.
Roulette takes Europe
After plenty of rumors regarding the true birthplace of roulette, traveling from Ancient Rome to Ancient Greece, the French are considered the actual inventors. Needless to say, gambling lovers embraced this new game with a lot of enthusiasm and by the end of the 1700s, roulette could be found in most gambling houses in France.
But in 1842, while gambling was illegal in France, the two brothers, Francois and Louis Blanc, changed the future of roulette. After removing the double zero slot and practically inventing the European Roulette, they moved to Germany, where gambling was legal and turned this game into a gambling star.
Removing the double zero pocket caused a drop in the house edge, from 5.26% to 2.70%, which gave players much better odds. This way, roulette became one of the most popular casino games in Europe, in no time. Years later, the extraordinary Monte Carlo Casino Resort was established, known today as the first modern casino. After this, the gambling industry took off in France too, with the super famous French Roulette as the main attraction.
Roulette in France
Even though the game of roulette was invented in France, it happened at a time when gambling was frowned upon. Luckily, the end of the 18th century brought some light into casino activities, in France and Europe as well, now allowed under very strict gambling rules.
Sooner than later, Prince Charles of Monaco III saw the perfect context in popularizing the roulette game throughout some gambling houses in Monaco. This way, roulette became the favourite game of royalty and French aristocrats while solving the money issues Prince Charles was facing, at the same time. The opening of Monte Carlo Casino Resort was clearly a monumental step in putting roulette on the map and making history.
Roulette in America
Roulette got to America in the beginning of the 19th century and sooner than later, this led to the birth of American Roulette. At first, the impact roulette had was pretty disappointing, since casinos raised the 5.26% house edge.
Players started losing interest in the game but eventually, the gamble community ditched the European Roulette and adopted the double zero version. Regardless of the house edge, the American society became invested in this new and thrilling game, that we now know as American Roulette.
Roulette Today
How about roulette today? Clearly, the fierce competition with the other super famous casino games like blackjack or poker, took its toll on roulette. Nonetheless, every land-based casino offers at least one roulette variation where players enjoy hours of fun spinning the lucky wheel.
The major advantage we have in the present comes from the huge changes gambling suffered along the years. Back in 1994, the renowned gaming provider Microgaming launched the first online casino. The online platform brought the most appreciated games into our homes, giving us full and unlimited access to the casino nightlife.
With tons of options on the market, players can simply choose their favourite online casinos, based on many amazing benefits. Without having to leave our home, online casinos bring the game of roulette into our homes. And the options are impressive, from European and French Roulette to American Roulette, Roulette Royale, 3D Roulette, Marvel Roulette or Multi Wheel Roulette. A wide range of bets allow players to control their gaming session, while they can choose to try their luck at Live Roulette.
Conclusion
The game of roulette has a truly fantastic story, from its origin to how we know it today. The mystique behind it makes it so fun and charming. Now, being closer to us than ever, we are just one click away from having the best, most wonderful roulette experience.
