Roulette History and Origins
By SharpGambler on Mon, 14 May 2007 23:37:36 (750 Reads)
There is no consensus regarding the exact origins of the game of roulette. Some say the game was introduced in Europe by traders who dealt with the Chinese, some others say it was introduced by Dominican monks, and there is also a theory that mixes the monks with the Chinese.
Some other sources attribute roulette origins to a French scientist – Blaise Pascal - best-known for his theory of probability (if you studied math you certainly heard about Pascal’s Triangle). This theory states that in 1655 Pascal was conducting a research about perpetual motion devices, and the roulette wheel originated as a byproduct of his research.
In fact, we cannot know for sure what relation the Chinese, the European traders, and the monks have. We cannot say either that Pascal’s byproduct is the origin of the roulette game. Most certainly these theories fail, and the origins of the game are most likely on Ancient Rome or Greece. Most historians agree that the game of roulette evolved from early games of chance that used a wheel to determine outcomes, and these games were played at least from the time of Ancient Rome and Greece. The theory is that ancient soldiers would turn their chariots on their side and use the wheels as a primitive form of gaming wheel. A primitive form of the game of roulette was played as diversion and to divide the riches from the war.
Although we cannot be sure about the exact origins of roulette because of the many gaps in the history, we know that the modern game of roulette was first mentioned under its current name in 1716 in Bordeaux – France, and was derived from the older games hoca and portique. In 1790, roulette achieved its present layout and structure with 36 numbers from 1 to 36, a single zero, and a double zero. The only exception that demarks that game from the game we know is the color used on single and double zeros: red and black respectively at that time, and green for both nowadays.
The modern game of roulette rapidly evolved as the leading game across European casinos but it was banned in France between 1836 and 1933. François and Louis Blanc introduced a modification to the game of roulette in 1842 – a game of roulette with 36 numbers and only a single zero. This roulette is nowadays known as European or French roulette and gives the house a lower edge, giving more chances to the player. With the French banning, roulette game was ported to Monaco, by the inventor of the single zero roulette, Louis Blanc. The prince of Monaco invited Louis Blanc to establish a casino in Monaco, and Casino Monte Carlo was born and roulette remained exclusive to Monte Carlo until 1933. Monaco was able to establish a very profitable gambling and resort industry attracting the richest man in Europe, and casino Monte Carlo is still one of the most well known gambling places in the World.
Roulette was ported to America by the French in the 19th century, and first introduced in New Orleans. At first New Orleans casinos played the single zero version of the game but casino players used to cheat players paying smaller odds than they are actually supposed to pay and game popularity declined. Later, to attract customers again, casinos introduced the two-zeros roulette, giving better house edge without the need to cheat players. This roulette is played nowadays across American casinos and is known as American Roulette. Although the name may suggest that the game was invented in America, it was not. French and American roulettes are French games.
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