Although there are many conspiracy theories about the origins of Roulette, there are some truths that research unveils. Having the vague notion in our minds about the name itself, which sounds French, we’re on a good way to find out what is true and what is false about this game that has an enormous popularity around the world.
The origins
There are several conspiracy theories about the true origin of the Roulette as we know it today. The first theory is that the game originates from China. There was this Chinese board game with 37 figurines and you were supposed to arrange them with numbers totaling in 666.
Another theory is that the Roman soldiers, in their free time when they were not fighting, would spin their chariot wheels or shields for fun and would bet on who would win.
Yet another one is that the Greeks soldiers were doing some spinning as well, with their arrows and shields. They would draw certain symbols on their shields and would put them face-down, placing an arrow next to the shield and would spin them. This is maybe the closest one to the truth, yet, it cannot be determined only by tall tales.
Roulette in Europe
The first real evidence that Roulette comes from Europe, France dates from the 17th century. Its forerunners were two games called “Roly Poly” and “Even-Odd” which involved a wheel, of course, as well as a lot of betting. These two games were said to have inspired Blaise Pascal, the famous physician to question the motion and to try to invent the perpetual motion machine. He failed but gave birth to what we now know as the Roulette (Little Wheel) game.
Not until 1842 did Francois and Lois Blanc created a Roulette wheel with a zero on it. The rumor was that King Charles III of Monaco was in serious ruling crisis and needed something to improve the economy; hence the zero for the house edges. Of course, the new version made Monaco a lot of money and this is how the Roulette that we play today, with the zero and all, appeared.
Roulette in America
In the early 19th century, European immigrates brought Roulette to Louisiana. Naturally, Americans have to spice things up. The one zero and the house edge of 5.26% was not sufficient for them, so they had to add another one. To this day, this is the only difference between the contemporary versions of the Roulette, the one, and double zeros. The double zero American Roulette is also fairly played in Canada, while the single zero European version is predominately played all around the world.
With the spread of the internet, you can now play both the American and European version from the commodity of your home. Virtual casinos appeared circa 1996, and are trending ever since. You no longer have to dress up and go to a casino to gamble; just lay down, turn on your computer and go over here.