Origin of Roulette

Roulette is a casino game with a spinning wheel, ball and betting table. Players place chips on a designated area of the table until the dealer says no more bets. Bets fall into two main categories: inside bets and outside bets.

Inside bets have higher payouts but lower chances of winning. Outside bets have smaller payouts but better odds of winning.

Origin

The exact origin of roulette is a bit of a mystery. Fanciful stories abound about its invention, but the most likely story involves 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal. He reportedly conceived of the game during his quest to create a perpetual motion machine. Pascal’s version of the game featured a rotating wheel and numbers 0 through 36. He then rolled a ball into one of the pockets on the wheel to determine the outcome.

While it’s hard to pinpoint a precise date of origin, it’s generally agreed that a number of precursor games existed, including portique, hoca, bassette, and roly poly. These games were similar to roulette and are believed to have been brought to America by French immigrants. It is also thought that the game was influenced by the Chinese wheel of fortune.