What Is Roulette?

Roulette is a gambling game in which players bet on the colour or numbers of a revolving wheel and hope to correctly predict where the ball will come to rest. Each bet is placed on a special betting mat with specific markers.

The wheel has thirty-six red and black divisions that alternate, plus a green compartment numbered 0. On American tables there is an additional green compartment marked 00.

Origin

There are a number of fanciful stories surrounding the origins of roulette. Some people claim that the game was invented by a French mathematician, Blaise Pascal. Others believe that it was derived from the Italian board games Hoca and Biribi. There is also evidence that Roman soldiers played a game similar to roulette. This game was played on shields that were painted with symbols.

It is generally accepted that roulette was invented in the 17th century. French mathematician Blaise Pascal is credited with inventing the game while trying to produce a perpetual motion machine. He combined the gaming wheel with a version of the Italian board game Biribi to create the modern roulette mechanism. The resulting game quickly gained popularity in Paris. A few years later, it spread throughout Europe.

Variations

Roulette is available in a number of different variations, each with its own rules and payouts. Some of these are more interesting than others, and some may even become more popular over time. For instance, French Roulette is a variation that retains the European Roulette wheel and layout while adding two extra rules- ‘En prison’ and ‘La Partage’. Other interesting variants include Lighting Roulette from Evolution Gaming, which relies on multipliers to boost winning potential and Triple Bonus Spin Roulette from IGT, which offers a payout of 1:12,000 for a straight bonus win.