What is Roulette?

Roulette is a game of chance in which players wager on what number the ball will land in by placing chips on a betting mat. Each table carries a placard explaining the minimum and maximum bets allowed.

Outside bets cover larger groups of numbers and are the best bet for beginners. They pay out even money and offer higher odds of winning than inside bets.

Origin

Roulette is an exciting game that originated more than 300 years ago. It was first invented in a primitive form by 17th-century Frenchman Blaise Pascal as part of his quest to create a perpetual motion machine. Its current layout and wheel structure dates back a century later, when the Blanc brothers modified the game to increase its profits at their casino in Bad Homburg.

There are many stories surrounding the origin of this popular gambling game. Some claim it was derived from English games like portique, hoca and bassette, as well as Italian board games like roly poly and biribi. However, based on the name alone, it seems more likely that roulette was derived from France. The word comes from the Latin rotella, which means little wheel.

Variations

Roulette games are available in many different variations. Some of these variations have special betting rules or additional bets that increase the odds of winning prizes. Other versions feature a different layout of the wheel or lower house edge. The most popular roulette variation is European Roulette, which has 38 pockets and a single zero and offers a friendly house edge of 2.7%. Other popular games include Lighting Roulette from Evolution Gaming, which uses a multi-level game engine that offers payouts of up to 500x your bet and Triple Bonus Spin Roulette from IGT, which delivers payouts up to 1:12,000 for straight bonus wins.