Roulette History: From France to the Internet

Roulette Time Line:

Around 1655: First Roulette wheel created by mathematician Blaise Pascal.

End of 18^th C: Roulette popular in casinos and parlors across France and Europe; Reaches US shores

19^th C: American Roulette evolves

20^th C: Popularity of Roulette spreads across the US

1990s: Roulette reaches the internet

There is probably no other gambling game which has invoked such mystery and interest as roulette, and for good reason too. Not only do all the numbers on the wheel add up to the 'devil's number – 666 – but there is also no exact date that someone sat down and said: "OK, this contraption is known as a roulette wheel."  So, what is the true history of roulette and how did it evolve into online roulette as we know it today?

Roulette: The French Connection

Most history buffs will tell you that the first roulette wheel was created by the French mathematician Blaise Pascal in the middle of the seventeenth century while he was working on the his studies of probability. We'll give Mr. Pascal the credit for perhaps making the first scientific drawing of the "small wheel" and having future games based on his plans, but let's not forget the fact that the Italians were playing a type of roulette called Hoca and the English were playing something similar called E(Even)-O(Odd).  Some say that French Dominican monks, bored with hours of prayer in dark cavernous monasteries, entertained themselves with roulette-like games in the 17^th Century.

The Spread of Roulette's Popularity

We can't pinpoint when roulette transformed from a game-in-the-making to the popular version of French Roulette that was already being played in casinos and parlors in France and across Europe by the end of the 18^th Century.  Suffice to say that all the celebs of the era wanted to try their luck, from the Sultan of Turkey who had a wheel installed in his harem, to Catherine the Great of Russia who loved roulette so much that she ordered several to be installed in her royal palace.

Roulette Reaches Distant Shores

We know for certain that it was the French who brought Roulette to the shores of the United States, when immigrants from the French Revolution landed in New Orleans and started sharing exciting imported forms of entertainment.  Roulette became a hit with the local population, who in turn wanted to share the game with their fellow Americans and taught it to other towns and cities.  Changes, however, were made to the French Roulette wheel, which now featured slots numbered 1 through to 28, 0, 00 and an American eagle in place of 000, as well as extremely high house odds.  US players rejected this game because of its high odds and it finally morphed into the traditional American Roulette wheel as we know it today, similar to French Roulette except with the extra 0 and no 'en prison' rule.

Roulette Reaches Cyberspace

With roulette one of the most popular games at casinos around the world, it was only natural that when the idea of online gambling was thought up in the mid 2026's, this would be one of the first games to hit cyberspace.  Today, you can play online roulette (French Roulette, American Roulette and other new versions) at any of the hundreds of gaming sites out there. Mobile gambling also allows you to play roulette on the go through your mobile devices.