Roulette History – The Origins of Your Favorite Game
Modern-day roulette’s French origins can be traced all the way back to the 1600s – a time of invention and mathematical research.
But these origins have also been veiled and shrouded in mystery. Although an early description of the roulette game was found in a French novel named “La Roulette, ou le Jour,” by author Jacques Lablee, the first incarnation of the game was created and enjoyed as a form of beguilement for ancient Greek soldiers.
Today, roulette is one of the most popular games in the world, played by millions of casino lovers, both in person and online.
This article goes over the history of roulette, its origins, growing popularity, and inauguration into the online tech world.
Early Gamblers
Roulette is the oldest casino game in the world. It has a rich history that dates back almost a millennium.
There are traces of similar games that were played by ancient Greek and Roman soldiers, advocating their shields and arrows to trace and pick numbers, when not engaged in combat.
But who invented gambling? That’s what we’re all wondering. Many written sources have claimed that ancient China is the birthplace of roulette gambling, and was brought to Europe by Domincan monks as a trade deal with the Chinese. Later on, the Europeans brought the game to American soil.
The Chinese story backs it up with a thorough description of an old roulette wheel of stone decorated by animals and roulette numbers placed in the middle of the wheel.
The French Took the Credit – Modern Roulette Origin
There’s no doubt that, historically, roulette has been tightly connected to the French people. However, the roulette table layout, the roulette wheel numbers, and the concept of roulette chips and the roulette ball within the game have been influenced by two similar games popular in Europe in the 17th century: Roly Poly and Even-Odd.
Both games involved spinning a wheel and betting on the outcome. But gamling was illegal at the time.
Who Invented The Roulette Wheel?
Back in 1655, French mathematician, physicist, and inventor Blaise Pascal, a passionate and well-known gambler, was working on a perpetual motion machine – a machine that would continue to run without having to draw any outside energy. In physics, this kind of mechanism is also known as an “impossible machine.”
Pascale continued his research resulting in the invention of the greatest casino gadget of all time.
Why the gambling wheel game?
The history of the roulette game is not 100% clear, but the origins of the round table or gambling wheel is considered to have evolved from the Wheel of Fortune, or Rota Fortunae.
This concept of round table derives from medieval and ancient Roman philosophy, where the goddess of fate (Fortuna) spins the wheel, showing the rise and fall of current and future kings.
The round gambling table is meant to symbolize happiness and/or unhappiness, a good metaphor for gambling, especially when it comes to challenging the luck in the origin of Russian roulette.
How Roulette took Europe by Storm
With the closure of the 18th century, strict gambling laws were introduced to the gambling public, thus reviving and supporting wagering games in France. This partial legalization spread the game of roulette, meaning more countries were involved.
Prince Charles III of Monaco, facing money issues, had the idea to use the rising popularity of roulette to solve the money crisis. He opened several gambling houses in Monaco, where many roulette games were regularly featured. As the years went by, the roulette spin history rooted itself and became really popular among aristocrats and royalty.
Early roulette wheel numbers had both a single zero and double zero pockets, with numbers from 1 to 36 in black and red colors. But, in 1843, two Frenchmen (Francois and Louis Blanc) created a single zero roulette layout to help casinos attract business with a lower house edge, sending the Pascal roulette machine to history (or so they thought).
Having only one zero slot in a roulette table increases the odds of winning.
This is when the invention of European Roulette as we know it took place!
The gambling community spread across the Mediterranean and into central Europe, introducing roulette games to Germany (Hamburg), where the games spread like wildfire!
Russian Roulette History – The Ultimate Game of Chance
The Russian roulette game consists of one or more participants aiming a partly loaded revolver at their heads and pulling the trigger. This deadly game took its toll on more than 2,000 victims.
Why do people play Russian Roulette?
It has been noted that the extremely high risks and the thrill of death make some people play the game with more honor and passion!
Everyone is glad to play on the French roulette table, European roulette, and on the American roulette wheel – but not many feel the need to add a revolver to the mix.
The Russian roulette casino game dates back to royal Russia, but the name itself was first coined by Georges Arthur Surdez, as a game in his short story written in 1937.
Russian roulette during Vietnam war history
Allegedly, this cruel “game” has been linked to the nineteenth-century sadistic Russian prison guards, who forced their inmates and prisoners to play and bet on the outcome, with their lives as stakes.
Although there are no documented cases of the game being played in America, rumor has it that American soldiers were forced to play Russian roulette while being prisoners of war in South Vietnam. The deadly game inspired America’s epic war drama film The Deer Hunter from 1978.
The History of American Roulette – The Las Vegas Saga
Throughout roulette table history, there have been several changes in the numbers, but the greatest one happened when the game was introduced to the United States by European settlers who landed in Louisiana in the early 19th century.
Surprisingly, the gambling community in America rejected the single zero roulette, and the five percent house edge annoyed players, making them quickly lose interest.
They reinstituted the double zero version – today known as American Roulette. However, the Americans lost interest in traditional roulette, which led to the creation of different games that one can actually easily win.
The “All or Nothing” System
When it comes to the largest roulette bet, vegas history has a lot to say! Many have tried to trick the fortune goddess with their impeccable roulette strategy, but not many of them have succeeded to be remembered by history.
But two men had no fear – Charles Wells and Pedro Grendene Bartelle.
These men put $125,000 on red and ended up making the largest roulette bet in Las Vegas history at the Golden Gate Casino. They have tried to make more money, putting their 250,000 dollars – and ended up losing in their red-black game.
Meet the Biggest Roulette Win in History
There is no certainty in casino gambling. The house always wins in the end.
But some people play roulette to win, and they win…a lot!
Charles Wells – The First Roulette Winner
A petty crook, Charles Wells managed to win the roulette spin in Monte Carlo in 1891, walking away with nearly $500,000. He did not cheat.
So, how did he win?
Pure dumb luck!
When it comes to history, roulette sources claim that he won 23 out of 30 consecutive spins. The table was all out of money and no longer available for players. Mr. Wells won close to a million francs that night, and was the inspiration behind the popular song, “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo.”
Pedro Grendene Bartelle – The Man Who Bet on a Single Number
Pedro Grendene Bartelle had more than enough wealth at the time he made his huge roulette win, not long ago – in 2017. He ended up winning $3.5 million! The lucky winner didn’t really need the money, since he owns the third-largest footwear company in Latin America, but hey, a little extra cash never hurt anybody.
This explains the huge bet the businessman made on just one number – the lucky number 32.
Sir Philip Green – Even Money and Straight Bets
A tycoon owning several fashion retail companies, Sir Filip Green won big back in 2004. He won $2 million at the Les Ambassadeurs in London. This was the first roulette win in a series of five.
Mike Ashley – Creator of the “Complete Bet” System
Mike Ashley was also one of the billionaires who went for the big game in roulette. He wagered £480,000 on the number 17, winning a total of £1,300,000.
This betting style is known as a “complete bet.”
The Modern-Day Roulette Label History and The Online Era
After the creation of the fun family games and the invention of online roulette, using casino software became simple and convenient with many benefits linked to the evolution of the gambling community. But one important factor remained missing in the roulette app history – the atmosphere of a real casino.
At the beginning of the new millennium, casinos began to offer live streaming of the games played in real casinos. The first company that provided real roulette games to its online players was VueTec.
It was not until 2006 that the first live casino studios were introduced by Microgaming. Cameras were placed on the ceiling above the table so they wouldn’t disturb players at the casino, but giving enough space to online players to see what is going on and place their bets. The biggest roulette bet in Las Vegas history was placed online.
Later on, different games and variants were introduced to live dealers, such as Sport or London roulette, the James Bond roulette strategy, the arrow roulette game, and the inspiring – Immersive Roulette that offers HD quality videos, numerous camera angles with close-ups, replays, and slow motion.
Whether you play live or online, American or European roulette, casinos offer an extraordinary opportunity to challenge your own fortune. The future of roulette is the same as our own fortune – sprinkled with a little bit of luck that lies in our hand or mobiles.
Roulette Games Invented to Continue the Fame
Curious games have been invented to support the fame of roulette. Nowadays we can play any sort of (online) roulette games for free and learn all the important roulette rules before even playing.
But for those willing to try their luck within their families, it is time to get acquainted with the Tyrolean roulette history. This game was allegedly invented in Germany, and is also known as Spinning Top Roulette, an interesting game for the family. You play by placing all the colored balls in the center of the board and then spinning the top which knocks the balls into various holes.
The first person to get 1,000 points added together wins. The yellow ball equals a normal hole value, the red ball doubles the value of the hole, and the blue ball deducts the value of the hole.
Mouse Roulette History – An Unusual Game Invented in Nevada
This is a “Mouse Roulette” game that comes in a large box with 50 numbered holes. After the players make their bets, a field mouse is released across the top of the box, and players wait for it to choose one of the holes. The hole the mouse goes into is declared the winning hole.
If you like our little story about roulette history, we have prepared a pocket version of it that you can turn to whenever you feel the need to refresh your gambling knowledge:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Roulette is a gambling game in which a ball is dropped onto a spinning wheel divided by numbered compartments. Players bet on a number for the ball to fall into, and they either win or lose their wager.
The invention rights of the roulette wheel and table have been reserved for a French physicist, inventor, and mathematician named Blaise Pascal.
The real history of Russian roulette is quite unclear, but the “game” has been linked to the nineteenth-century sadistic Russian prison guards, who forced their inmates and prisoners to play and bet on the outcome, with their lives as stakes.
The inventor of the Russian roulette is unknown, but the game itself has taken thousands of victims, including many famous people, actors, and musicians like Johnny Ace.
There is no certainty in casino gambling. As a matter of fact, it’s the house that wins in the end, especially if one plays the game of roulette – designed to take advantage of someone’s (un)lucky moment. The roulette wheel is sometimes referred to as the ‘Devil’s Wheel’ due to its propensity to send players to hell (credit ratings). Also, the number on the wheel adds up to 666 – commonly known as the Mark of the Beast.
The creation of roulette was inspired by an English game called “roly-poly,” as the gamblers often referred to the roulette wheel in such a manner.
For the majority of the casino playing audience, roulette is simply a game of luck, but this game, in fact, can bring a steady income if you have the right aptitude and roulette strategy.
In the long roulette table numbers history, some gamblers have developed a system of betting onto numbers from 19 to 36 – mostly 21 and 23, as the safest of the roulette rules to win the spin.