Roulette wheel and Its Origins

Roulette is one of the most popular casino games in the present day scenario. Punters from all across the world love to play this age-old game that’s existing for such a long time. There have been a few changes in the game of Roulette, but that doesn’t stop people from enjoying this amazing game. A Roulette wheel has continued to maintain its significance in the present times. 

As a punter and a casino enthusiast, you must be knowing about the history of the Roulette wheels for understanding the significance of the game. This article will tell you about the origins of the Roulette wheel. Have a glance at the brief history of the game, and how it all started with the Roulette wheels. 

Let’s Know the History 

The history of the Roulette wheels stands super-rich, with its popularity soaring up the sky. Roulette is one such game where you can easily double the initial bet and make a handsome profit. 

So let’s check out the theories about the origin of the Roulette wheels and how the game became so famous all across the world. 

The Age-old Origin Theories

A few punters think that the Roulette wheels started with spinning some sort of a wheel and trying to determine the winner with a marker. There isn’t any such solid proof, as a lot of the punters think the game started with the Chinese monks. There is a story where it’s believed that the monks took the help of a square, with a display of 37 animals on each square. The sum of all those 37 numbers, which apparently was 666, was marked at the centre of the game. 

People believe that the Dominicans discovered the game and brought a modified version back to Europe. 

There is another story surrounding the Roulette wheels, but this is a bit brutal. Back in the ancient days, soldiers would use their shields as their wheels. They used to bet whether the arrows would penetrate the shields. 

History of the European Roulette Wheel 

A majority of the historians believe that the Roulette wheels started from France and were a part of a failed scientific experiment. Blaise Pascal, a renowned mathematician and physician, developed a motion device for a perpetual motion. His experiment failed as a motion can’t go on without any sort of force. 

Many people think that Pascal used to be a gambler back in 1655. He eventually tried to apply his probability knowledge in some sort of a game and tried developing a game with the help of his wheel.  

There are a few other stories regarding the development of the European Roulette wheels. Incidentally, the even and odds game looks similar to the 50/50 odds of getting red or a black. 

What About the Roulette Odds? 

Pascal designed a pretty simple game for playing. You needed to bet on the numbers squared from one to 36, or maybe on the red or the black. But in 1842, everything changed for the best. Charles III, who was the Monaco King, faced financial problems. That’s when two French entrepreneurs advised him to think of building a casino to meet his financial needs. Louis Blanc and Francois thus infused the idea of putting a zero on the Roulette wheels for making all the bets absolute. 

The zero that the king added was instrumental in solving his financial problems, as it increased the present house advantage. Monte Carlo soon attracted several punters and established itself as the ultimate casino destination. The ban on gambling and casinos also paved the path for Monte Carlo.

American Roulette History

There were certain changes when Roulette migrated to the United States. An additional zero got its place on the Roulette wheel, thus further increasing the house-edge and making the game way more interesting.

The casino was so popular that they added an eagle symbol on the Roulette wheels, back in colonial America. There were only 28 numbers in those days, which later slowly became 37. It was more American in its style of playing, in the initial days. The liberty symbol and the zeros meant a win for the house if the ball landed at these positions. Later, the game became more European with the eagle absence and the green zeros paying just like the other Roulette numbers. 

People from all across the states came to know about the new game of Roulette wheels. From New Orleans, Roulette slowly made its way to Quebec. Slowly, gamblers started playing the game amidst grandeur, resulting in commercialisation of the game and the rise of grand casinos. 

Even the frauds which once engulfed the game reduced to a great extent with strict vigilance and bringing the Roulette wheel on the table. 

Roulette Right Now 

Roulette is now a popular game in every pocket of the world. While America uses both the single and double zeros, Europe still uses the single zero. Therefore, many of the gamblers favour the European Roulette wheel, as it comes with a lower house edge. 

Even in the European Roulette, the French Roulette gave added advantage to all the gamblers through ‘la partage’. So if the gambler bets on a red or black, odd or even or low or high wager and the ball gets to a zero, the gambler can get half of his money back. 

There are several other available Roulette variations like the mini Roulette, Royal Roulette and a no-zero Roulette wheel. The mini version consists of just 12 numbers, while the Royal Roulette’s nature is just like all the progressive jackpots. 

The Rise of Online Roulette Wheels

The end of the 90s saw the rise of the Roulette wheels that slowly became a hit, given the rise in online payment options and cheap availability of internet services. Players can not only play sitting in their homes but also learn and avail the benefits of bonuses and free spins. 

Roulette has come a long way, maintaining its popularity and growing with the changing times and is going to maintain its class among the new players.