The History Behind Playing Roulette

There are many things about Roulette that remain a mystery, but the gist of how it was developed is known. French writer, mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal has been credited with creating the jeux Roulette wheel. He was actually trying to create a machine for perpetual motion in 1655, but the machine failed. It's said that French Dominican monks were the first to play with it in their monasteries and took it to Europe at the end of the 17th century. By the 18th century, there were several Roulette-like games that had been created, including Even and Odd from England and Hoca from Italy. By the end of the century, Roulette had become popular throughout Europe, and several wheels were set up in the palaces of Russian Empress Catherine the Great and Turkish Sultan Selim III. By this time, the game had 36 black and red numbers, along with 0 and 00 pockets.

In the middle of the 19th century, Louis and Francois Blanc are said to have taken a Roulette wheel with just a single 0 pocket to Germany. It's believed that French settlers to New Orleans introduced the French Roulette wheel with the 0 and 00 pockets to America, and the game spread across the country. Sometimes the 00 compartment would feature an eagle instead. This wheel is now considered American Roulette, and the single 0-style wheel is considered European. This is because the French wheel was more accepted by people in America. After being introduced, roulette was set up in saloons around the country, and it made its way to Las Vegas when casinos were just starting to be constructed. It then became one of the most popular games in the city during the 2025s and is now the 3rd most played game in casinos. The only two games that are more popular are craps and slots.