Roulette History
The history of roulette is fascinating. Many different countries have some claim on the invention of the game. Casino games that have been around as long as this one tend to have rich histories and the Devil’s Wheel is no disappointment. This centuries-old game of chance is popular for myriad reasons: the rules are easy to understand, as are the bets, payouts, and odds, and the visual of the spinning wheel and bouncing ball are captivating.
Origins of the Game
Three countries can stake a claim to inventing this gambling classic: France, Italy, and China. Generally, it is accepted that the origins of the game played today in casinos is France, thanks to the mathematical mind of Blaise Pascal. The French perfected and categorized the game, though the name ‘roulette’ actually made it to France from Italian origins.
Roulette History Number
Notable Fatalities in Russian Roulette History Ana Julia Lima Clemente. One of the most recent incidents in the public is the death of Brazilian teenager Ana Julia. The founding member and lead guitarist of the rock-band Chicago tragically died in 1978 whilst fooling.
- History & Origins of Roulette. While Roulette takes its name from the French word meaning ‘little wheel’, the origins and when it was invented is still debated today. The earliest record of people playing roulette, as we now know it, came in the 18th century, through Jaques Lablee’s novel La Roulette, ou le Jour, which describes a roulette wheel being spun at the Palais Royal in Paris.
- The origins of Roulette go right back into the 1600’s in France. A French physicist, inventor and mathematician named Blaise Pascal tasked himself with inventing a perpetual motion machine and thus the roulette wheel was born. There is some contention that the game also descends from an English game called Roly Poly, but no-one really knows.
- Before we head on to the 20th Century, here are a couple of fun facts you probably didn’t know about roulette: In 2004, Ashley Revell in the UK bet his entire life savings (£93K) on one red spin on the table. He won and walked away. Roulette is sometimes referred to as the “Devils Game”, as all.
Frescoes and written histories show ancient Romans playing a variety of games of chance involving a spinning wheel and bets of money or property. The excess of Roman chariots meant that spinning wheels were a common sight, especially for Roman warriors, who are rumored to have spun the wheels of their chariots to determine the outcome of battles, races, or other contests. Histories of ancient Rome are full of stories of the spoils of war being split up by the random chance of a spinning chariot wheel.
What is the Chinese connection to the game? The Chinese, like the Romans, have long used spinning wheels, but in China these wheels were used for fortune telling or numerology, and not necessarily for gaming. When a Chinese game of chance involving a spinning wheel and various animal symbols made it to Europe through the trade routes, Europeans had access to yet another game using a wheel and random chance to determine the outcome. It is unlikely that today’s game of roulette has much to do with this Chinese spinning wheel game, but the story goes to show that many cultures were developing spinning wheel games all at the same time.
Blaise Pascal and the French Game
In the 17th century, a French mathematician and philosopher named Blaise Pascal was making huge changes to the study of arithmetic and was a great lover of games of chance. Pascal was a student of physics, and it is said that he accidentally developed what we’d recognize today as a roulette wheel while he was working on a physics experiment about motion. Pascal’s original wheel didn’t contain the green number 0, so the odds were far more in favor of the gambler. The addition of the 0 space changed the gambler’s chance of an even-money payout bet from 50% to around 48%, and is the reason why casinos latched onto the game: the 0 space gave them an edge against the gambler.
The Devil’s Wheel
An interesting side note about the Chinese version of the spinning wheel: the wheel itself was set on a stone or other foundation traditionally engraved with the number 666. This tale comes to us through the writing of Dominican monks, suspicious of the number 666 because of its use in the Bible as a symbol of evil.
The notion of this game as “the devil’s wheel” doesn’t have anything to do with the Chinese 666 label, though. Rather, it has to do with the numbers on the roulette wheel. Add 1 through 36, the numbers on the wheel itself, and you end up with a total of 666. This kind of inauspicious sign would have been a big deal to religious communities in Europe and other Christian nations thanks to the association of 666 with the “number of the beast” in the Bible’s Book of the Revelation.
Since the Christian church frowns on gambling along with other vices, the wheel’s association with the number 666 didn’t do the game any favours, and that’s where the phrase “the devil’s wheel” comes from.
American Game History
Like most casino games, roulette made its way to America in the 18th century, when trade with the European world was at a peak. But the European game gave too much away to the gambler, so American casinos and gaming providers came up with a simple alteration to the wheel that put the odds squarely against the gambler.
The addition of a single number to the wheel, a green 00 space to match the green 0 space, increased the house edge against the gambler to the point that the game was really profitable for anyone operating it. You wouldn’t think adding a single number to the wheel would make that big a difference in the outcome, and it doesn’t, but it does push the odds just a little more in favour of the casino. When American casinos and gambling halls realized the profit available from offering this style, the game started popping up all over the place. The double zero version of the game has a higher built-in house edge is responsible for the game’s widespread availability in America casinos today, though they aren’t as popular worldwide.
How Roulette Came to Australia & New Zealand
No doubt colonists from the UK and other parts of the world brought their favourite games of chance with them when they emigrated or were sent to this part of the world. Spinning wheel casino games and betting contests were well-known at the time of mass colonization of both Australia and New Zealand, and it is easy to image original colonists being well-familiar with The Devil’s Wheel itself.
Though the history of this game is complex and difficult to pin down, we know that the game as it is played today required hundreds of years and much cultural interweaving. Chinese fortune telling wheels, ancient Roman chariot wheels, and the brilliant mind of a mathematician-philosopher all converged to give us one of the more popular casino table games anywhere in the world. We may never know the exact origins of roulette, but we know that people love to line up and bet on the spinning wheel for their chance at casino winnings.
There is every possibility that you have come across a Roulette wheel especially if you spend time in casinos but have you ever stopped to look back and wonder where the technology came from? The Roulette machine has a history that will surprise you as well as intrigue you. Today, the roulette is played in all the seven continents of the world including an online version and here is the journey of transformation of the Roulette to the current state:
Invention
The roulette is not an American invention as most people are led to think and looking at the idea behind it, there is no secret that the person who started it must have been a mathematical genius. The brain behind the first form of roulette dated back to 1655 when the renowned French physicist Blaise Pascal tried to invent a perpetual motion machine. While his intentions were not to invent a casino game, his invention became an indispensable part of casinos.
The invention of the zero
The number zero did not exist on the machine until the 1800s. The wheel remained as it was invented by Pascal for almost 3 centuries. In the 1800s, King Charles III of Monaco wanted a unique design of the roulette. French scientists Francois and Lois Blanca provided that in 1842 by creating the first single zero wheel. This meant a great deal for gamblers since the zero gave the house a huge house edge.
Raw Roulette History
During this time, his kingdom was experiencing huge financial depression. The king brought his new creation to the masses. The machine became the economic pillar of Monaco hence gaining massive popularity. At some point, it became a symbol for Monte Carlo’s culture of heavy gambling when the neighbouring France had outlawed gambling. This made Monte Carlo look like a heaven to gamblers
The Double Zero Roulette
As earlier stated, the roulette is not an American invention. But the desire to have an American touch to the wheel gave birth to the double zero. In the 1800s, the wheel made its way to the American shores and the Americans added a double zero to give an even bigger edge to the house. This means that the American roulette has 38 numbers instead of 37.
Predicting the Results
After being around for several centuries now, there sure must be someone who has cracked the formula to predict the results. An Australian statistician at the University of Western Australia Perth, Michael Small, in conjunction with Chi Kong Tse of Hong Kong came up with a way to predict the results. The duo who studied the wheel for a considerable amount of time made some fascinating discoveries.
For Instance, if you know the precise location of the ball, the speed of the ball and the wheel when the croupier releases the ball, you can figure out what to bet and increase your chances of winning. However, this discovery can only function in a hypothetical world. The two scientists used cameras to record movements and studied the results considerably in a controlled environment.
The fact is that it is impossible to predict results in a real game setting. The reason being, you cannot predict the current location of the ball exactly neither can you tell the speed of the wheel by just looking at it. That would be possible if gamblers were allowed to have electronic gadgets on the wheel. However, the rules are clear, if you are found with electronic gadgets you will be kicked out.
Online Roulette
Roulette History
Before the introduction of online versions, you had to go to Europe to play single zero roulette or travel to America to play the double zero wheels. However, with the introduction of the online roulette, you can play both the American and the European versions anywhere in the world but don’t be surprised in the near future when you spot other variations of roulette on the internet.
In conclusion, the roulette as it is today has traveled a journey of a thousand miles. All the way from 1655, the wheel has played a better role in gambling than its intended purpose by the founder. While the past is now gone we can all be sure of one thing, the roulette will be here for centuries to come.