What is the History of Roulette?

Roulette, one of the most popular casino games with offers and bonuses, and has been for quite some time now. Movies and tv shows have only added to the intrigue this game possesses — inspiring countless others to play as a result! But where did it all begin, that’s what we’re going to be looking at today. Maybe with all this information you’ll become a better roulette player, who knows? 

Origin Point Of Roulette 

Like many other casino games, the starting point for roulette is a hazy one. No one really knows exactly where this hit casino game began, all we know is that the first incarnation of the game was a creation from math wizard Blaise Pascal. Pascal created the game while simultaneously creating a perpetual motion machine at some point in the 17th century. 

Chinese Theories? 

Although this French origin story has a ring to it, many believe a different theory. There are those out there that believe roulette is based on an ancient Chinese board game, a game that involves arranging 37 animal figures into a particular square with numbers listed on them. This game was discovered by Dominican monks, who would later bring the game over to Europe where it would begin gaining popularity. 

It’s a nice theory but at the same time no one can really find any specific information on how this game was played — for all we know it could have just been some sort of play set! The monks themselves were said to have changed the layout of their game, making the square into a circle and adding corresponding numbers to it. The issue with his story is that the early French version had both the zero and double zero slot before then. 

French Origin 

France is most likely the place of origin of roulette given all the outliners we’ve just mentioned. A lot of people like to theorise on these sorts of things, but facts they offer should always be taken with a pinch of salt. It’s said that roulette was inspired by two similar games in France at that time. The games were called ‘Roly Poly’ and ‘Even-Odd’, both involved spinning a wheel and predicting outcomes before they would occur. 

It’s worth stating that gambling wasn’t really that popular at the time of roulette’s inception. In fact, in most parts of Europe it was an illegal pastime. It was in the 18th century when laws and whatnot would come into effect, essentially paving the way for the industry in its current form. 

The Prince of Monaco at the time is partly to blame for this, seeing an opportunity to escape his personal money problems using the gambling industry to solve them. He would open several gambling establishments in Monaco — places where roulette were heavily featured and played by citizens daily. Roulette became increasingly popular among aristocrats and royalty due to these decisions — paving the way for roulette today!