History of Roulette
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The History of The Roulette Game

The exact origins of the game of Roulette are unknown, however there are many different theories floating around about its roots.

One theory, which is most popular, states that the game was the brainchild of French mathematician Blaise Pascal, and he invented it in the 17th century during his attempts to create a perpetual motion machine. Though the perpetual motion machine never came into existence, Roulette continues to this day. Some contradict this theory believing that a primitive version of the game took birth in China and it was taken to Europe by spice traders. Some others believe it has been played since the Roman times (in a different form then). Another prevalent belief is that a man named Francois Blanc got the secret of Roulette by selling his soul to the devil. The fact that all the numbers on the slots of a roulette wheel add up to the number 666, which is considered the ‘number of the beast’, also gives credence to this theory. Blanc is responsible for opening Monte Carlo’s first ever casinos. It is also believed in some quarters, that the Roulette wheel is a cross between the English game of Roly-Poly, E.O. Ace of Hearts, and ‘Hoca and Biribi’- an Italian board game.

The word Roulette means “little wheel’ and is a French word. Initially, there were 36 slots in the roulette wheel numbered 1 to 36. This form of the wheel prevailed for about two centuries since Pascal’s invention, until 1842, when a ‘0’ was also added to decrease the players’ odds by Louis and Francois Blanc of France. In the 19th century, when the game debuted in United States, another double zero (“00”) was added to the wheel that further decreased the betters’ odds. It was presumably included to make the number of slots in the wheel an even number (38 = 36+2). Today also, the European Roulette wheels have 37 slots (1 to 36 and ‘0’) and the American ones have 38 slots (1 to 36, ‘0’ and ‘00’).

With the arrival of internet (in the latter half of 20th century), the game of live roulette took birth in the 1990’s. Existing casinos and other private players splurged into the internet market to tap its massive potential. In this type of game, players can see the roulette wheel, live on their computer monitors, which is broadcast live from the casino. The bets are placed through the internet through special software which can be downloaded from the live casino site. Some television shows also offer the game to the viewers.

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