If you ever wonder why historians are often vague and ambiguous, it’s because history is not a science. During the process of looking back more than a few hundred years, the view tends to blur. Theory overtakes fact and myths combine with details, forming a hodgepodge of legend, fiction and truth. The history of gambling is no exception and roulette history is a perfect example.
The name “roulette” derives from a French word meaning small wheel. The origins of roulette are somewhat in dispute. Most gambling historians believe that Blaise Pascal, a 17th-century French mathematician, invented the roulette wheel. Other researchers say that roulette originated in ancient China and came over to the Europe with Dominican monks who were trading with the Chinese at the time. By the early 18th century, a game called RolyPoly appeared in England and featured a bouncing ball and a spinning wheel similar to the current roulette wheel. The betting system used in modern-day roulette is also reminiscent of an old game called “Even Odd.”
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Roulette as we know it made its first appearance in 1842 when French brothers, Francois and Louis Blanc, invented the original single-zero roulette wheel. Legend has it that Louis Blanc made a deal with the devil to acquire the secrets of roulette. The legend goes that if all the numbers on the roulette wheel (1 to 36) are added up, the result would be 666, the "Number of the Beast" representing the devil. This is the kind of stuff that makes roulette history so interesting.
The Blanc brothers subsequently introduced their invention to the casinos and gambling halls of France and Germany. Some time during the 1860s, the Blanc boys contracted with Prince Charles of Monaco to design and build a luxurious casino in Monte Carlo. This groundbreaking casino, called the Casino de Monte Carlo, was built with unprecedented lavishness and splendor and was designed to attract the gambling money of the rich and famous, the European VIPs of the time. The Blancs’ version of roulette came to be known as French or European roulette and it remains Monte Carlo’s premier gambling game to this day.
American Roulette History
Later on in the 19th century, the game found its way to the United States where it was altered and the double-zero roulette wheel was introduced; early forms of roulette changed the double zero to an American Eagle. Roulette became very popular with gamblers in the West, particularly during the California Gold Rush. To this day, the American roulette wheel has 38 numbers including 0, 00 and 1 to 36. Having two zeros gives the house a higher (5.26%) advantage, whereas the house edge with a European roulette wheel is a mere 2.70%.
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