Roulette History - Origin of Roulette

The exact origin of roulette is lost to time. There was likely some form of a wheel-based game going back almost as far as the origin of the wheel itself. Stories suggest the game was invented in China and brought to Europe by traders.

Blaise Pascal and Early European Roulette

Several versions of a wheel and spinning ball were invented in the mid-17th and 18th centuries in Europe. The first roulette game was introduced in the mid-17th century by French scientist Blaise Pascal during a \"monastic retreat\" and played for the first time in a Paris casino. This game contained all of the features we have today with one exception: the single zero was colored red while the double zero was colored black. This led to confusion for players, so the color green was introduced for the zero and double zero.

The Blanc Brothers Introduce Single Zero Roulette

Frenchmen François and Louis Blanc invented the single zero roulette game in 1842. Because gambling was illegal in France at the time, the game was introduced in Hamburg, Germany, where it became very popular and replaced an earlier, lower-odds version. When gambling was outlawed in Germany, the inventors of the single zero machine, Louis Blanc and François, went to Monaco to establish and operate a casino. The casino set the standards for roulette in Europe, and roulette remained exclusive to Monte Carlo until 1933. As a result, the luxurious, world-famous resort of Monte Carlo was developed.

Roulette in America

When roulette came to the United States in the early 1800s, the improvements were deleted, and the double zero returned. The double zero roulette wheels, or \"American Wheels,\" were very popular in the Old West of America. The penetration of the single zero wheel, or \"European Wheel,\" was and still is wider in Europe than in the United States.

Player-Friendly Rule Variations

In Europe and Atlantic City, casinos introduced another refinement that increased the odds for the player: the “En Prison” or La Partage rule. With the En Prison option, if the player has made an even-money bet (on Even or Odd, Red or Black, 1-18 or 19-36) and zero or double zero is the outcome, the player has two options: \"imprison\" the bet (it stays where it is, and the next spin determines if the bet is lost or returned) or surrender half of the bet.