The History of Roulette

Some games have very clear origins that can easily be traced back. On the other hand, the ancestry of some games is much more difficult to determine. This is definitely the case for the game of roulette. Many historians believe that roulette had its origins in France, while others believe the game originated in Italy.

No matter where it first began, much of the history of the game happened in France, documents make reference to the game all the way back to the 1600′s. During this time, Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, designed an early version of what we know today as the roulette wheel.

The word, roulette, itself is French is nature. Meaning ˜small wheel™ the game was played in France in the latter part of the 18th century. Originally, roulette was played in Paris but as word got out about the game it also travelled to other locations within France. Another movement during this time was colonialism, where France, along with other nations, tried to expand their influence abroad by forming colonies. This is how the game of roulette made its way to North America, where the French founded a settlement known as New France.

The game we know as roulette today was not the roulette of yesteryear. Modifications to the game did occur over the years. In 1843, the original roulette wheel was tweaked slightly by two Frenchmen. They decided to remove the double zero from the wheel which left only the single 0. This became known as the French Roulette wheel. Many players liked the change because it enhanced their odds of winning.

Another change to the wheel occurred, this time in America. The roulette wheel had the numbers from 1 to 28 on its slots. However, three additional spaces were added to feature a 0, double 0 and an eagle. These three new spaces helped the dealer. The dealer would win all of the bets placed if the ball were to land in these spaces. A table also became built onto the roulette wheel over time. This move helped prevent the chance of any cheating. In addition to both these versions of roulette, betfair.com also have 3D Roulette available to play on their site. Roulette games can also be played with the option of a live dealer too rather than playing the computer.