The Game of Roulette – History

Any seasoned casino player will tell you that the Roulette wheel is a popular casino game; it has existed for more than two centuries and has been the poster-child of the casino industry. If you have been around the gambling block,the Roulette wheel isn’t new to you, so much that it is impossible to miss it in gambling movies or television shows. The game of Roulette has attracted the newbie gamblers into the fray and reeled them into the excitement that comes with landing on your preferred colour. This article details its history.

The Oldest Casino Game

Since the game of Roulette is the oldest game to be played in casinos, its popularity, particularly in European casinos, has increased gradually over the years- it contributes over 50 percent of gambling revenue in the aforementioned countries.(In the U.S., the numbers indicate that Roulette only contributes 5 percent of the total gambling revenue.) The rise has been so significant that getting a seat at a Roulette table isn’t a surety anymore.

However, in the recent past, players have changed their view of the game of Roulette. There has been, albeit slow growth in cities such as Las Vegas. The main reasons include the installation of the single-zero Roulette wheel, increased limits of maximum stakes, and the use and integration of electronic reader boards coupled with the probability of granting gamblers an increased chance of success.

Changes in Casino Practice in the US

Casinos in the US have been constantly trying to draw in gamblers to the game of Roulette. The significant rise is attributed to a couple of reasons. First, casino owners realised that most players preferred single-zero Roulette wheels which offer better payouts compared to the double-zero wheel and heeded to the call. Second, the installation of electronic reader boards which list winning numbers sequentially. Third, while they were previously capped at lower maximum limits, bets were significantly increased with time but the minimum remained as the previous one.

The Origin of the Game of Roulette

While most experts claim, and with adequate reason, that the true origin of the Roulette is unknown, most believe that it was created in France two centuries ago. The latter is evidenced by the fact that Jacques Lablee presented it in a French novel named La Roulette ou le Jouer that was published in 1801. He described it as a wheel-like device with numbered pockets each with a number from 1 to 36 and two pockets numbered zero and double zero.

A couple of decades later, in 1843, a casino in Homburg, Germany with a single-zero wheel was opened to the public. In 1863, the casino in Monte Carlo installed the single-zero wheel: that was the single reason behind its success. This established the standards of all casinos in Europe and was the yardstick by which every other casino was measured against. In the 1850s, casinos in New Orleans installed the Roulette wheel with 28 pockets for the house, an eagle and one double zero, which enabled the payouts of odds at 26 to 1 over players. A few years down the road, the 38-wheel game of Roulette gained popularity and is the de facto wheel in the U.S.

There’s an old casino adage: the casino always has house edge over the players. Of course, casinos tampered with the Roulette wheel in order to gain an unfair advantage over gamblers. While it is still hard to beat, although some experienced gamblers have come up with ways to “beat the system”. These include using mechanical hand-off and magnetic methods to have a higher house edge over the casinos. Casinos responded by installing magnetic detectors and plastic security shields. Other techniques players use include using mathematical applications to beat biased wheels. 

After knowing this information, you are sure to enjoy your gaming session by trying your hands in the game of Roulette online if you haven’t already. Happy spinning!