The History of Roulette

It is widely believed that the history of the roulette wheel started with Blaise Pascal (1623-1662). The famous French inventor was trying to build the above-mentioned perpetual motion machine. Despite the fact that he ended up with the failed invention, it became the model for the original roulette.

It’s difficult to determine when exactly roulette became a popular game. Based on the available information, roulette was extremely popular in Paris casinos in the 1790s. Which can put the game’s origins somewhere in the 1780s. But the game was mentioned in the ban on gambling in New France (now Québec) published in 1758.

The fact that roulette is based on the Italian game Biribi, which was popular in Italy and France in the early 1700s, makes it possible that the game was conceived in the 1720s or 1730s. The game hit its peak of popularity in Europe in the 1790s and started acquiring popularity on the other side of the Atlantic approximately at the same time.

Nowadays, it is often believed that a single zero roulette is a European variant, while the double zero is the American one. However, things are more complicated than that. Originally, French roulette had both single and double zero. The game was brought to New Orleans in the late 1790s, and the original American roulette also had single and double zero.

The single zero roulette was created by French entrepreneurs Luis and François Blanc in Germany in 1843. This version started gaining popularity in Europe, ousting the double zero version. Meanwhile, double zero roulette was flourishing in the United States. And by the early 20th century, the two versions became widely known as American and European roulette.

Gambling made the transition online a bit less than three decades ago. The history of roulette is so obscure, that even its first arrival online is difficult to fathom. Some sources claim that it was already available in the lobby of the first online casino in 1996. Other sources state that it became available closer to the millennium. All in all, it comes down to roulette hitting the world of online gambling in the 1990s.

For most of its existence from the late 18th to the late 20th century, players, depending on the side of the Atlantic they are, had to play either a European or American variation of roulette. The arrival of online casinos changed that forever. Now, regardless of where you are, you can play any of the versions. You can also play French roulette, which has both single and double zero, as well as mini roulette.

Now, players can enjoy roulette from the comfort of their homes or on the go, using their smartphones. However, certain players prefer to get immersed in the atmosphere of a real land-based casino, even while playing online. In 2006, Evolution Gaming made it possible. The Stockholm-based company innovated the gambling world by presenting live dealer games. So, for the last fifteen years, players can enjoy roulette online, while interacting with a dealer.

Roulette has a quite high return-to-player rate, which makes it so popular among players. French Roulette has the highest RTP rate of 98.37%. European roulette is a bit lower, boosting on average payouts of 97.30%. American roulette, generally, is the lowest one, offering an RTP ratio of 94.74%. Still, players can win life-changing amounts.

Ashley Revell has won $270,000 in 2004. Ten years before him, Chris Boyd won $440,000. The biggest win in recent history comes from Pedro Grendene Bartelle. In 2017, Pedro Grendene Bartelle placed a bet of $350 and ended up winning $3.5 million. That’s the biggest win if we don’t adjust for the inflation the win of Charles Welles. In 1881, Charles Welles won 2 million French francs, which is approximately $5.5 million today.