Origins Of Roulette

Even though the roulette wheel is a simplistic way to gamble and have fun, it appears that the origins of the roulette wheel is not so straight-forward. The invention of the wheel ranked alongside the invention of fire for cavemen but the introduction of the roulette wheel appears harder to tie down to a specific date or time. You would think that with an invention this popular, there would be someone queuing up to take the claim and credit for this great piece of work.

The most popular story surrounding the invention of the roulette wheel, and therefore the one that is taken to be the most likely origin of the wheel, revolved around a French mathematician, Blaise Pascal. In addition to being a noted mathematician, Pascal was a philosopher, which makes sense to anyone that has pondered over how to win money on the roulette wheel. It is said that Pascal was intrigued by the concept of perpetual motion and made numerous experiments in this field during the 17^th century. One of his repeated experiments in creating and harnessing perpetual motion was based upon the spinning wheel and it is from this notion that the roulette wheel is said to have evolved.

As you would expect, the French were instrumental in creating Roulette

It did not take long for news of this game to spread and by the 18^th century, there were many different styles and versions of the roulette wheel around Europe. This was also the era when the roulette wheel arrived on British shores, with it becoming popular in certain parts of England. What is recognised as the first ever modern roulette table was designed by two Frenchmen, Francois and Louis Blanc. This breakthrough in roulette was said to have taken place in 1842 and featured the single zero that is still found on European roulette wheels. The American roulette wheels have evolved to include two zero spaces but the European models remain true to the design created by the Blanc’s.

Although the Blanc brothers had a fantastic invention on their hands, there was stumbling block with gambling being illegal in France at this time. This may have been seen as a stumbling point for many people but the Blanc’s were unperturbed and took their roulette table on the road to find success and riches. The Blanc brothers travelled to the United States of America and Europe with their roulette table, finding favour in both of these locations.

Royal approval helped the rise of Roulette

Another great boon for the rise of roulette came with the fact that roulette was greatly enjoyed by royalty. This was an era when royal approval carried some weight and this marked the roulette table out as something that was enjoyed by the upper classes. This ensured that roulette quickly developed a reputation as being a game that was enjoyed by Kings and Queens and the popularity of the game soon took off.

Ever since then, the popularity of roulette has managed to grow and the internet versions of the game mean that everyone can enjoy roulette regardless of where they are. The emergence of online casinos will be recognised as one of the most important points in gaming history and games like roulette have strengthened in popularity and in the number of players that regularly gamble on the table on a regular basis.

The exact invention of the roulette wheel may be shrouded in mystery but the development of the game since 1842 appears to be well known and its progress has been clearly defined since then. They may not have been the first people to create the roulette wheel but Francois and Louis Blanc deserve credit for making roulette what it is today.