Roulette History
The exact origin and age of Roulette is not known, however it has been a game of fascination for casino visitors for over three hundred years. The game or at the least some form of it are most likely as old as the wheel itself and closely related variations have been traced to the Romans. There are accounts of ancient Romans tipping their chariots on their sides and spinning one of the wheels for games of amusement.
The word "roulette" is French and means "little wheel." The early version of the refined game appeared in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. Some believe that Blaise Pascal the famous French scientist that pioneered the mathematical field of probability might have invented the roulette wheel while experimenting with perpetual motion devices.
The first recollection that we have of a spinning wheel and ball being utilized in a gaming device was in a game called "roly poly" back in 1720. A gaming act in England banned this game as well as numerous other games of chance. Beau Nash, a very innovative chap evaded these laws by introducing "EO" or "Even Odd" which was a simplified version of the roly poly game, but that too was banned the mid 1700's.
Developers of the game refined it and near the end of the century a game very close to the one we play today evolved. This refined version contained several identifiable characteristics, the alternating red and black pockets numbered 1 through 36, the 0 and a 00. The primary difference was that the double zero was black and the single zero was red. This of course was cause of great confusion as the casino barred wins of red or black when the ball landed in these zero pockets. To eliminate this confusion the zeros were eventually changed to the color green.
It was this superior version of the game that migrated to the US and to New Orleans in the early 1800's. Once here a few greedy proprietors changed the game once again reducing the number of pockets to 31 and giving the house a larger advantage. Most players wouldn't play this game as for obvious reasons they favored the 36 pocket version.
During this time the game was also undergoing refinements back in Europe as well. Two ground-breaking brothers Francois and Louis Blanc introduced the first single zero roulette wheel in 1842. They took this new game to modern day Germany because gambling was illegal in their home country of France. The new single zero version offered a 2.70% house edge compared to the 5.26% of the double zero version. As one might suspect this was an instant hit with gamblers.
Eventually gambling was also outlawed in Germany as well. At that time Louis Blanc was invited by the Prince of Monaco to bring his game to Monte Carlo. Blanc accepted and was paid a handsome wage, he was also permitted to establish and operate one of the most famous casinos in Europe.
Though both of the single and double zero games originated in Europe the double zero version is referred to as "American Roulette" because that version prospered in the states. The single zero game, which Europeans preferred is referred to as "European Roulette." Today you can find both variants in casinos and in online casinos.
Another innovative feature of the European version is a option called "En Prison." This options lowers the house edge on even money wagers down to 1.35%. You can find casinos offering this option in several casinos in the states today even on double zero game reducing the house edge by half.
