Roulette is a game of chance played with a spinning wheel and a table. Players bet on a number they believe will come up by placing chips on a special betting mat.
The wheel has thirty-six compartments, alternately red and black, numbered from 1 to 36; on American wheels two green pockets carry the numbers 0 and 00.
Origin
There are a number of theories surrounding the origin of roulette. One of the most likely is that it was invented in Italy in the 17th century. It was played on a table with 36 pockets and betting rules that were very similar to those of modern roulette. This game was popular among the French aristocracy in the 18th century. It was known as Lotto Reale, and it is considered to have been the inspiration for modern roulette.
Another theory is that the game was invented in the 17th century by the French mathematician Blaise Pascal. While he was trying to create the first perpetual motion machine, he inadvertently created a wheel with slots that would become the basis for modern roulette. The game was then spread throughout Europe by Dominican monks.
Variations
Roulette is a popular casino game that has many variations. While the house edge remains the same for most of them, some offer better payouts than others. For instance, Lighting Roulette from Evolution Gaming features multipliers of up to 500x the bet and offers a payout of 1:12,000 for a straight bonus spin win. Similarly, Double Ball Roulette utilises the European roulette wheel layout but adds the rules ‘En prison’ and ‘La Partage’ for even better odds of winning.