What is Roulette?

Roulette is a game played with numbered chips that represent different denominations. Players purchase these from a dealer (known as a croupier) and designate what value they wish them to have.

A croupier spins a wheel of 36 numbers and one 0 (or 00 in American roulette), and a small white ball lands in any of them. Bets are placed on a table, which correlates with the pockets the ball can land in.

Origins

The exact origin of roullete is unclear, but it can be traced back to the late eighteenth century. As more and more French emigrants made their way to America in this period, so did many of the game’s key elements, including the roulette wheel. Moreover, the name “roulette” is derived from the French word for a little wheel, and this hints at the fact that the game was originally named after a particular type of wheel.

It is widely believed that seventeenth-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal invented the roulette as a byproduct of his work on a perpetual motion machine. However, it’s equally possible that the game evolved spontaneously from another existing wheel-based gambling activity. It could even have its roots in the ancient Roman practice of spinning chariot wheels on their sides to entertain audiences.