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ROULETTE HISTORY
Roulette history is difficult to come by
because the origin of roulette is lost, and there was likely
some form of a wheel based game going back approximately
as far as the origin of the wheel itself. There are stories
that the game was invented in China and brought to Europe
by traders who were trading with the Chinese.
Several early versions of a wheel and spinning ball were
invented in the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe. The first
games that we would be familiar with as modern roulette
were introduced in Paris casinos around the end of the 18th
century. This game contained all of the features that we
have today with the one omission, the single zero was colored
red while the double zero was colored black. This led to
some puzzlement for players and the color green was introduced
for the zero and double zero to ease the confusion.
In the mid 19th century the single zero
game was invented in France, this reduced the casino's edge
thereby mounting the odds of the player. When gambling was
banned in Germany the inventor of the single zero machine
(Louis Blanc) accepted an invite to go to Monaco to found
and operate a casino. The casino set the standards for roulette
in Europe, and roulette remained exclusive to Monte Carlo
until 1933. This led to the gambling and resort industry
in Monaco as many of Europe's rich were fascinated with
the luxurious Monte Carlo casino.
The use of the double zero roulette wheels
survived in the United States and is from time to time called
the “American Wheel”. The introduction of the single zero
wheel (with better odds for the player) resulted in the
termination of the double zero wheels in Europe and has
become known as the “French Wheel” in roulette history.
