The very mention of the word, “roulette” conjures images of a lively casino with rich red carpeting, flashing lights, noise and bustle from hundreds of enthralled gamblers all trying their luck on their chosen games. 

Then the image focuses on a group of well dressed and well heeled men and women crowded around a table with a large flat area inscribed with many different numbers in red and black, a tuxedo clad gentleman holding a stick-like object which he uses for moving different coloured plastic chips around the table and a large spinning wheel inscribed with different numbers with a ball bouncing around precariously with the wickedly mischievous intent of landing on an un-wagered number. But the history of the game is equally interesting.

Being the oldest of all casino games, the origins of roulette can be traced back well over 300 years. The very first roulette wheel was invented by Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and philosopher who first contrived it as an attempt at creating a perpetual motion device. Pascal then saw its potential to test his numeric theories as he is credited with pioneering work on the mathematical field of probability. The wheel was soon copied and spread throughout monasteries and schools where it evolved into a form of entertainment. 

The first true casino was established in Paris in 1842 by brothers Francois and Louis Blanc. A fanciful tale associated with this event became popularly told in the day. It claimed that in exchange for the brothers’ souls, the devil himself would be disposed to share the secret of how to win at roulette. This tale did no harm in enhancing the perceived mystery surrounding the possibility of beating the game. 

Naturally, we know now that there never was a secret to winning at roulette because the game is entirely one of chance. Despite this fact, it is possible for casino owners to make use of certain tactics that increase the ability of the house to win, which, unfortunately for the gambler, is one sure thing you can always bet on.

In the early part of the 1800s when roulette migrated to the United States and found its way into the popular gambling saloons of the time, a way was soon found to improve the house edge. The addition of an extra zero slot (the double zero now found on all “American” roulette wheels) increased the house edge from 2.7% to 5.6%. Take note that European roulette wheel has only a single zero pocket and thus a house edge of 2.7% making it the serious gambler’s choice.

Roulette soon became highly popular with the gold speculators and miners alike during the historical period of the Gold Rush of the West. They possessed the necessary qualities of patience and superstition that they believed would bring them the luck they needed to beat the wheel.

Knowing that roulette is purely a game of chance and that even the true 50/50 chances of winning are further eroded by the house edge, why do we still play?

It seems that when it comes to games of chance, roulette possesses a fundamental allure that seduces all players from the average man on the street to the very rich and elite high rollers. Part of this allure is the excitement generated by the anticipation stage of the game, where the ball does its chaotic dance around the wheel before finally coming to rest on any one of the many numbered pockets around the wheel to bring either the euphoria of the win or the frustration of the loss. 

It rewards those with patience, endurance and a degree of luck. Because of this and its label as a game of pure chance, a fair portion of its appeal comes from the goal of maximising your good fortune and similarly minimising your losses when luck departs. In this, it mirrors to some extent the daily contest of real life. This is possibly the reason that roulette has continued to endure as one of the all time best loved gambling games. 

The roulette wheel is popularly regarded as the original Wheel of Fortune, which symbolises gambling’s famed element of chance. A roulette wheel can be found at the tables of just about every casino in the world. It has long been associated with the very essence of a house of gambling and personifies the casino experience. 

One of the features most attractive in roulette is its diversity and range of betting experiences. It doesn’t matter whether your betting is relatively safe and conservative or brash and reckless, the wide range of betting options allow anyone to play their own way whether their bankroll is small or almost limitless. This is what attracts people to roulette like moths to a flame.