Here at NetBet online casino, we have new blogs on all types of games every week. While slots are always fun to play, other games get a lot of love too. You’ll find many interesting facts about other games such as roulette online, just like today’s blog. Is roulette a French game or did it originally appear in Italy first? Learn more about it in this week’s roulette NetBet blog.
The Origins of Roulette
The legendary game of chance is one of the oldest casino games in existence. Historians can’t quite agree on its origins. What’s safe to say is that it appeared in the early XVIII century, although its roots might go even earlier than that time.
Most historians attribute the creation of roulette to French mathematician Blaise Pascal. He supposedly discovered roulette by chance while searching for a perpetual motion machine. The roulette mechanism itself was invented in 1720. It may have been modelled from a much older concept – the Italian XVI century of Biribi.
Regardless of the origins, roulette was played and very popular in France, especially Paris just before the XIX century. It was a huge hit in the capital around 1796, being mentioned in a famous book from the time. Apparently, the royalty played the game at the Palais Royal in Paris, depicting a scene which included the famous pockets. The author, Jaques Lablee, said that the two slots were on every roulette wheel and represented the house’s mathematical edge.
At the time, the roulette wheel in French casinos had a red slot for the single zero wheels and a black one for the double zero wheels. To avoid confusion, a new wheel with a green zero was introduced to casinos from 1800 onward, which is still in use today.
Popularity Elsewhere in Europe
Due to roulette’s early popularity in France, most historians believe that it originated there. It’s also certainly based on the older game of Biribi, but as a pure form of game of chance, it was first introduced in French casinos.
Its popularity quickly spread across Europe in the XIX century. It was a big hit in the UK, and a widely played game in Bad Homburg in the mid-XIX century. That’s when Frenchmen Francois and Louis Blanc introduced the single-zero variant as a competitor to the common roulette wheel with both single and double-zero pockets.
As the game’s popularity grew, the roulette wheel evolved. In the USA, the roulette wheel saw the induction of a double-zero slot with a higher house edge. But, the fact remains that the game’s original French version is the most popular in the world. Thanks to Blaise Pascal, we have one of the most popular chance-based games of all time, available in all kinds of variants here at NetBet casino.
When you choose NetBet Casino, you can enjoy a whole range of top quality games. Whatever you choose, always remember to bet responsibly. Here at NetBet, player wellbeing is our number one priority – check out our Responsible Gambling tips and tools page for more information.
