Roulette History
The creation of roulette started over a hundred years ago. No one is exactly sure of the date, however we know that the original idea for a roulette wheel originated in the 17th Century when Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and scientist, wanted to create a machine to show how perpetual motion worked. His attempts didn’t quite work, but his machine was the basis of what would later become the roulette wheel we know today.
Later on, in the 18th Century, the game had come into circulation and was being picked up by casinos in Monte Carlo and several illegal parlours around the world. It was one of the most popular games played at Monte Carlo and still has strong ties to the location nowadays. Originally, the roulette wheel was similar to the American wheel, including a 0 slot and a 00 slot, however, Francois and Louis Blanc developed a version which only included the 0 slot as a ploy to get more customers. It obviously worked as the odds on a wheel with only one house slot are better than one with two house slots, this quickly became the norm and was adopted as the European version of roulette.
You, Me And The Devil Makes Three
It was rumoured that Francois Blanc sold his soul to the devil for the roulette wheel. While this is obviously false, the evidence behind it is quite interesting.
- If you add up all the numbers on a roulette wheel, the grand total comes to 666. To those of you who don’t know, 666 is regarded as ‘the number of the beast’.
- If you add up all the numbers belonging to a dozen you will eventually reach 6. For example, 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+12=78, 7+8=15, 1+5=6. This can be done for all three of the dozens which means, after doing this for all 3 you would, again, end up with three 6’s next to each other… 666.
- Doing the same with any three numbers that are diagonal to each other in a row will give you 6 as well. For instance 28+32+36=96, 9+6=15, 1+5=6. This is the same if you add up each number in a row (1+2+3=6 etc.)
Spooky, isn’t it?
Roulette Evolves
Since then, roulette has become a popular game around the world with several versions springing up in different locales. Up until the 1970’s you could only play the game in Las Vegas and Monte Carlo, however gambling restrictions were relaxed and it can now be enjoyed nearly anywhere in the world with regulation.
While computerised versions of the game have been available for quite a while, it wasn’t until the 1990’s and public access to the internet was possible that the game became popular at home. Using the internet, you could play roulette from your own home for real money. Casino websites started popping up everywhere, some were old trusted brands, others were completely new faces, but all of them were racing to find the next best thing for online roulette.
When broadband became a common sight in most households, roulette was able to make the ultimate upgrade. Due to faster internet speeds you would be able to stream a live roulette show from anywhere in the world, this concept gave birth to live dealer roulette. In its brief 10 year period, live dealer roulette has quickly become the most popular version of roulette to be played online and looks to stay that way for years to come.
Vegas In Your Living Room
Because of new technology, you can enjoy virtual roulette and live roulette in a variety of different ways. The most common way is to play online; however you can also play using your television. This involves a live show being aired on certain channels and letting players bet either by calling in or using their TV remote.
It’s also possible to play both virtual roulette and live dealer roulette on your smartphone or tablet. A lot of casinos will offer an app which is free to download and allows access to their live roulette program and all the other roulette games they offer. So not only can you play whilst you’re at home, but you can place bets from, well, anywhere you want!
