Roulette is a gambling game in which players place bets on which number or group of numbers will come up after a small ball has been released into a revolving wheel. Bets are placed by laying chips on a roulette table’s betting mat. Inside bets cover a smaller group of numbers and pay out at higher odds, while outside bets cover larger groups.
Origin
Various theories exist as to the origins of roulette. Some claim it was invented in the 17th century by Blaise Pascal as part of his quest to create a perpetual motion machine. Others believe it was derived from the French games hoca and portique and from the Italian board game Biribi. Its present cylinder and wheel structure was introduced in the 18th century.
While it’s likely that soldiers played games similar to roulette during ancient times, there isn’t enough evidence to prove that it originated in Rome or Greece. One theory is that the earliest roulette games involved spinning shields that had symbols written on them. The symbols were arranged so that the symbol that spun closest to an arrow would win. The arrow could also be used as a marker for betting.
Variations
There are a number of variations of roullete that offer different gameplay experiences and payouts. Some of these include Double Action Roulette, which features two balls on a single wheel and offers higher payouts than traditional European roulette games. Other games, like Lighting Roulette from Evolution Gaming and Triple Bonus Spin Roulette from IGT, feature varying multipliers and payouts. For example, the former pays out up to 500x your bet while the latter provides a straight payout of 1:12,000.
