Roulette is a game of chance that has been around for more than 300 years. It was invented in the 17th century by Blaise Pascal, a French physicist and philosopher.
Players place chips or cash on a betting table, and the dealer (or croupier) throws a ball into a spinning wheel. The roulette wheel has 38 red and black compartments numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36, along with two green pockets marked 0 and 00.
Origin
Historians have a few theories about the origin of roulette. Some believe it was invented by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal as part of his experiments with perpetual motion machines. Others claim it originated from the English game Roly Poly and Italian games Hoca and Biribi. The truth is that games similar in structure to roulette existed for a century before it became popular in France.
The basic game consists of a table with numbered sections (1 to 36) and one or two zeros with several other areas affording various betting opportunities, and a revolving wheel called a roulettewheel into which a small ball is spun until it comes to rest in one of 38 (or 37 on European/Latin American tables) compartments around the edge of the wheel. Prior to spinning the wheel, players place bets by laying chips on the betting mat.
Variations
There are many different variations of roulette games. Some offer a higher house edge than others, while others add special betting rules or additional bets. The right choice depends on your experience level and skill. If you’re a new player, you should choose roulette variants that follow the European format and offer a friendly house edge. More experienced players can enjoy games that boost payouts with extra features. These include Key Bet Roulette, which offers prizes based on additional bets such as inside and outside bets. Other games include Lightning Roulette, which delivers multipliers of up to 500x and Triple Bonus Spin, which offers a maximum payout of 1:12,000 for a straight bonus win.
