Roulette History
The origin of Roulette is lost to history, people being what they are there was likely some form
of a wheel based game developed soon after the invention of the wheel itself. Stories have the
game invented in China and brought to Europe by traders dealing with the Chinese.
In Europe there were several versions of a wheel and spinning ball game invented in the 17th and
18th centuries. Around the end of the 18th century games were developed that would develop into
modern Roulette and were introduced to Paris casinos. These evolved into a game that contained
all of the features that we have today with the one exception, the single zero was coloured red
while the double zero was coloured black. This was confusing to some players so the zero and
double zero were changed to the colour green to eliminate the confusion.
In the mid 19th century the single zero game was invented in France (the French Wheel). This
elimination of the double zero reduced the casino's edge and gave the player a better change
of winning. Gambling was outlawed in Germany and the inventor of the single zero machine (Louis
Blanc) to circumvent the ban accepted an invitation from Monaco to establish and operate a
casino there. The result was that the casino set the standard for Roulette in Europe and the
game remained exclusive to Monte Carlo until 1933. Many of Europe's rich and famous were
attracted to the luxurious casinos in Monte Carlo and this led to the development of the
gambling and resort industry in Monaco.
Unlike in Europe the double zero Roulette wheels flourished in the United States, and as a
result is sometimes called the "American Wheel". The single zero wheel when introduced in
France (because of it's with better odds for the player) resulted in the demise of the double
zero wheel in Europe and has since become known as the "French Wheel".
Another European refinement to Roulette is the option of "En Prison". This increased the odds
yet again for the player. With the en prison option if the player has bet any even money bet
(Even-Odd, Red-Black, 1-18 or 19-36) and zero is the next outcome the player has two options:
- He/she can "imprison" the bet. The bet stays where it is and the next spin determines if
the bet is lost or returned to the player (but not the usual payout).
- The player may surrender half of the bet.
The game of Roulette may be more popular in other parts of the world in part because they use
the European (French) wheel and offer the en prison option. The result is the house edge is
only one quarter of that in the United States (1.35% vs. 5.26%).
