History of roulette
The genesis of Roulette (a French word meaning "small wheel") is shrouded in mystery. This enigmatic aura is further amplified by the belief that Roulette is a "demonic" game. In fact, if you add up all the numbers on the wheel, from 1 to 36, the total is 666: the so-called number of the devil.
However, this is merely a part of its "ancient" origins. The history of Roulette appears to trace back to the time of the ancient Greeks. It is believed that they were the first to invent a rudimentary form of the game, using wagon wheels.
The ancient Romans, particularly their legionaries, also seem to play a role in the history of Roulette. Some sources suggest that they spun shields on the tips of their spears as a form of gambling. Meanwhile, other accounts claim the Greeks played with shields, while the Romans used wheels. It is likely that both civilizations enjoyed variations of both games.
Another theory proposes a Chinese origin for Roulette, suggesting that in ancient China there was a game involving 37 animal figurines, arranged in a "mystical" pattern.
Roulette, as we know it today, is most likely the result of a fusion of two games:
- The Italian game "Goose"
- The English game "EO" ("Even" - "Odd")
Other games also seem to have influenced the development of Roulette, including Roly-Poly, Reiner, Ace of Hearts, and the Italian game Biribi.
The prototype of modern Roulette is attributed to the French scientist Blaise Pascal, renowned for his work on probability. While researching perpetual motion, Pascal created the first version of Roulette in 1655.
However, the first "official" reference to Roulette as a game does not come from France, but from Canada. In 1758, a law in Quebec banned certain games, including Roulette. This "Canadian appearance" adds to the uncertainty surrounding the game's true origins. Nevertheless, many believe that the term "roulette" in this Canadian context refers to an old table game rather than the French-style Roulette we know today.
The first complete description of the game is found in a book published in France in 1801. It is a French novella, La Roulette, ou le Jour by Jacques Lablée, which describes the game being played at the Palais Royal in Paris in 1796. At that time, the roulette wheel featured alternating red and black numbers, as well as both a zero and a double zero. The zero was red, and the double zero was black, although these color combinations were not associated with any special payouts.
At the start of the 19th century, the color green was introduced for both zeros to avoid confusion.
In 1837, King Louis Philippe ordered the closure of all casinos and gambling houses in France, prompting many casino operators to emigrate to Germany. Among them were the brothers François and Louis Blanc. In 1840, they arrived in Hamburg and took over the local casino. They had a revolutionary idea: in 1843, they decided to remove the double zero from the wheel, forcing rival casinos to adopt the same practice to retain their customers.
In 1856, the Monte Carlo Casino opened, but it initially failed to achieve the desired success. Princess Caroline eventually sought out François Blanc to revive the casino’s fortunes. Although he initially refused, Blanc accepted the offer in 1863 and founded the Société des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Etrangers. Notably, investors in this company included the Bishop of Monaco and Cardinal Pecci, who would later become Pope Leo XIII. The company secured the casino concession for 50 years, lasting until 1913.
Here’s an excerpt from a rare and invaluable book, fundamental to understanding the history of roulette:
Gros Jeu - Histoire Secrète de Monte-Carlo (1953), provides a glimpse into the state of gambling at the beginning of the 20th century:
"Between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, after a series of exceptional years, peace finally reigned in Europe. The Boer War, which occurred in a distant part of the world, had no impact on the tranquillity of the Principality or its fortunes. England was wealthy, the United States was prosperous, and France was recovering from the hardships of the 1870 war and the heavy indemnity demanded by Prussia.
The French were no longer burdened by inheritance taxes, and income taxes were relatively low. The world was full of rich and idle people, with no other purpose in life than to have fun, and no passion greater than gambling. Nightclubs were yet to appear, there was little dancing, very little tennis or golf, and no bridge.
Gambling techniques, especially trente-et-quarante and roulette, were the most popular topics of conversation, much like canasta was around 1950. Newspapers and magazines published a series of articles on the various betting systems and their respective effectiveness..."
The closure of German casinos further increased the allure of Monte Carlo, contributing to the myth that endures to this day.
Roulette was introduced to America during the time of the French Revolution. French immigrants brought the game to Louisiana, and New Orleans soon became the gambling capital of the United States, exporting roulette to other cities.
"Primitive" American roulette initially featured a 0, 00, and a "000" represented by an image of the "Eagle A," along with numbers from 1 to 28. Eventually, the number of slots increased to 36, and the eagle was removed. Today, the double zero (00) remains a feature of American roulette, although some major casinos offer European Roulette with a single zero, where minimum bets tend to be higher.