Although common perception regards Roulette as a purely French invention, the initial genesis of the game is shrouded in mystery. At varying times it has been claimed to have originated in either China, England, or Italy. What is certain, however,is that the modern-day version of the game, particularly the Roulette wheel, originated in France where it was given its name, Roulette (meaning ‘little wheel’, or more precisely ‘castor’). It is also highly likely that gambling aspect (with the house pockets and betting table) is an amalgamation of several different games from the aforementioned countries.

The Roulette wheel was allegedly invented not as a game, but as a scientific experiment by Blaise Pascal who was attempting to invent a perpetual motion machine. Fortunately he didn’t succeed, otherwise no-one would ever win at Roulette, as they’d be forever waiting for the ball to stop spinning! As an aside, anyone who’s ever taken an interest in mathematics is probably more aware of him for his work in binomial coefficients (Pascal’s Triangle). Unfortunately there has not yet (as far as anyone is aware) been any correlation between Pascal’s Triangle and a working Roulette roulette system.

Where and how Pascal’s ineffectual perpetual motion system became Roulette is again lost to the mysteries of time; it’s earliest description in the modern-day form only appears in 1796, over 130 years after Pascal’s death! The Roulette wheel mentioned in the Jaques Lablee’s novel “La Roulette, ou le Jour” (Trans. "Roulette, or the day") includes the two house pockets (zero and double zero); now more commonly known as American Roulette (or the American table).

European Roulette (or the European table) did not exist until the Frenchmen Francois and Louis Blanc debuted the single-zero table in 1843 in Germany (ironically, gambling (and therefore Roulette) was banned in France at the time). This had the desired effect of increasing the players chance to win at Roulette, while still allowing the house to keep its favour. Roulettes popularity boomed, and the single-zero table became the standard in European casinos.

During the California gold rush of the mid-1800s, a casino was a staple of every frontier town, and where there was a casino, there were people hoping to win at Roulette! Seeking to maximise their profits, and with a captive clientelle in a (then) sparsely populated country and remote town, the double-zero table became the standard. This led to the double-zero table becoming the Roulette system of choice in the United States, while the single-zero table remained the standard throughout Europe.

Currently most casinos in Europe offer both types of tables, although the double zero remains predominant in the States. Fortunately, thanks to the internet, it’s now possible to play all online Roulette systems easily and from the comfort of your own home – there’s even options offering free roulette if you don’t fancy betting your own money!