Currently, roulette is considered the "queen" of gambling games in which bets are used. This type of game is so popular that it can be found in almost all gambling establishments. There is no shortage of risk-takers and thrill-seekers who want to try their luck with the "devil's wheel" on any inhabited continent.
It is impossible to answer precisely and unambiguously by whom and when the famous one was invented, because there are several different versions of its origin. The proposed article contains information about them and interesting facts about roulette.
French version
This is one of the most common theories, according to which the French mathematician Blaise Pascal is considered the inventor of roulette.
According to the relevant version, this scientist made the corresponding discovery involuntarily. It was the result of another attempt to invent a perpetual motion machine.
Proponents of this theory defend their own opinion, based on the name of the game. The word "roulette" is translated from French as "wheel".
The approximate date of such an invention is considered to be 1658, which is confirmed by written sources. However, there is one nuance - Pascal created only the mechanism of the wheel for the game, not the wheel itself.
And roulette appeared as a result of "crossing" the corresponding device with the popular Italian game "Biribi".
The essence of the first versions of the tournaments was practically no different from its modern algorithm. Players placed bets, and the croupier launched the ball as the wheel moved. Bet on one number or several numbers in the form of a numerical combination. The winning number was considered the number on which the ball landed.
According to sources, roulette has been popular in the world since at least the middle of the 18th century. In 1758, a code of rules was issued in the Canadian city of Quebec, which prohibited this entertainment, along with other games for money. And in 1796, roulette, as a common hobby of gambling Parisians, was described by the writer Jacques Lablay.
Chinese version
Some researchers believe that the time of the invention of such a game is much older, proving the similarity of modern roulette with one of the pastimes enjoyed by the ancient Chinese.
Indeed, a similar game existed in the ancient Celestial Empire. It was called "Magic Square". The playing field has 37 cells, inside of which there are not numbers, but miniature figurines of animals.
One of the ancient Chinese legends says that such a game was "put on a wheel". And later, the images of animals were replaced by inscriptions of numbers.
It is interesting that the modern European version of roulette also uses 37 numbers - a numerical series from 0 to 36. And the oldest French mechanisms are characterized by 38 numbers - their additional digit became a double zero.
How roulette conquered Europe: interesting facts
Such bold hypotheses are put forward that the legendary "devil's wheel" was familiar even to the soldiers of Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece.
The difference between these games of chance and modern ones was that the players used a wheel from a war chariot. And the rules of the game were very similar to those that exist now.
Ancient Greek soldiers also used a round shield as a wheel. This armor was placed on a level horizontal surface with the inner side up. An arrow was placed next to the shield. Then bets were made and the shield was rotated. The goal of ancient gamblers was to guess the symbol that the arrow would point to.
Although relevant opinions exist, there is no scientifically proven proof of their validity. As a result, most historians consider the French version to be plausible.
On the European continent, roulette gained popularity by the end of the 18th century. Everything changed in the middle of the following century, as a result of the adoption by the French authorities of a law prohibiting gambling.
This decision forced the center of the gambling business to move to Germany. Legislators of gambling for money in this country, more precisely in its city of Hamburg, became the Blanc brothers - François and Louis.
At the same time, roulette underwent changes - entrepreneurs decided to remove the double "zero" from the wheel, reducing the number of sectors in it to 37. This decision increased the probability of winnings, which made this game even more popular.
The real flowering of casinos, in particular roulette, was observed after the opening of the resort in Monte Carlo, which took place in 1863. One of the Blanc brothers also became the founder of a corresponding gaming business in Monaco, in the south of France, which was liked by European aristocrats.
Roulette in America
On the territory of the Wild West, this game first appeared on the south coast of the USA, in New Orleans, and later it rapidly spread inland.
The American type of roulette has 38 sectors. Their number is increased due to double "zero" (0 and 00).
In the first half of the last century, for thirteen years in the USA, the gambling business also fell under the state taboo. But against the law, underground gambling establishments were active in the United States. In 1932, the ban was lifted, which made it possible for casinos to spread freely again.
In today's reality, several hundred commercial casinos and other gambling establishments operate in this country - this industry gives the American government hundreds of billions of dollars in profits every year.
Nowadays, gambling clubs are almost impossible to imagine without roulette. There is this famous game in the online format - innovative digital technologies have given a chance for the life and prosperity of this top entertainment of avid gamblers on the Internet.
Even more interesting about history of games learn with azart-games.