The history of roulette

Roulette is the queen of the Casino. This is the easiest, most popular and emotional game. Unfortunately, it is also quite addictive. The image of ladies in evening gowns and tuxedo gentlemen is commonly associated with this game.

Blaise Pascal is thought to be the inventor of roulette, although some claim that this game was known back in the ancient times. In the middle of XVII century Pascal developed the theory of gambling. It was the time when probability mathematics were developed, and possibly also roulette itself.  The game gained popularity among French nobility, it was played in Versailles and Louis XVI was its keen enthusiast. Roulette was treated as courtly game among magnates. One hundred years later Blanc brothers, Louis and Francis, added zero to 37 numbers existing in the game. It made roulette even more exciting, because the risk became higher.

Roulette was soon democratized and moved from aristocratic houses to less elegant clubs in Paris, where the bourgeoisie and rich middle class liked to spend time. In 1837 Louis Philip passed the act that banned the game and it was the end of legal roulette in France. It happened at the request of many families that became bankrupt. Roulette moved to Monaco, which is still the capitol of European gambling, and then to America. Today you cannot imagine Las Vegas without this simple red and black spinning wheel, which can bring you either fortune or bankruptcy.