Roullete is a casino game based on chance that involves spinning a wheel and betting on numbers. Players can bet on a single number, a grouping of numbers, a color (red or black) or a combination of these. The odds of hitting a particular number are calculated by the location of the number on the roulette layout and by the pattern of numbers that surround it. There are two main types of bets: Inside Bets and Outside Bets. Inside bets are placed on specific numbers or small groups of numbers within the main grid (1-36) and offer higher payouts but lower chances of winning. Outside bets are made on larger sections of the board, such as red or black, odd or even and high or low.
The earliest unambiguous reference to modern roulette comes from Jacques Lablee’s book La Roulette, ou Histoire d’un joueur published in 1801/02. He describes a wheel with compartments or pockets painted alternately red and black and numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36. A 37th compartment, painted green on European wheels and blue on American ones, carries the sign 0 and is reserved for the bank. He also outlines the betting table: columns, dozens and even-money wagers on red/black, odd/even and high/low. This essential structure remains the basis for today’s game.
Roulette has a rich history that spans across continents, cultures and time periods. Its tumultuous course illustrates how it adapted to changing economic, political and social circumstances. Its many incarnations reflect the enduring appeal of a simple yet captivating game.
Structurally, roulette crystallized in late 18th-century Paris as a hybrid of two strands: wheel games and number lotteries. Its numbered wheel turned mechanical spectacle into a matrix of granular odds; its encircling betting cloth codified the rules of a standardized game; and its croupier procedure merged gambling den and barroom style. The resulting roulette game was a critical test of public opinion, oscillating between outright prohibition and permissive toleration. Throughout its long and varied history, the game of roulette has continued to test society’s attitudes toward vice and luck. Its circular form echoes the medieval “Wheel of Fortune,” turned by Fortuna to determine human fates, and it continues to resonate with symbolic meaning. It is often called the Devil’s Wheel because the sum of the numbers 1 through 36 adds up to 666, the biblical number of the Beast. Nevertheless, the wheel’s simplicity and elegance make it one of the most beloved symbols of gambling and chance. It is no wonder that it has been imbued with mythology and metaphor, inspiring artists from Da Vinci to Picasso and writers from Jane Austen to Franz Kafka. The whirring of the wheel in its various forms has made roulette a cherished symbol of the imagination and a staple of casino entertainment. Its enduring appeal is as much a product of human nature as it is a result of its mechanical properties. The roulette wheel has become the icon of chance and chance, the harbinger of fate and the embodiment of the human drive for excitement.