Roulette is a game of chance where players place chips on the table to correctly guess what number or type of bet the ball will land on after the spin. Bet types range from individual numbers to groups of numbers and have different payouts.
The game was allegedly invented by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal. But is there really any way to beat the odds at this casino game?
Origin
There is no definitive answer to the question of how roulette came to be. Some believe that it was derived from an ancient Chinese game and later introduced to Europe by Dominican monks. It is also possible that the modern version of the game originated in France, where it became popular among the upper class and was widely used in gambling houses.
The game that is known as roullete today most likely emerged in 17th century France from a combination of Roly Poly and Even Odd, games that involved betting on the outcome of a spin, and Biribi, an Italian game that featured numbered tickets.