Roulette is a casino game that involves betting on a single number or various groupings of numbers. Its name derives from the French word for “little wheel”.
Despite its simplicity, there is some strategy involved in playing roulette, though not much. Ultimately, it is a game of chance. The odds of winning are the same for every player.
Origin
There are a few different theories about the origin of roulette. Some say that it was invented by a monk, while others claim that it came from the Italian game Biribi. However, the most common theory is that it was invented in 17th-century France by mathematician Blaise Pascal. He was trying to create a wheel that could produce perpetual motion, and he accidentally created a game that became very popular in Paris.
The earliest versions of roulette had numbered slots on red and black backgrounds, and they were very similar to the ones that are used today. Some anecdotal evidence suggests that the game may have originated in ancient China. However, there is not enough evidence to prove this. It is also possible that the game was brought to Europe by Dominican monks who had met Chinese monks on their travels.