Brief History of Roulette
Roulette is part of what we in the casino circles like to refer to as the holy trinity of casino games, alongside blackjack and slots! What? What do you mean I’m the only one who actually calls it that? I can’t be, there’s bound to be others! I mean, it’s just so perfect! When you think of casino, you basically think of either the spinning reels of the slots, the sliding cards on the blackjack table or the rolling roulette wheel. There’s just no other option! When they hear the word “casino”, no one goes “Oh, yeah, that’s where I go to play baccarat!” It’s always one of these three games. Honestly, it’s hard to tell which of the three is the most iconic, but to me, personally, that honor needs to go to the roulette. Why? Well, because slots are too new (they’re less than a hundred years old), and blackjack is too ordinary, with it only involving an ordinary deck of cards. Roulette, on the other hand, has the visual imagery AND the thorough history to truly be the symbol of casino!
And let me tell you, there’s quite a lot to talk about when it comes to the history and origin of roulette. While most people think that it first appeared during the French revolution, unrelated versions of it have been popping around since antiquity. China, Greece and Rome all had their own versions of the basic “objects are arranged in a circle and something spins to point at one of them” game, which does make sense because, well, it’s one of the simplest games you can possibly make. Hell, somewhere, right at this very moment, a group of teenagers are playing a similar game right now, except they’re calling it “Spin the Bottle”. Regardless, the first real revolution came from “Proletariat Unrest: The Time Period”, also known as the French Revolution – a time that also gave us such classics as modern democracy, the guillotine and the inspiration for a criminally underrated “Assassin’s Creed” game. Most likely, the first roulette wheel was first invented as an attempt at creating a perpetum mobile machine, but was promptly adapted into a casino game by what must have been the most business-savvy dealer of all time.
Interestingly, at the time casinos didn’t really operate the way they do today. Instead of the casino hiring people to act as dealers and keeping the majority of the money, dealers basically employed themselves and simply used casinos as gambling spaces, in exchange for a percentage of their winnings. Many gambling activities required bulky boards (like a casino wheel), which is why having a dedicated space where you could store your stuff AND attract gamblers was a huge plus. However, as time went on, casinos gradually began turning into their modern counterparts (hired dealers and all), with a permanent selection of the most popular games being made available to play. Roulette was one of them. But it wasn’t until roulette was featured in Monaco’s casinos (which would become the cultural center of the world when it came to gambling) that it REALLY took off. After that, there was no stopping it – roulette was going to be in every casino in the world from then on.
The history of roulette is extremely interesting, and I can’t possibly do it justice in a 500 word article. I’d highly suggest that you go out of your way and read up on it a little bit, because even if roulette isn’t your favorite game, just the way it rose into prominence in the public’s eye is, I’d say, pretty fascinating!