What is Roulette?

Roulette is a casino game in which players place chips on a betting grid. A croupier spins a wheel with numbered slots and a zero (or double zero in American roulette). If the ball lands on your bet, you win.

Before you begin playing, set a budget and understand the odds of different bets. Then, learn about the various types of roulette bets.

Origins

The game of roulette has been around for a long time. The word ‘roulette’ means little wheel, and it’s believed that the modern version of this popular casino game originated in France in 1796. Before that, there were other games similar to it. For instance, the Italian game hoca and the English game of even-odd are often considered as precursors to roulette.

The exact origin of the game is not known, but many theories exist. The most popular is that it was invented by a French mathematician named Blaise Pascal while he was trying to develop a perpetual motion machine in the 17th century. He may have come up with the concept for the wheel and its numbers by accident. Other games like roly poly and bassette were also very similar to roulette, so it’s hard to determine which came first.

Variations

Roulette has many variants that offer a wide variety of gameplay experiences. These variations often add new twists to the game by expanding betting options and offering prizes on top of regular bets like inside and outside wagers. For example, Key Bet Roulette expands the betting options with additional bets that pay out prizes multiplied by your regular inside or outside bets. This adds a dynamic that sways the odds in favour of the player.