Roulette was first played in 18th century France, with the name literally meaning “little wheel.” It is believed to have sprung from a unique fusion in the English games of Roly-Poly, E.O., Ace of Hearts, as well as the games of Biribi and Hoca from Italy.

Historical records show that the game may have been played as early as 1796 in Paris, being described in a book written by Jaques Lablee called “La Roulette, ou le Jour.” There is an even earlier reference to the game as well in New France – Canada – where the betting games of Roulette, Dice, Hoca and Faro were banned; this was referred to in a legal regulation of 1756.

In this early Roulette, the wheels were noted to have two zero slots being the ‘0’ and ’00’ slots, which today we associate as being American roulette. Despite this, it was actually the first kind of roulette wheel devised to be in common use and it wasn’t until 1843 in Germany where the single zero – ‘0’ – wheel was invented, marking the creation of the modern European roulette wheel.

However it wasn’t until the 1860’s when the German govenment abolished gambling and casinos that the European roulette wheel became very famous. A man by the name of Francois Blanc – who actually invented the single-zero wheel – moved the last remaining legal casino in Europe to Monte Carlo and inevitably created a haven for the gaming elite of that part of the world. It is said that here the modern 36-plus-0 European roulette wheel was born, which is now the most widely used roulette wheel today.

It’s also interesting to note that history tells of Francois Blanc selling his soul to the devil himself so that the secrets of roulette would be revealed – hence the numbers on the roulette wheel add up to 666, the number of the devil, or mark of the beast!

During this time however the traditional double-zero wheel was spreading through the United States and that’s where it mainly stayed, while once the ban on European gambling was lifted, the single zero wheel spread all through Europe.

David Morris is a seasoned gambler who has spent years in real-world and online casinos. Click the link for some information on GUARANTEED ROULETTE BEATING PROGRAMS as well as you can check out David’s personal GAMBLING BLOG HERE.

By David Morris
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