The term “Roulette” is derived from a French word meaning small wheel. The origin of Roulette is not very clear. while some sources state that Blaise Pascal, a 17th Century French mathematician invented the roulette wheel, other sources state that the game originated in China and was brought to Europe by Dominican monks who were trading with the Chinese jili slots.
During the late 18th century the Roulette wheel became very popular when Prince Charles (ruler of Monaco at the time introduced gambling to Monaco as a way of alleviating the financial problems of the region.
However, the modern version of the Roulette wheel did not appear until 1842 when Frenchmen Francois and Louis Blanc invented the single “0” roulette game. The game was eventually brought to America in the early 1800s.
The single “0” modification was eventually rejected in America and the two zeros “00” where returned to the Roulette wheel. The Roulette wheel gained a great deal of popularity in America during the California Gold Rush.
There are two types of Roulette Games.
American Roulette Wheel: The American Roulette Wheel contains 38 numbers including 0.00 and 1 to 36. Having two zeros (0.00) gives the house a 5.26 advantage. In other words, for every $100 a gambler bets, the house will make $5.26 in profit.
European Roulette Wheel: The European Roulette Wheel contains 37 numbers including 0 and 1 to 36. Having one zero (0) gives the house a 2.70% advantage. In other words, for every $100 a gambler bets, the house will make $2.70 in profit.
Other differences between the two Roulette Games: One major difference pertains to the color of the gambling chips. While American casinos will give the players different colored chips which will allow the players to differentiate their chips/bets from other players, the European casinos will give the players the same colored chips. Thus the players at American casinos, unlike gamblers at European casinos need to rely on memory to distinguish their chips/bets from those of other players.
Another difference between the two games includes the fact that in European casinos, croupiers use a long stick known as the Rake to sweep in all chips, while the American casino dealers will use their hands and arms to sweep the chips off the table.