Roulette Evolution - From History to Online Play

Roulette's journey: From European roots to Aussie casino floors

When you think of classic table games, roulette's bound to pop up. It's easily one of the most iconic games in gambling history. The roulette we play today hasn't changed a bit in over 200 years, making it a top pick for punters of all levels. While classic roulette's a staple at casinos, different versions like American and European roulette have also gained traction.

As online casinos took off, roulette fans were keen to see their favourite game make the digital leap. Roulette was one of the first table games to go online, and it's now a top choice for Aussie gamblers looking for a spin on the web. These days, game developers are churning out all sorts of jazzed-up versions of the classic.

Roulette's iconic look and feel have inspired countless films, books, and stories. It's hard to miss that spinning wheel and the thrill it brings.

If you're keen to learn more about this gambling legend, check out our article on roulette's history. It's a ripper of a read for anyone interested in the game's origins.

Single zero roulette wheel still spins in Aussie online and brick-and-mortar casinos.

The origins of roulette are a bit of a mixed bag. Some reckon it goes back to ancient times when people thought the gods were spinning a wheel to decide our fate. Others reckon it came from games in England or Italy.

But here's the kicker - roulette wasn't actually meant to be a game at all. It was a happy accident when Blaise Pascal, a big brain in maths and physics, was trying to create a perpetual motion machine back in the 1600s. He didn't set out to invent roulette as we know it, but his wheel-like contraption laid the groundwork for what would become the roulette wheel.

Interestingly, a version of roulette was already being played in France as a board game when Pascal came up with his wheel. He combined his invention with this existing game and a couple of British games like Roly-Poly and E.O. to create the modern roulette we see in casinos today. So while Pascal didn't invent roulette from scratch, he definitely gave it its iconic spin.

Pascal might've missed the mark on his perpetual motion machine, but he hit the jackpot with roulette. It quickly became a hit in royal courts and gambling halls across Europe, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Roulette's Aussie roots: From Pascal to pokies

Some reckon there's a link between the roulette table and an old Chinese board game unearthed by Dominican monks. These monks, who were deep into Chinese culture, brought the game to Europe with a few tweaks. They changed the squares to circles and chucked in some new numbers, including zero. But there's no solid proof of how the Chinese actually played this game back then. It's worth noting that even the earliest French and American roulette games had zeros.

There's no concrete evidence backing these claims, and it's important to remember that both French and American roulette have always included a zero pocket.

Ancient Rome

Traces of modern roulette can be found in ancient Rome too. Roman soldiers used it as a way to unwind during wartime. It makes sense - when your mates are dying around you, you need something to take the edge off. Roulette helped ease tension and boost morale among the troops. The Roman bigwigs cottoned on to this and let the soldiers have a bit of fun in their downtime. Their version involved spinning a chariot wheel or shield, similar to today's roulette wheel.

Ancient Greece

Greek soldiers were also keen on gambling during wartime lulls. One of their games was a dead ringer for modern roulette, using a shield and an arrow. They'd draw symbols inside the shield, place an arrow on the side, and give it a spin. The symbol that ended up in front of the arrow was the winner. It's fascinating to see how these ancient games have evolved into the pokies and table games we play in Aussie casinos today.

Video: Roulette Evolution - From History to Online Play

Roulette: A Ripper Casino Classic Loved Across Oz

Roulette's been a casino staple since it hit France in the 1700s, taking off like a rocket in gambling houses. Today's roulette looks a bit different from its French ancestor. The old French version had a red zero and a black double-zero - both house pockets. If the ball landed on either, punters lost their dough. To clear things up, they painted the zeroes green in the 1800s.

Interestingly, roulette got so big in France that King Louis XV tried to give it the boot. Napoleon Bonaparte later said it was only on in royal casino joints. By 1837, King Louis Phillipe shut down all of France's casinos, giving roulette the flick entirely.

The roulette we know today took cues from two 17th-century games: Even-Odd and Roly-Poly. Both had a spinning wheel where punters placed bets on the outcome.

Blaise Pascal, the bloke who invented modern roulette, knew his onions about these earlier games. Makes sense, given he was a bit of a gambler himself.

Two French blokes, François and Louis Blanc, deserve a big pat on the back for making gambling games so popular in Europe. These fellas got rid of the double zero pockets in roulette and came up with the game design we know today. Their version is now what we call European roulette.

Back in 1842, gambling was a no-go in France, so these lads had to find somewhere else to show off their new single-zero game. They ended up in Hamburg, Germany, where they introduced it to the local punters.

As you'd expect, the gambling crowd loved it, and the game took off. This kicked off a new era of gambling in Germany, with places like Bad Homburg, Baden-Baden, and Wiesbaden becoming hot spots. A Russian writer, Dostoyevsky, was living there at the time and even wrote about his experiences at the Bad Homburg casino in his famous book, The Gambler.

Germany banned casinos in the 1860s, but the Nazis reopened them in 1933. With gambling off-limits in Germany and France, Monte Carlo became Europe's gambling hub. The Blanc brothers moved there and built up a fancy gambling community. The single-zero roulette became so popular in Monte Carlo that it spread to countries all over the world.

Roulette's popularity skyrocketed, eventually hitting American shores. By the late 18th century, New Orleans had become the gambling capital of the United States. French immigrants in America helped roulette gain traction in Louisiana's casinos too.

By the 1800s, roulette had crossed oceans and found its way into the casinos of newly established American cities. The tables back then were a bit different from what we see today. This era saw the addition of a double zero on the wheel, now known as the hallmark of American roulette.

That's why classic roulette has 37 numbers, while American roulette has an extra pocket, totalling 38 spaces - numbers 1 to 36, a single zero, and a double zero. Though this lowered the odds for punters, Americans still embraced it.

For a while, some American wheels even sported an eagle symbol, as casinos weren't chuffed with their cut. These eagle-adorned wheels gave casinos a whopping 12.9% edge. But gamblers weren't keen, and these modified wheels quickly fell out of favour.

Aussie punters quickly embraced American roulette

The journey of online casinos has been a wild ride. When the first virtual casino hit the web in 1996, it completely changed how people viewed online gambling. Back then, these sites only offered a handful of games, mostly pokies and a few decent blackjack options.

As the internet became more widespread across all walks of life, online gambling took off. Punters who already loved a spin on the roulette wheel at their local club found themselves drawn to the digital version. The convenience of having a flutter from your lounge room was hard to resist.

Live roulette takes online casinos up a notch

The next big shake-up in online gambling came with live-streamed roulette games. This innovation bridged the gap between virtual and real-world gambling, attracting a whole new crowd of punters. It was a game-changer for those who were sceptical about RNG-based games, giving them a taste of the real casino atmosphere with spinning wheels and chips in play.

This format appealed to those who'd previously steered clear of online casinos, preferring the vibe of a physical betting shop. Now, they could get that authentic gambling experience without leaving their homes.

Live Pokies bring roulette action straight to your Aussie lounge room

The internet's impact on our lives has definitely changed how we approach gambling games, including roulette. These days, there's a stack of iGaming providers churning out new and exciting roulette games, adding fresh twists to the classic versions. If you're keen on trying something different, check out Multi-Ball Roulette or Mini Roulette at online casinos.

Roulette's also got a bit of a maths side to it. Some punters reckon they can predict where the ball might land by working out the speed of the ball and the spinning wheel. It's an interesting approach, for sure.

But let's be real here - roulette is all about chance, and there's no foolproof way to figure out where that ball's going to end up. It's part of what makes the game so thrilling for Aussie players.

Roulette's got a ripper of a backstory, evolving heaps over its 200-plus year history. Funny enough, it kicked off as a failed maths experiment trying to create a perpetual motion machine, but ended up becoming one of the most popular table games ever.

While roulette's seen plenty of changes over the years, the rise of online gambling's really shaken things up. These days, you'll find all sorts of new spins on the classic game popping up, and punters are loving it. At this rate, we're bound to see even more creative versions of this top-notch table game hitting our screens.