The History of Roulette

Where does the game of roulette originate from?

There have been many a story as to the origin of roulette, The game’s history can be traced back to as early as the tenth century. In the Caucasus, parchments have been found that show similarities to the current number sequence found on roulette wheels today. Legend has it that roulette in its earliest form was invented by a Chinese monk in the fourteenth century, and then introduced to Europe by a Jesuit missionary.

Other legends contrary to popular opinion are that the french master mathematician Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was inventor. This however is not true but he did make braking discoveries with one of the first scientific contributions as to the theory of probability but there is no link between him and the game of roulette.

The very first primitive form of roulette appeared in Italy toward the end of the 17th century, as there was law prohibiting gambling and games of chance. In those times the rich aristocracy could be found gambling illegally in each others villas (casini) (as we call them today) . The word casini is the Italian word for small house was then used as the name for these gambling houses that hosted the various forms of games of chance. Germany and France set up casinos in the mid 18th century followed soon by Monte Carlo and Baden Baden where gaming started to flourish.

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