The first form of roulette was created in France in the 17th century, reportedly by mathematician Blaise Pascal. The game has been played in its current form since roughly 1800, and was very popular in Paris. Interestingly enough, it was only in 1842 that the "0" number was added to the roulette wheel, which is largely responsible for the house advantage that the casino has in roulette for many bets.

Roulette spread to the US in the early 1800s, where casinos and gambling house operators weren't content with the existing house advantage, so they added a second zero (the 00) to increase the casino’s edge even more. In the 1800s roulette spread all over both Europe and the US, becoming one of the most famous and most popular casino games.

Perhaps because of its European roots and prominence in areas such as Monte Carlo, roulette has always been viewed as a slightly higher class, more glamorous casino game than some others such as craps or blackjack.

• Roulette Rules
• Roulette Odds
• Roulette Strategy