One of my favourite things about playing at Llanbikefest is being able to try games that I would be intimidated by in the land based casinos. Roulette was always one of those games that I really wanted to play, but my lack of knowledge about how the game worked, and the seemingly vast number of bets, made it one that I always skipped.
Thanks to Llanbikefest, I was able to learn the ins and outs of the game by using the free play feature, which gave me the confidence to try it for real. I love roulette now, but have always wondered where the game originated, so decided to do a little research.
I assumed the game, given its name, meaning “little wheel” in French, originated in France, but the true origins are up for argument. Some say that it was invented in 17th century France by a mathematician named Blaise Pascal, while others claim that it was brought back to Europe by Dominican monks who discovered the game being played in China.
Whatever the case, by the late 18th century the game had become very popular, with Prince Charles of Monaco using it as a way to try and alleviate the financial problems of his region. The game as we know it today didn’t appear until 1842, with Francois and Louis Blanc devising the single “0” game. When roulette crossed the waters to the US, a “00” was added, and the two versions of the game still exist to this day.
Thankfully, you don’t have to cross the pond to play both versions as they can both be found here at Llanbikefest, so come give the wheel a spin.