Origins and History of Roulette

Roulette seems to have been invented by monks in a French monastery, in the 17th century. Some attribute the invention to a French scientist called Blaise Pascal during his monastic retreat on 1655. Another theory is that French Dominican monks invented Roulette, basing it upon an old Tibetan game in which the object was to arrange 37 animal statuettes into a magic number square of 666. Roulette in French means "Small Wheel" which again points back to a French origin of the game.

E.O., a relative of Roulette seems to have become rapidly very popular in the 1770s until it was banned by statute around 1782, and it could well be that E.O. is the direct English ancestor of modern Roulette.

Documentary evidence indicates that the game of roulette sprung up in the 18th century. Like many English games, the earliest mentions are in legal documents banning the game. The English Act 18 Geo. II of 1745 stated "And whereas as certain pernicious game called Roulette or Roly-Poly is daily practiced"... "no place shall be kept for the playing of the said game of Roulette or Roly-Poly"....

You can learn more about Roulette from The Online Guide to Traditional Games.