This popular casino game was invented and first devised in the late 18th century in France. Its precursor is the search for the "perpetual motion machine" sought by Blaise Pascal. Since then, it has been played basically with in the same form, with the same basic rules.
In the beginning it was considered a game exclusive of the royalty. The first reference found of this game, is found on the promulgated laws for Quebec in 1758, known as "New France" in those times, where it is explicitly forbidden any kind of luck games, among them, the dice and roulette. In literature, one of the first descriptions made was in the novel "La Roulette, ou le Jour" (The roulette or the day) by Jacques Lablee, who makes a description of this game, supposedly found in the Parisian Palais Royal. One of the highlights on this description is the two slots reserved for the bank, being these the cero and double-cero slots. It was from these slots that the house got its mathematical advantage.
Already in the nineteenth century, the double-ceroed wheel was commonly used, but it was in Germany, in the town of Homburg, where the first roulette wheel with a single cero was introduced by Luis Blanc, a noble Frenchman. This new variation was introduced to compete directly with the traditional double-cero models already in use.
In both forms, this game became fairly popular around Europe and was introduced with success in the United States in the same century, becoming the most famous and popular casino game. On modern times, it is still in use and hasn't lost its popularity. On the contrary, from distant places like Monte Carlo, located in southern France to Las Vegas, in Nevada, U.S.A., the roulette keeps spinning, making players from all ages and epochs, feel the same excitement as the ball bounces and bounces, spins and finally falls into a numbered pocket.