Several versions of a wheel and spinning ball were invented in the mid 17th and 18th centuries in Europe. The first roulette game was introduced in the mid l7th Century by a French scientist, Blaise Pascal during a "monastic retreat" and played for the first time in a Paris casino. This game contained all of the features that we have today with the one exception, the single zero was colored red while the double zero was colored black. This led to some confusion for players and the color green was introduced for the zero and double zero.

Frenchmen Francois and Louis Blanc invented the single zero roulette game in 1842. Because gambling was illegal in France during this time, the game was introduced in Hamburg, Germany where it became very popular and replaced an earlier, lower odds version. When gambling was outlawed in Germany the inventors of the single zero machine Louis Blanc and Francois went to Monaco to establish and operate a casino. The casino set the standards for roulette in Europe, and roulette remained exclusive to Monte Carlo until 1933. As a result, the luxurious, world-famous resort of Monte Carlo was developed.

When roulette came to the United States in the early 1800s, the improvements were deleted, and a double zero returned. The double zero roulette wheels or "American Wheels" were very popular in the old west of America. The penetration of the single zero wheel or "European Wheel" were and still is wider in Europe then in United States.

In Europe and Atlantic City the casinos introduced another refinement to the game that increased the odds for the player, the option of “En Prison” or "la partage rule" was offered. With the en prison option if the player has made an even money bet (bet on Even or Odd, Red or Black, 1-18 or 19-36) and zero or double zero is the next outcome the player has two options: "imprison" the bet (the bet stays where it is and the next spin determines if the bet is lost or returned to the player) or surrender half of the bet.

One Winner Story - Monte Carlo or Bust
In 1891, Charles DeVille won $13,000 (a fortune back then) at the Monte Carlo roulette tables. He placed all his money on the number 5, five times in a row! When this extraordinary sequence was finished, he left and bought a yacht in the south of France with his winnings..

Online Roulette History
Roulette was one of the first game that was offered by online casinos. When first Internet casino (Gaming Club) had been launched in 1995 it had this popular table game in its software package. Today almost all online casinos offer at least two versions of roulette: American and European. Microgaming casinos also feature French and European Roulette Gold games.

You can also see selected recent roulette winners and biggest online roulette winners for the last several years of online casinos history. Follow the links on page to see real winner stories and testimonials (where available). The history is made by the real players and you can be among them. The largest online win on roulette was almost $438K and there are no limits on further wins as the jackpot of progressive Roulette Royale game keeps on growing!

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