Roulette is a casino game in which players place chips on a betting table. They are then spun a ball around the roulette wheel. The winning numbers are marked on the wheel and paid out to the winners. The losing bets are cleared off the table.

The Roulette wheel has 37 numbered red and black sections and an extra green section labelled 0. On American tables there is an additional 00 section.

Origin

There are a number of different theories about the origin of roulette. Some claim that it was invented by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal as part of his search for a perpetual motion machine. Others believe that it was derived from the older games hoca and portique. Still others say that it was derived from a Chinese game and then introduced to France by Dominican monks. Regardless of its exact origin, it became a popular game in casinos and gambling houses throughout Europe.