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The Background Spin

The word roulette is french, meaning "little wheel." Several early versions of roulette appeared in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. It is believed that the noted French scientist and mathematician Blaise Pascal invented the mechanism in 1657, however he did not envision its use for gambling. Pascal, incidentally, pioneered the mathmatical field of probability.

Roulette is the oldest of all the modern casino games, dating back almost 300 years. Without question, the roulette wheel has been the dominant symbol of casino gambling. One of the most spectacular and popular gamblers at Monte Carlo,Monaco was a young American named William Nelson Darnborough from Bloomington,Illinois. How he beat roulette at Monte Carlo from 1904 to 1911 has been a well-kept secret."Darnborough, in fact, beat the casino to the extent of 415,000 dollars. Roulette is the third most popular casino table game in the United States and, worldwide the most popular table game of all time. At last count there were 200 roulette wheels in Las Vegas, 170 in Atlantic City, 300 in Great Britain and over 1,500 in Europe. Like a fine Rolex watch or an expensive German auto, today's roulette wheels are a beautiful mixture of old-world craftsmanship and state-of-the-art manufacturing technology.

Both the double- and single zero roulette wheel originated in France, the double zero became known as the American Wheel, because it survived in the States.

Part 2