Roullete (Roulette) is a game of chance played at a table marked off with the numbers from 1 to 36, one or two zeros and other sections affording the players a variety of betting opportunities and containing in its center a revolving dishlike device on which a small ball is spun to come to rest finally in one of the compartments numbered in a nonconsecutive pattern, alternately red and black, with a green (on American wheels only) compartment numbered 0. It is a wagering game where the player’s bets are based on what number will be landed on when the spinning wheel stops and the ball drops into a compartment. The player may also place bets on the color red or black, whether a number is odd or even, whether it is high (19-36) or low (1-18).
Bets are placed by placing chips on a special betting mat, the precise location of the chip indicating the bet being made. The bets on six numbers or less are called “Inside bets” and the bets on 12 or more numbers are known as “Outside bets”. The chips must remain in place until the spinner has cleared the winning and losing bets from the table.
The wheel used in roulette is a solid disk, slightly convex and rimmed with metal or wood partitions. The compartments on a European-style wheel are alternately painted in red and black and numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36. On the American version of the wheel, there is a green compartment numbered 0 and on some tables there are a pair of extra green compartments numbered 00.
While fanciful stories about the origin of roulette are numerous, it is certain that the game was developed in the late 18th century in Europe from a revolving-wheel variant of the Italian game Biribi. It was then brought to the United States where it evolved into its American form, with a double-zero wheel and simplified betting table layout, in response to rampant cheating by both casino operators and players. The game is popular in gambling dens throughout the world.