Gambling is more accessible than it has ever been and traditional gambling venues have suffered greatly because of the mass migration of gambling games to online platforms. This has made gambling more popular than ever and millions of people gamble regularly online.
People gamble for different reasons, but it is mainly for fun and excitement. Today’s gamblers actually tend to favour slots, if latest statistics are to be believed. Most gambling revenue was generated by slots games last year and this is predicted to continue to be the case for the foreseeable future. With so many slot focused online casinos out there, you would be excused if you forgot that other gambling games actually existed. Table games such as Roulette predate slots, yet they now live in the shadow of slot games. Read on to learn more about roulette and online slots.
The History Of Roulette
It is thought that Roulette predates the 17th century. It is not clear what form the game took back then. However, a French mathematician named Blaise Pascal is regularly credited in history as inventing Roulette, in the nearest form that we play today and he did this in the 17th century whilst trying to invent the perpetual motion machine. There are even echoes of Roulette in Ancient China, as many people believe that the game’s origins are actually based on a Chinese board games that contained 37 animal figures that needed arranging within a square that contained numbers that added up to 666. Monks are believed to have discovered this game and they modified it before introducing it to Europeans.
Game Design
The design of Roulette is influenced by two games that were also popular during the 17th century. Roly Poly and Even Odd both involved betting on a spinning wheel. The development of the game was hindered by European gambling bans back in the 18th century, but Prince Charles Of Monaco opened gambling houses for the aristocracy and Roulette topped the menu. This allowed for further alterations and in 1842 Francois and Louis Blanc removed the double zero pocket, leaving behind just one zero and this is how European Roulette was created.
The History Of Slots
Slots came into being much later in the history of gambling games. In fact, it wasn’t until the 19th century that the first slot machine appeared on the market. Early slots were mechanical in nature and the actual games were very basic. Despite this, slots were a hugely popular addition to the gambling world. In 1996, slots took over as the most popular form of gambling and this was mostly down to the invention of virtual video slots.
Slots VS Roulette
Even though there are variations on Roulette, these are still dwarfed by the variety of slots out there. Slots come armed with special features, bonus rounds, fun themes and jackpots and Roulette, although steeped in gambling history and traditions, simply cannot compete with them. This is why punters prefer online slots over Roulette and with the introduction of VR and 3D slots to come, Roulette will be left further behind still.
