History is not a science. During the process of looking back more than a few hundred years, the view tends to become blurry. Theory overtakes fact and myths combine with documented detail, forming a hodgepodge of legend, fiction and truth. The history of gambling is no exception and the game of roulette is a perfect example.

The Blanc brothers subsequently introduced their invention to the casinos and gambling halls of, first, France and then Germany. As gambling became prohibited in both those countries, the Blancs were invited to seize the Holy Grail of legalized gambling, Monte Carlo. Some time during the 1860s, the Blancs contracted with Prince Charles III of Monaco to design and build a luxurious casino in Monte Carlo. This groundbreaking casino, called the Casino de Monte Carlo, was built with unprecedented lavishness and splendor and was designed to attract the gambling money of the rich and famous, i.e. the European VIPs of the time. The Blancs’ version of roulette came to be known as French or European roulette and it remains Monte Carlo’s premier gambling game to this day.

Roulette can be classified into two types, American and French (or European) roulette. The distinction between the two types lies on the number of zeroes on the wheel. A French Roulette wheel has only one zero giving a house advantage of 2.7%. In American roulette, the wheels have two "0's", zero and double-zero, resulting ino an increase in the house advantage to 5.3%.

Another difference in the two versions is the variation in chips use. American roulette is a bit more orderly as different colored chips are used for different bettors. In French roulette, standard casino chips with different values are used for bets, which creates a certain degree of confusion for both the croupier and the players. It’s part of the fun in French roulette to keep track of your bets! A conventional French Roulette table is also much larger than an American roulette table, and the croupier makes use of a long tool called rake in order to clear out the chips and to disseminate the winnings.