The Roulette Wheel Up Close
The Roulette wheels in casinos may be dressed up by casinos, but the basic design has not changed, and probably never will, because it is just about perfect in its present state.
There is no standard when it comes to size, but most Roulette wheels rarely extend beyond three feet in width and weighing about 100 lbs. Roughly shaped like a bowl, the surface is slanted into a downward slope. At the upper end of this slope are the compartments or sections that separate the numbers in the device.
The compartments or "pockets" is where the ball goes to rest after a spin. Alternating between black and red, they are numbered from 1 to 36, with the zero (and in American wheels, double zero) in a green pocket.
The arrangement of the numbers in the Roulette wheel has remained unchanged, and there have been all sorts of speculations about how the numbers cam to be arranged that way.
The theories have ranged from the scientific (the numbers were arranged by the mathematician Pascal), to the historical (the numbers were randomly chosen by the monks, who were among the first to use the wheel as a means of passing the time in the monasteries) to the fantastic (the placement of the numbers were set down by the Devil).
Whatever its true origin, the fact is that the numbers in the Roulette are placed in such a way that it has the greatest possible balance between the numbers; from the alternating colors to the odd and even sequence, it is the perfect setup. It is no surprise then, that the basic layout for the numbers have not changed, and that the colors have also remained despite the many changes that gambling has undergone through the centuries.
The only major difference in Roulette wheels is the presence, or lack thereof, of the double zero. During its early history the wheel had only one zero, but as the game was imported to the New World another was added, favoring the casinos. Nevertheless, the double zero has gained acceptance in the United States.
The Roulette wheel has become a symbol of many things, from elegance, luxury, luck to simply being the wheel of fortune. It is simplicity personified, and yet holds the potential for life changing moments. As such, it will continue to be a symbol of the endless possibilities that await man and woman in the exciting and unpredictable world of gambling and casinos.