Roullete, or Roulette, is a casino game in which a ball is dropped into a revolving wheel with numbered holes. Players bet on which number the ball will land in by placing chips on various sections of the roulette table. The game originated in France in the 17th century and is believed to be derived from the earlier games hoca and portique. It was first written about in a document on gambling regulations in New France (now Quebec, Canada) in 1758 and later included in a list of banned games.
The roulette wheel is a solid wooden disk, slightly convex, with thirty-six compartments painted alternately red and black, with one green compartment containing the sign “0” on European wheels and two green ones on American-style wheels. A betting table covers the entire surface of the wheel, and a roulette croupier is responsible for overseeing the game. In North America, the game has one of the smallest followings of all casino games, drawing only about half as many players as blackjack or baccarat. However, it is a mainstay at Monte Carlo and other European casinos. Despite the large payouts for winning bets, it is considered a low-risk game. In fact, the mathematics of the game are so straightforward that even a child can understand them.