Roulette’s Lasting Influence on Wider Entertainment

It’s hard to think of many games or pastimes that have endured for as long as roulette. The history of the spinning wheel can be traced back centuries, all the way to the great mathematician and polymath Blaise Pascal in 17th century France. The game hasn’t changed much, but it has stayed relevant by adapting to different trends throughout the ages. It's the iconic casino offering, and it has had an incredible influence on wider entertainment as well.

Roulette in its Most Common Form

The greatest change in roulette’s history has been the move to online play, where it is now more accessible and enjoyed by millions all over the world. Prior to the emergence of internet gambling, roulette was commonplace in land-based gambling houses, but the digital era made it famous to the masses. The iconic roulette wheel is present in all the online variants of the game, but there have been a few modern advancements for the modern era. These include options like Lightning Roulette, Age of Gods Roulette, and Mega Fire Blaze Roulette. Of course, players still have the option to play the well-known European and American iterations of the spinning wheel as well.

Rather than fade away in the internet age among the plethora of options that online casino players have at their fingertips, roulette’s draw has grown stronger. This could be because the reasons that made the game so popular hundreds of years ago are still present. Players are still intrigued by the intricacy of the wheel and the multitudinous betting options. They still want to crack the code and figure out the perfect system to beat the game. And they are still hypnotized by the sights, sounds, and unpredictability of the whole experience. On top of all that, roulette thrives thanks to its simplicity and the fact that players don’t need to learn anything to be able to play.

Developers have managed to cater to a broad range of player types with their roulette offerings. Aside from the virtual games and the newfangled spinoffs they’ve spawned, there are also live-streamed options where players come face to face with a real-life dealer. These titles are designed to bring the land-based casino atmosphere to players in their own homes, and there’s a lot of interest in this form of the game. Thanks to advanced high-definition cameras and professional studio production values, this form of roulette is continuing to boom in popularity.

Roulette’s Influence

Roulette has had a huge influence on the wider entertainment industry. It’s easy to find content that’s directly inspired by the game, along with things that are loosely influenced. The casino offering has also made appearances in other areas of mainstream entertainment, including films, television, and gaming. Console game developers have turned to roulette on numerous occasions in the past when they’ve wanted to include an engaging mini-game within a larger title. For example, Rockstar Games opted to include the classic wheel in its casino update for GTA V Online. The game also appeared in Fallout: New Vegas and Final Fantasy.

Some of the world’s greatest game shows have clearly taken the roulette concept and added their own twists. Wheel of Fortune is the standout example of this, as the show features a giant wheel that spins and lands on a random section. The series was invented by Merv Griffin in 1975 and is still running to this day. There have been more than 7000 episodes of the American version, which has also inspired several international iterations. The format of this much-loved game show plays on the randomness and the unpredictability associated with roulette. This generates high levels of interest, as players never know what they are going to get.

Another place to witness the enduring influence of roulette is in the music industry. The game and its themes are often used to convey a sense of an unknown future, and artists probably choose to use roulette because it is so relatable and recognizable. Some of the many artists to use roulette in their song titles include Katy Perry, System of a Down, Bon Jovi, Machine Gun Kelly, and Mr. Vegas. Then, there are numerous songs entitled Russian Roulette by the likes of Red Velvet, Rihanna, and Martin Tungevaag.

Retro Roulette

Despite all the various forms of online roulette that players can choose from, the live version, which could possibly now be considered retro, is still hugely popular. Many players discover the game online and then seek out the hustle and bustle of casinos to experience it in its full glory. This is highlighted by the high number of visitors that cities like Las Vegas still manage to allure. Typically, the Nevada city brings in around 40 million people every year.

The traditional form of roulette now coexists alongside all the various online options. The great thing is that there’s no clear distinction in popularity between the two types, with players of online versions enjoying live games and vice versa. This will almost certainly lead to more hybrid versions of the game, expanding on the live streaming options that already exist.

There has long been talk of the introduction of virtual reality roulette games, and these could become commonplace when the technology enters the mainstream. Online casino behemoth Microgaming developed VR Roulette in 2015, but the game hasn’t taken off yet due to the lack of uptake of the headsets. Surely this title and others like it will be ready to drop as soon as VR becomes a ubiquitous household item. If so, it could offer the perfect blended experience of digital and real-world gameplay.

Roulette feels like one of those games that will be around forever. Having survived numerous major breakthroughs in technology, the game should be able to adapt to anything that comes. It will most certainly maintain its influence on the wider entertainment industry as well.