Roulette is a casino game that involves placing bets on the outcome of a spinning wheel. It is a simple game of chance that brings its own sense of drama and suspense to the table. The game is played by one or more croupiers (that’s what they call the dealers in roulette). Once all bets are placed, the dealer spins the wheel and drops a ball into it. The croupiers then announce that the bets are closed and players watch as the ball bounces around the wheel and eventually settles into a pocket marked with a specific number. If that number is your bet, you win!

Roulette has a long history, and its roots are in Europe. The game began in France, but it spread throughout the world as people moved westward and discovered the new game in gambling dens and casinos. It is believed that the game grew more complicated as it spread, with cheating and other forms of deception becoming more prevalent.

In the United States, the game gained popularity in the 1800s and was soon widely adopted by casino owners. The American version differed from the European game, with a 00 added to the wheel and an additional bet on the numbers 0 and 36. The house edge in American roulette is higher than the house edge in European roulette, as the 00 increases the probability of hitting one of the winning numbers.

The simplest bets in roulette are the outside bets, which are made on groups of numbers or on color. They include the red and black bets, as well as the odd and even bets. There is also a bet on the first or last 18 numbers on the layout, known as the high or low bet.

Outside bets are more conservative plays and offer lower payouts if you win. They’re perfect for beginners who don’t want to risk losing a lot of money.

There are several different types of roulette wheels, but they all have the same basic construction. The wheel is a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape, with thirty-six compartments, or pockets, painted alternately red and black, on its rim. A single numbered ring surrounds the compartments, and on European-style wheels there is an additional 0 and on American-style wheels two green compartments labeled 00. The pockets are separated by metal partitions, which are called frets or separators. Each numbered compartment is either red or black, and the pockets are divided into even and odd numbers, with the exception of the green ones. The 0 and 00 have a higher house edge than the other numbers. The wheel has a static bowl and a rotating wheelhead, which is supported by a spindle.