Blaise Pascal – The Man Who Invented Roulette

When it comes to casino games, Roulette is a household name. However, while many people are familiar with the game, not as many know who is responsible for its creation.

French physicist, mathematician, and philosopher Blaise Pascal accidentally laid the foundations for today’s modern-day Roulette wheel when he attempted to create a perpetual motion machine way back in the 1650s. Here we dig a little deeper into the thinker’s fascinating life and accomplishments.

Blaise Pascal was born in Clermont-Ferrand, France, and was considered something of a prodigy from a very early age. He was exceptional in the study of languages, mainly Latin and Greek. However, Pascal had a fascination for mathematics and was soon presenting his theories at Parisian Academies. He continued his mathematical pursuits, garnering attention from other important minds in the field such as René Descartes.

Pascal’s real breakthrough came between 1642 and 1644 when he invented the Pascaline, or what many consider to be the first calculator. In the years that followed he invested time improving his creation, developing over 50 different prototypes for the device.

The Pascaline calculator became something of a status symbol in France, meaning that those who owned one were automatically considered to be members of high-class society. His other major accomplishments include ‘Pascal’s Principle of Pressure’ and the modern theory of probabilities known as ‘Pascal’s Rule’.   

In addition to inventions and mathematical theories, Pascal is also known for his prose which employed wit and satire to captivate readers. After suffering from a stomach ulcer, Pascal died in Paris at the age of 39. He will forever be remembered for his pioneering work in mathematics, literature and of course, gaming.