Gambling games using spinning wheels have been played for thousands of years. Some of the earliest games using spinning wheels date back to Ancient Rome and Greece. Roman soldiers would mark sections on a chariot wheel, spin it and bet on where it would stop. In Ancient Greece, the same principle was applied to shields that were marked with sections and spun on spears.
The horizontal spinning wheel that forms the basic equipment for game of roulette is thought to have been invented by French mathematician Blaise Pascal in the 17th century. He was experimenting with perpetual motion devices. The wheel is thought to have been a result of these experiments. Roulette wheels are mounted on a spindle and, much like flywheels, a small push on the wheel is enough to keep the wheel spinning for a considerable length of time.
Games that resemble roulette emerged in England in the 18th century. In 1720 a game called roly-poly was invented. It was played with a ball that was spun round a horizontal rotating wheel. It became extremely popular and was played in taverns and gaming houses. In 1739 and 1740 gaming acts were passed  banning the game. To get round the ban a simplified version of the game was Invented called even odd. Alternate sections of the wheel were marked with ‘E’ and ‘0′ respectively. Players would bet on whether E or 0 would be spun. By 1745 the game of even odd was also banned.