[imagesource: Pixabay / Sprinter_Lucio]
Horror writer Stephen King once said: “Life is like a wheel. Sooner or later, it always comes around to where you started again.” The wheel is often used as a symbol of life and the part that fate plays in it. We talk about the “circle of life,” and the “wheel of life” represents our cyclic existence in religions and belief systems around the world including Buddhism and Native American tribal practices.
The wheel’s role as a symbol of fate goes back as far as its invention as a practical object itself. Ever since the Sumerian people first attached an axle to a wooden disc in Lower Mesopotamia around 3500 years ago, the wheel has become a symbol of fate or fortune and remains so today.
The wheel of fortune often features in games of chance. Head over to any top online casino site and you’ll find various games where the outcome is decided by a wheel. For example, on the Paddy Power website, you can get a chance to win free spins, cash, bonuses, and scratch cards via a daily free spin wheel called Wonder Wheel.
A more familiar wheel is found on the roulette table. This device has been used to decide the outcome of wagers for around 300 years. Today, roulette games are more popular than they have ever been thanks to online casinos, where players can play with live dealers or on virtual tables.
Slot games also use wheels to decide outcomes. The spinning reels are decorated with various symbols, which must be matched in certain combinations to win prizes. This format has remained the same since the first slot machines were produced over 100 years ago. The big difference today is that mechanical wheels have been replaced by digital versions for casino slot games. Video slots that use the wheel as a theme include Mystic Wheel, Wheel of Deal, Grand Wheel, and Big Wheel Bonus.
TV game shows such as “The Wheel of Fortune” and “The Price is Right” have also used a spinning wheel to decide outcomes. This formula is so successful that the former is one on the longest-running shows on USA TV, with over 40 seasons aired since 1975. Now who could have predicted that?
All of this leads us back to Ancient Greek and Roman times when the phrase “wheel of fortune” (Rota Fortunae) was first used. Fortuna was the Roman Goddess of Luck and Fortune. She decided the fate of mortals by spinning a wheel, which was a symbolic representation of life. Those who were at the top of the wheel would live a happy and full life, while those at the bottom were condemned to misery. A spin of the wheel could transform the fortunes of either.
Once the wheel of fortune has been spun, there is no way to change the outcome. However, US stand-up comedian Steven Wright once joked: “In Vegas, I got into a long argument with the man at the roulette wheel over what I considered to be an odd number.”
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