Roulette is one of the oldest and most popular casino games, dating back to the 18^th century.

Derived from the French word for 'little wheel', roulette has spawned a variety of online roulette games through the years drawing on exciting variations from all over the world. 

But away from the online casino, gamblers around the world continue to risk life and limb on the spin of the wheel.

Here are four of the biggest jackpots that have ever been taken down on the casino floor...

Businessman turns $35,000 into $3.5m

When: January 2017

Who: Pedro Grendene Bartelle

Amount won: $3.5m

Where: Hotel Conrad, Punta del Este, Uruguay

Game: French Roulette

Some gamblers are lucky, while others make their own luck.

Pedro Grendene Bartelle was already a successful businessman when he travelled to Uruguay's Punta del Este to try his luck on the French Roulette tables.

Forgoing the even-money red/black bets, Bartelle covered most of the third dozen. In fact, most of his $500 chips were stacked on or around number 32. The number duly came in and turned his $35,000 into $35m.

Oddly, the action was filmed on video, presumably before the security guards popped over to confiscate the camera.

Roulette strategy experts will know that French Roulette is one of the best games to play for RTP (Return to Player percentage).

The game features an insurance bet for players where half a losing even-money bet is returned if the ball lands on zero, pushing the house edge down to 1.35 per cent.

Not that Senor Bartelle needed it.

Ashley Revell puts his life savings on the line

When:  2004

Who: Ashley Revell

Amount won: $272,000

Where: Plaza Casino, Las Vegas

Game: American Roulette

Take one British businessman, throw in $136,000 of life savings and a harmless prop bet and you have the crazy story of Ashley Revell.

In 2004, the entrepreneur decided to risk the fate of his financial future on the spin of the wheel.

Revell sold everything, including his set of golf clubs and prized BMW, and put the proceeds on red at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas.

"Can I kiss the ball?" Revell asked as the wheel was spun and he pushed his pile of $1,000 chips on the even-money paying spot.

Whether the whole thing was a set-up as promotion for Revell's new online poker venture or not, it was certainly one of the most exciting bits of gambling ever caught on camera.

"That spin was the most amazing moment of my life," Revell said later. "It is a cliché, but time did stand still." 

Football boss shoots...he scores!

When: 2008

Who: Mike Ashley

Amount won: £1.3 million

Where: Fifty, London

Game: European Roulette

Our list of top roulette wins has a certain bias in that all of the winners are established businessmen.

You could argue that being a successful entrepreneur is in knowing when to gamble, and when to take the losses.

One man who has taken his fair share of bankroll hits is Mike Ashley.

The owner of English Premier League strugglers Newcastle United is looking to make the best deal he can by selling off the proud club, but he already has a reputation for taking large punts.

In 2008, Ashley walked into London's swanky Fifty Casino to have a few spins.

Within 15 minutes, so the legend goes, the larger-than-life soccer boss had made great use of his lucky number 17 to leave £1.3m richer.

That was probably enough to pay for one of his team's strikers' wages for the next 20 minutes.

The man who nearly broke Les Ambassadeurs

When: 2004

Who: Sir Philip Green

Amount won: £2m

Where: Les Ambassadeurs, London

Game: European Roulette

Lastly, let's keep the theme of gambling tycoons going with a classic tale involving former British Home Stores head, Sir Philip Green.

The billionaire was a frequent visitor to London's Les Ambassadeurs casino.

It's estimated he won at least £2m playing high-stakes roulette at the club in the middle of 2004 and possibly another million before the year was out.

So spectacular were the wins that Les Ambassadeurs' owner, London Clubs International (LCI), warned investors of profit warnings.

But with a house edge of 2.7 per cent, even the best roulette strategy bods know that the house always wins...eventually.