The exact origins of the game are obscure, but it seems to have evolved from "pitch and toss", a gambling game involving tossing a single coin into the air and wagering on the result of the toss which was popular amongst poorer English and Irish citizens in the 18th century. The prediliction of the convicts for this game was noted as early as 1798 by the colony's first Judge Advocate, as well as the lack of skill and consequent losses at it.

The first form of roulette was first devised in 17th century France, by the mathematician Blaise Pascal, who was supposedly inspired by his fascination with perpetual-motion devices. In 1842, fellow Frenchmen Francois and Louis Blanc added the "0" to the roulette wheel in order to increase house odds. Roulette was brought into the U.S. in the early 1800s, and again in order to increase house odds a second zero, "00", was introduced - although in some forms of early American roulette the double-zero was replaced by an American Eagle. In the 1800s, roulette spread all over both Europe and the U.S., becoming one of the most famous and most popular casino games.

The credit card was the successor of a variety of merchant credit schemes. It was first used in the 1920s, in the United States, specifically to sell fuel to a growing number of automobile owners. In 1938 several companies started to accept each other's cards.

The concept of paying merchants using a card was invented in 1950 by Frank X. McNamara in order to consolidate multiple cards. The Diners Club produced the first charge card, which is similar but required the entire bill to be paid with each statement; it was followed shortly thereafter by American Express.

Sample for a fictional cheque in the United Kingdom. The cheque is crossed (with ACCOUNT PAYEE written vertically in the middle of the cheque), which means that it can only be paid into a bank account, not to cash. Cheques issued in other Commonwealth countries are similar.

One dollar chips from various Las Vegas casinos.

Casino tokens are small colored metal or plastic discs used in gambling establishments in lieu of currency or coins.

Harry Truman's poker chips