Types of gambling. Types of gambling. Let's look at some of them more specifically

Some games are usually called gambling. Such games, although they involve the participation of two or more players, ultimately come down to the confrontation of players with random events.

The term “gambling” is of French origin, literally meaning “game of chance.” In pre-revolutionary Russia, a modified form of the phrase was more often used - “game of chance” (from the French jeu de hasard).

The main interest of gambling lies in its outcome. The process of the game and the skill of the players fade into the background here (in ordinary games the opposite is true).

As a rule, winning in a gambling game is associated with the payment of material rewards. It is this circumstance that attracts the attention of players to them.

Gambling can be games using playing cards (poker, baccarat and others), dice, slot machines, their electronic emulators and other devices.

Theoretical foundations of gambling

The outcome - loss or victory - in gambling is entirely subject to the laws of random variables.

Analysis of these results over “long” distances allows one to derive patterns that allow gambling organizers to always remain “in the black.”

Photo 1. Many people associate gambling with playing cards.

At the same time, there is no deception as such on their part.

It’s just that some events (combinations of cards or dice, a ball hitting a particular cell, a combination of symbols in slot machines, and so on) occur more often than others, and the approximate frequency of such events can be calculated mathematically.

Photo 3. Gambling can become a serious problem for a person suffering from gambling addiction.

Such people are called gambling addicts, and the dependence itself – gambling addiction(or - gambling addiction).

People suffering from psychological addiction to gambling experience the following symptoms:

• decreased self-control,
• emotional instability,
• excessive absorption in the game,
• complete indifference to others,
• depressive state.

Particularly severe forms of gambling addiction can lead to attempts to settle scores, affecting the physical condition of a person, leading to asthenia and neurasthenia.

Attitude towards gambling

The legislation of most countries provides for measures aimed at curbing the spread of gambling, establishing various forms of control over this area, including criminal ones.

As a general rule, participation in such games by minors is prohibited.

Photo 4. In most countries, only persons who have reached the age of majority are allowed to gamble

Criminological studies reveal a clear relationship between the widespread prevalence of gambling in Russia and the increase in the number of crimes in the economic sphere (tax evasion, legalization of criminal proceeds, maintenance of brothels, theft by embezzlement or appropriation, and others).

At the same time, courts in a number of countries make very contradictory decisions regarding the status of gambling, elevating some of them to the category of sports.

An example is the decision of the New York Federal Court regarding poker, in which, according to the court, chance plays a secondary role, and the outcome of the game largely depends on the skill of the players.

In January 2017, the London Court of Appeal refused to recognize bridge as a sport.

Previously, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made attempts to include sports bridge as an independent sport in the program of individual world-scale competitions held under the auspices of the IOC (Beijing, 2008).

When talking about gambling, we most often think of poker, roulette or slot machines. But there are types of gambling in the world that you don’t even know about. For us they are exotic, although, say, for the average Australian, betting on the outcome of the race... of sea crabs is a completely ordinary activity.

These games are often illegal and are played in circumvention of existing government restrictions. Let's take a closer look at the world of exotic gambling entertainment.

Slot machines

Pachinko

Pachinko is a kind of gaming machine that resembles a mixture of the familiar “one-armed bandit” and vertical pinball. The game takes place as follows: metal balls are poured into the machine from above, and the player uses a lever to regulate the speed of firing them onto the playing field. The balls roll down the maze and most of them go to waste, but at least one always hits the target and brings a win (a certain number of the same balls).

It is impossible to officially receive the cash equivalent of your winnings. The balls are used to continue the game or exchanged for prizes (a lighter, a bottle of perfume, etc.). However, shops (controlled by the Yakuza) are often opened next to the pachinko halls, where gifts are exchanged for money.

In Japan, the game is incredibly popular, since classic gambling is banned (this explains the lack of cash winnings). Pachinko gaming halls in the land of the rising sun can be found on every corner, and machine manufacturers occupy pride of place in the list of the richest people on the planet according to Forbes.

Board games

Fan Tian

Fan Tian is an ancient Chinese game with simple rules: the leader takes a handful of coins and covers them with something. The square-shaped playing field is divided by diagonals into four triangles. Participants place bets on one of the sectors: 1,2,3 or 4. Next, the dealer opens the coins and begins to separate four pieces with a special long stick, without touching them with their hands.

If, as a result of division, 1 piece remains, then number 1 wins, 2 - number 2, 3 - number 3, 4 - number 4.

The Chinese play fan tian right on the streets, often using any small objects at hand (beans or buttons) instead of coins. Regular police raids cannot eradicate this gambling activity as money changes hands.

Race

Racing attracts passionate people all over the world. Betting on the outcome of a race is the privilege of aristocrats, and betting on a donkey race is a traditional pastime for Pakistanis. We have selected the most unusual types of racing that can be found in the world.

• Cockroach race

Giant Madagascar cockroaches, 6-10 cm long, are usually used for racing. They are considered one of the fastest not only among their species, but among all insects.

Cockroach racing has gained the greatest popularity in Australia. It is believed that the entertainment originated in the small town of Brisbane, where local students organized insect races. This fun has become so popular that today cockroach competitions are broadcast on national Australian television, and every year on January 26, the holiday “Australian Cockroach Race Day” is celebrated.

There are several options for holding competitions. The most common is running on paths. For such a race, 5-7 grooves about 1.5 m long are organized, and an “athlete” is placed in each of them. In order for the cockroaches to start moving to the opposite end of the track, a bright light is turned on at the start (insects are afraid of light and instinctively run to a dark place). The owners are allowed to urge the ward with chopsticks, blow or illuminate its path with a flashlight (the main limitation is not to overdo it, so as not to injure the insect).

Another method does not require a “hippodrome” or other difficulties in implementation. The race is organized on any flat, free space, where a circle is drawn and the cockroaches are placed in the center. Usually Australians have this fun in the yard near their house or on the beach, so they cover the insects with any handy object (for example, a saucepan). At a signal, the pan rises, and the cockroaches crawl in different directions. The first one to cross the border of the circle wins.

• Crab races and goat races

Crab racing and goat racing are traditional entertainment for the residents of Trinidad and Tobago (an island state in the southern Caribbean), which is held annually at Easter and attracts many tourists. Despite the funny participants, these competitions are a lucrative business on the island of Tobago.

The atmosphere of the competition is akin to horse racing - goats are neatly combed, jockeys are present, bets are accepted, commentators announce the favorites. The animals need to run a 100 m long track; the drivers (local youths play this role) do not saddle the animals, but simply run alongside and kick them on. The “athlete” who is the first to cross the finish line wins.

The blue crab race is not as dynamic, but no less exciting. Anyone can act as a driver. Participants are urged on with twigs and given the desired direction of movement. The first one to reach the finish line wins. However, unlike the owner, who will receive the winnings, the fate of the crab is not so rosy... according to tradition, all “athletes” (winner and losers) face the same fate - a pan of boiling water.

Crab racing also entertains tourists in the Maldives and Sydney. Australians have made this fun part of their nightlife. Competitions are held right in pubs. Participants are numbered and placed in the center of a regular table. Excited vacationers place bets, and the crustacean that reaches the edge of the table first wins. Prizes most often include beer or branded T-shirts.

• Guinea pig race

Guinea pig races are exciting street entertainment in Colombia. The rules are as simple as possible: numbered houses are installed on the ground and everyone bets on which house the animal will run into. The attraction is designed primarily for tourists, for whom pig competitions are a novelty.

• Racing pigeons

Taiwan is considered the birthplace of bird competitions, where such competitions have been held for several centuries. Local residents organize about 500 races every week, and in total there are 2-3 million sport birds on the island. Pigeons begin training at two and a half months, and by four months they can already participate in competitions.

The main sporting event is the Five Races Championship, which, with its growing popularity, began to be organized several times a year. Animal rights activists are protesting against such violence against pigeons, as successful “athletes” are forced to fly a total of up to five thousand kilometers during the championship.

However, money talks... winnings from competitions can reach a billion Taiwan dollars.

Exotic types of fighting are more brutal and usually illegal. But this does not prevent them from collecting crowds of spectators and fans hungry for spectacle, as well as substantial pots of winnings.

• Dambe

Dambe is a deadly martial art common in West Africa among the Hausa people. To take part in a fight, a fighter wraps one hand in cloth and ties it with a hard cord on top. It turns out to be a kind of boxing glove. Sometimes, to make the fight more brutal, the Hausa wrap the kicking leg with a chain or even jagged metal.

Initially, dambe work could only be carried out by members of the butcher caste. They traveled between villages and staged demonstrations, after which they slaughtered livestock and treated the fans. Today, this unique type of kickboxing no longer has a caste selection, but requires excellent physical preparation from athletes.

There are no weight categories in the dam, and suitable opponents are selected by eye. Fights are accompanied by active bets, so “mistakes” are not uncommon (sometimes an outspoken heavyweight is pitted against a slender athlete). The battle lasts three rounds, which are not limited in time.

Young people are eager to take up damming and train hard in boxing gyms. Today, this fight has turned into a serious business, and the income of a promising athlete can reach $1-2 thousand per fight.

• Cock-fights

Cockfights were held in ancient India, China and Persia. Later, this type of gambling conquered Europe and the colonies of North America. Today, cockfighting is most popular in Central and South America and Asia.

The fights take place on a circular area approximately 6 m in diameter, surrounded by a border. Roosters fight one on one or all at once (the so-called Royal Battle). In the second case, the bird that remains alive or is able to continue the fight wins.

Fighting chickens have their comb removed at the age of six months because injury to the comb risks extensive blood loss. Birds enter the ring at 1-2 years of age. Often, roosters are equipped with metal or bone spurs 4-6.5 cm long, which cause more damage to the opponent. If a participant refuses to fight, then he is considered a loser. Bets are accepted before the start or during the battle.

As a rule, a rooster participates in only one battle, since even the winner dies within a few weeks from his injuries... In the vast majority of states, cockfighting is completely or partially prohibited.

• Dog fighting

Dog fighting has been known since ancient Rome. In England, the lower strata of society amused themselves by throwing several dozen rats into a dog's pit. Spectators placed bets on how many people the dog would manage to strangle in a certain period of time. They even crossed the two fastest breeds (terrier and English bulldog) to create the perfect rat killer (bull and terrier). Later, fights began to take place between dogs of different breeds.

Today, this entertainment attracts a narrow circle of dog owners (they organize competitions and are spectators), and is also a test of the dog’s working qualities.

Male fights are not as cruel and bloody as cock fights. The goal of the fight is to suppress the opponent and pin him to the ground without causing serious injury. Dogs of fighting breeds have always been valued, so dogs are trained in such a way that even in the hottest fuse it does not tear at an opponent and never shows aggression towards a person. According to the rules of some fights, the owner of a dog that cripples or kills an opponent loses his winnings and, in addition, pays compensation to the loser.

Dog fighting is illegal in most countries. They are prohibited by gambling laws or regulations aimed at protecting animals.

• Cricket fights

Cricket fights have been taking place in China for thousands of years. Insect battles entertained ancient emperors, and today they are fun for any Chinese and numerous tourists in the Middle Kingdom.

Crickets are sold everywhere here. The most prized specimens come from Shandong province. They are believed to have the best fighting qualities, and the price of an insect with a pedigree (yes, they have a pedigree!) can reach up to $5 thousand.

Spending more than pays off in underground betting. In China, gambling is prohibited by law (including betting on cricket matches), with the exception of Macau. However, the turnover of the shadow bookmaking business in Shanghai alone is estimated at $63 million.

Before the fight, the crickets are weighed on electronic scales and divided into categories. Opponents are placed in a transparent container with a partition. Owners try to anger the insects by poking them with sticks or running brushes over their whiskers. As soon as the “athletes” show aggression, the partition is removed and the fight begins. The fight lasts no more than a minute. The winner is the one who forced the enemy to retreat.

It is believed that the losing cricket will no longer be able to fight, so it is released into the wild or left to live out its allotted time as a pet. The Chinese treat insects with respect and some even bury crickets that have died of old age in their backyard...

It has long been a classic. It is true that virtual gambling dictates its own rules. The price today is innovation. We analyzed which topics are most popular on the market today.

The review is of a reference and informational, analytical nature and does not have as its main goal the promotion of goods and services on the market (in accordance with Part 2 of Article 2 of the Federal Law of March 13, 2006 No. 38-FZ “On Advertising”, advertising is not ).

Slots are a prime example of 21st century casino gambling. Today they are a real confirmation of how far the industry has come.

It's worth noting that the days of barely flickering lights and white drums are long gone. Today, most slot machines boast 3D effects and graphics, and interactive rounds. Moreover, film franchises have allowed us to take the user experience to a new level. However, traditional gambling games, such as roulette or poker, have not been lost amid innovation. Based on user preferences, we have prepared a list of the most popular gambling games for you.

Please be aware that remote gambling is not legal in all jurisdictions. So, for example, in Russia and Ukraine interactive gambling clubs are prohibited. In these states there are no operators who are authorized to offer slot machine services on the Internet. However, there are countries where online casinos are legal and gaining popularity. Belarus recently joined the list of such jurisdictions. In addition, you can legally play in remote gambling establishments in Israel, some US states, Sweden, Italy and other countries.

At the same time, at casino sites, as a rule, you can find the same machines as those uploaded to the Internet. The reason is that the creators of games for slot machines and the online segment do not divide their audience into online and offline, as it might seem.

Social casinos

Social networks have become a part of the life of a modern person, so it is not surprising that gambling, as part of leisure time, has found a place within these platforms. The peculiarity of social casinos is that the user does not need to spend his own funds to participate in gambling entertainment. This is a great opportunity for beginners to understand the mechanics and rules of the games. In addition, we should not forget that social networks are primarily a communication channel that allows you to find friends with similar interests.

List of popular gambling games

We monitored the Internet and conducted surveys of customers of land-based gambling establishments. As a result, we were able to highlight the most popular of them. Most are united by themes - these are films, comics.

The film (and subsequently the game) Hitman became an extremely popular film among foreign viewers. Therefore, Microgaming decided to create a new slot machine based on the popular story about Hitman.

Hitman slot is a combination of a video game and . According to the developer's website, you'll find the symbols you'd expect in a game of this kind: knives, poison, pistols.

9. Iron Man 2

A famous Marvel comics hero comes to life on a custom screen. The main character of the Iron Man 2 slot is Tony Stark. The slot machine is equipped with five rams and 25 prize lines. To give users the opportunity to experience the character's life, the developers have provided an option that allows the player to learn how to shoot a weapon.

X-Men is a slot with five reels and 25 pay lines, equipped with a large number of additional features.

The creator says that there is a special round called The Heroes vs Villains, as well as wild and scatter symbols. The gameplay includes an additional game called X-Feature.

In seventh place in the list of popular gambling games is Incredible Hulk. “The angrier the Hulk, the stronger he is!” - a motto that briefly describes the Incredible Hulk slot machine.

The main character of the slot is a green mutant who loves to smash cops' cars to smithereens. Players need to prepare for scatter symbols, the “spreading Hulk” feature, and other special features.

6. Thunderstruck II (“Like thunderstruck - 2”)

Lightning strike, romance, a huge guy with a hammer - experienced players know what we're talking about. This is Thunderstruck II.

This successor to the Thunderstruck movie boasts improved quality of sound effects and graphics. We are talking about a slot with 243 paylines and many special games.

Mermaids Millions is a slot that is loved by many foreign players. On the screen you can see the inhabitants of the deep sea: Poseidon, mermaids, seahorses, as well as numbers and letters indicating card denominations.

4. Girls with Guns - Jungle Heat

A dynamic slot developed by Microgaming offers to plunge into the war between good and evil, the bright side of which is represented by beautiful warriors. The action, as conceived by the author, takes place in South Africa.

The plot is that fragile girls must stop the work of a drug cartel, using the unique skills bestowed on each of them.

The main buttons are placed in such a way that the user can select all the necessary options intuitively.

On the reels you can see classic card values, which successfully contrast with the general “military” style. The peculiarity of the machine is that it uses not classic lines, but special winning combinations. The number of which reaches 243 options.

08.01.2019

Gambling attracts people from different parts of the world with the opportunity to win money or other material assets. The prospect of getting rich quickly tempts many citizens. Therefore, they play in land-based casinos and online sites.

If you enter the query “best gambling games” in the Google search bar, then in many pop-up materials the reader will find the answer that in different countries lotteries, slot machines, card games, roulette, craps, sports betting and other types of gambling entertainment are popular among players . If you watch TV, then most often you can find such types of gambling as “Wheel of Fortune” and lotteries according to bingo rules.

Let’s figure out which gambling games are the most popular today and what their features are.

1. Lottery

The lottery is a game of chance, the principle of which is based solely on chance. A person will become a winner if the random number generator produces the numbers indicated on his ticket.

Lotteries attract players with the opportunity to win large sums of money. Sometimes jackpots are in the millions and even billions.

In Russia, a record lottery win is considered to be the case when a pensioner from the Voronezh region became the owner of 506 million rubles. The largest jackpot in US history was won in October 2018. It amounted to $1.6 billion.

2. Gambling on slot machines

The peculiarity of slot machines is that they are played without the participation of casino representatives.

Previously, slot machines were mechanical. Now they are computerized. The game field is a screen on which the results of the random number generator are displayed.

During the game, a person rotates the drum. He wins money when he manages to match the same symbols in a line. The player can receive a win that significantly exceeds the bet amount.

3. Betting

Betting is placing a bet on the outcome of some event in order to make a profit.

Sports betting allows players to predict who will win a competition and receive a cash reward for making the correct prediction. Bets on the results are accepted by online and offline bookmakers.

In this type of gambling, a player, by studying statistics and analyzing the previous performance of a team or athletes, can increase his chances of winning.

4. Poker

Some players call this card game a sport, since the possibility of winning depends not only on chance, but also on a person’s intellectual abilities and psychological skills.

Poker can be played by two or more people at the same time. Depending on the type of this card game, there are several phases of gameplay. At the beginning of each of them, participants must place a bet if they are ready to continue playing. Also, at each phase, new cards are distributed. After receiving them, players determine whether they make a new bet or leave the game.

The winner is the player who collects the best combination of cards.

A participant can also win by bluffing. To do this, having not the best combination of cards in hand, the player must continue to place bets. At the same time, with his actions and appearance, he must convince his rivals of the opposite. Other players in such a situation, fearing being left without winnings, refuse to participate in subsequent poker phases.

5. Blackjack

The rules of blackjack are quite simple. First, players place bets. The dealer then gives them two cards and one or two for himself. Each card means a certain number of points. The player's task is to score 21 points or the number as close as possible to this indicator. To achieve this goal, he can draw any number of cards.

When a player rolls 21 points, he wins. If there are more than 21 points, then the participant is considered defeated. His bet goes into the casino's budget.

6. Baccarat

The rules of baccarat are similar to blackjack. All participants are dealt two cards. The player must score a combination equal to 9, or a score as close as possible to this number. The player will be given a third card if he was able to score less than five points with the first two.

Bets from participants are accepted on a player, a bank or a draw.

7. Roulette

Now this type of gambling is popular in land-based gambling clubs and online casinos.

The European roulette wheel is divided into 37 sectors. They are marked with numbers from 1 to 36 and 0. There are 36 cells on the playing field: 18 red, 18 black numbers and “zero”. They are arranged in three rows. During the game, the ball is thrown onto a concave rotating drum, which is divided into slots with numbers. When the roulette stops spinning, the ball stops in one of the cells with the corresponding number. This number becomes the winning number.

The essence of this type of gambling is that the player bets on where the ball will land.

In American roulette, there are 38 numbers on the wheel - from 1 to 36, as well as 0 and 00. In this regard, this type of gambling is often called double zero roulette.

8. Bingo

In this type of gambling, the possibility of winning depends only on chance.

Participants in the game are given cards, each of which depicts a unique set of random numbers. Then the lottery machine is launched with balls with numbers on them. The numbers appear in random order.

If the dropped number is on your card, then it must be indicated. To become a winner, the player must match one of the combinations on the card: in a horizontal or vertical row, diagonally, numbers in the form of a geometric figure and other options. When this happens, he must shout: “Bingo!”

This type of gambling is played among family or friends, in special bingo clubs and in tournaments. In Russia, television lotteries are held according to bingo rules.

9. Craps

This is a game of dice. Craps is considered one of the most ancient forms of gambling.

The essence of the game is that participants place bets on what number will appear when throwing a six-sided die - a dice, during a series of throws or when throwing several dice. Participants can bet on winning or losing.

10. "Wheel of Fortune"

The game format, in which participants spin a reel to win money or prizes, is common on television and in online casinos.

Participants place bets on various sectors. After this, the wheel is started, which most often rotates vertically. Such a drum is divided into several sectors. Each of them has a designation. This could be a win amount, a wild, a prize indicator, or a symbol. When the wheel stops spinning, the pointer stops at one of the symbols. Players who bet on it become winners. Or, in this way, they determine the prize for which the players will compete during the intellectual competition.

In Russia there is an analogue of “Wheel of Fortune” - the TV game “Field of Miracles”.

Bottom line

Gambling games are varied. There are types of gambling that force players to rely only on luck, and there are games where the result also depends on a person’s skills. In any case, everyone can find a suitable type of gambling for themselves. However, it is important to remember that during the game the main thing is to stop in time so as not to lose all your money or go into negative territory.

I think after all the recent hype around loot boxes, it's worth remembering the joys of playing with fake money.

Loot boxes have given gambling a bad name. No, of course, gambling has always had a bad reputation - well, it's gambling, after all - but when this whole thing came to PC gaming, loot boxes certainly didn't help.

However, taking risks in games is as traditional as loading a recent save after a big loss. Let's take a break from the bombardment of loot boxes and once again enjoy the wonderful ways to enjoy gambling without risking real money. Introducing PC experiences where you can put everything on the line.

We can all agree that Jason Brody is a lame guy, and his friends probably think so too. After all, Brody has to save his buddies from a bunch of crazy drug lords, but he still finds time to play poker. On the other hand, Far Cry 3 has a decent Texas Hold'em simulator: it's fun, it has different difficulty levels to choose from, and there are five such poker joints in the Rook Islands to visit when you want to forget about the situation of your buddies on the for some time.

Naturally, a game set in Las Vegas will have at least some gambling, even in a mutant-filled post-apocalyptic world. Once you have enough hard-earned caps, slot machines, blackjack and roulette are at your disposal in almost all casinos. Tops Casino also has craps tables, although they cannot be used. Players pumped into luck will increase their chances of winning, however, if you are too lucky, the casino will show you the way out.

Not all games of chance require dice and cards: some will require swords and shields. In the Imperial City arena in Oblivion, you can bet on fighters in the gladiator pit. Of course, you can fight in the pit yourself to become the Grand Champion, after which you will be accompanied everywhere by an enthusiastic Wood Elf, which is the worst possible prize for such a victory. Unfortunately, you cannot bet on the battles you participate in.

Spelunky store owners who have set up shop deep underground where only one customer will ever spend money must be a little bored. This may be why some merchants have turned their stores into games of chance, using either a set of huge dice or a wheel of fortune (depending on which version of Spelunky you're playing). Of course, the encounter itself with this dice room depends on luck, since the levels are randomly generated. And the store owners are a little out of their depth. Well, may luck smile on you.

Self-proclaimed champion of good Aiden Pearce is committed to righting wrongs in Chicago, but that doesn't mean he's above cheating in poker. He can use his phone to access security cameras to look at other players' cards, monitor their stress levels to see if they are bluffing, or find out their chances of winning. Aiden Pearce: not the hero we deserve.

There are many ways to play for money in San Andreas, from blackjack to video poker and slot machines. There are even horse races available through Inside Track bookmakers in Los Santos, where you can use the machines to place your bets. ITB offices also appear in GTA 4 and Vice City Stories, but only as non-interactive store fronts. Sadly.

What could be less risky than playing for fake money in a free game? You don't even have to download anything, because Kingdom of Loathing runs right in your browser. This casino has several slot machines, roulette, poker and the Money Making Game, the name of which speaks for itself. In these games, bet Meat (in KoL it is used instead of money) against other players.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

When Ezio has enough florens, he can play dice at the La Volpe Addormentata (The Sleeping Fox) tavern. Roll a 7 or 11 and you win, roll a 2, 3 or 12 and you lose. All other numbers result in another roll of the dice and increase the bets. It's nice to have other hobbies besides killing.

Pazaak is practically blackjack: the player with the closest score to 20 without busting wins the round, and the first to win three rounds wins. It's also a bit of a collectible: certain cards can be purchased while traveling around the galaxy. You can play in cantinas and other special places, and this is an excellent alternative to holochess.

Borderlands 2 puts its own spin on the arcade wheels. Win some money and then you can win even more money, but you can also win weapons (sometimes rare ones), skins and eridium. An unsuccessful game does not mean that you will leave empty-handed: if three identical slots with psychopath masks are lined up in a row, the machine will throw a grenade in your face. Cruel.