why is roulette the most popular game if the house edge is terrible

so i’ve played a lot of blackjack, mostly because it feels like at least you’ve got some say in the outcome and the house edge isn’t brutal if you play smart. but every time i’m at a casino, roulette is the table with a crowd, people yelling, lots of hype. i don’t get it. everyone knows the house edge is way worse than blackjack, even worse than some of the worse slots in some cases. there’s no skill factor either, you can’t count or strategize, you just pick a color or a number and hope for the best.

is it just the vibe, the spinning wheel, or is there something i’m missing? does anyone actually go in with a system they think works or is it just about the rush and the social aspect? just curious why roulette gets so much more love despite being pretty much a guaranteed slow loss. what do you all think actually makes it so magnetic compared to other games with a better edge?