Josep Oller i Roca (1839–1922) was a Catalan entrepreneur who lived in Paris for most of his life. He co-founded the famous cabaret Moulin Rouge with Charles Zidler and was the inventor of the parimutuel betting. Biography Born in Terrassa, Josep Oller emigrated to France with his family as a child. Later, he moved back to Spain to study at the university in Bilbao. There, he became fond of cockfighting and started his career as a bookmaker. Once in Paris, in 1867, Josep Oller invented a new method of wagering, which he named Pari Mutuel (French for Parimutuel betting). He successfully introduced his pool method system at French race tracks. Nonetheless, in 1874, Josep Oller was sentenced to fifteen days in prison and fined for operating illegal gambling. Later, in 1891, the French authorities legalised his system and banned fixed-odds betting. Quickly, Oller's Pari Mutuel spread across most race tracks around the world, but the method was operationalised in engineered systems like that of the automatic totalisator, invented by George Alfred Julius. In 1870, he moved to London for a while to avoid the Franco-Prussian War. There he came into contact with the world of the stage. From 1876, Joseph Oller focused his attention on the entertainment industry. First he opened various auditoriums and venues: Fantaisies Oller, La Bombonnière, Théâtre des Nouveautés, Nouveau Cirque and the Montagnes Russes. But it was in 1889, when he inaugurated the famous Moulin Rouge. In 1892, he opened the first Parisian music-hall: Paris Olympia offering new forms of entertainment. He was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery. References Further reading 1839 births 1921 deaths Bookmakers Impresarios People from Terrassa 19th-century Spanish businesspeople Businesspeople from Catalonia Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery French people of Spanish descent French people of Catalan descent Moulin Rouge 20th-century Spanish businesspeople