Problem with AddTo and SubtractFrom in function definition

Question

I have written a function

roulette[n_,b_]:= With[{money=100,bins=Range[38]},Table[If[b == RandomChoice[bins], money += 35, money -= 1], {n}]]

to simulate n games of American roulette with a bet on b. The functions SubtractFrom and AddTo are not working as intended.

roulette[100,5] returns the result

SubtractFrom: 100 is not a variable with a value, so its value cannot be changed and similarly for AddTo. Is there a way to use += and -= within the function roulette?

Note: If I do not use the localized environment and define money = 100 external to the function roulette, it will run the simulation once, but this is problematic when I try to use roulette with starting money=100 in more complicated ways.

Answer 1

You could just avoid those intermediate variables altogether:

RouletteWinLoss[betCount_] := RandomChoice[{37, 1} -> {-1, 35}, betCount];
RouletteSequence[start_, betCount_] := 
  Accumulate[Prepend[RouletteWinLoss[betCount], start]];
RouletteSequence[100, 30]

{100,99,98,97,96,95,94,93,92,91,90,89,88,87,122,121,120,119,118,117,116,115,150,149,148,147,146,145,144,143,142}

(Randomly got lucky!)

Answer 2

Using FoldList:

Clear["Global`*"];
SeedRandom[3];
roulette[n_, b_] := FoldList[
  #1 + If[#2 == b, 35, -1] &
  , 100
  , RandomChoice[Range[38], {n}]
  ]

roulette[100, 5]

{100, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 91, 90, 89, 88, 87, 86, 85, 84, \
    83, 82, 81, 116, 115, 150, 149, 148, 147, 146, 145, 180, 179, 178, \
    177, 176, 175, 174, 173, 172, 171, 170, 169, 204, 203, 202, 201, 200, \
    199, 198, 197, 196, 195, 194, 193, 192, 191, 190, 189, 188, 187, 186, \
    185, 184, 183, 182, 181, 216, 215, 214, 213, 212, 211, 210, 209, 208, \
    207, 206, 205, 204, 203, 202, 201, 200, 199, 198, 197, 196, 195, 194, \
    193, 192, 191, 190, 189, 188, 187, 186, 185, 184, 183, 182, 181, 180}

Further parametrization can be done as needed.