Online Roulette: Rules, Variants and House Edge

The wheel and the bets

A roulette wheel has numbered pockets, and the ball lands in one of them. Players bet before the spin on a single number, on groups of numbers, or on features such as red or black, odd or even, and low or high. Bets on a single number pay 35 to 1, a split between two numbers 17 to 1, a corner of four numbers 8 to 1, and a dozen or a column 2 to 1. Even-money bets such as red or black pay 1 to 1.

Online roulette uses a random number generator in its standard form, so each spin is independent. The ball has no memory, and a run of reds does not make black more likely on the next spin.

European, American and French variants

European roulette has 37 pockets, numbered 1 to 36 plus a single zero, giving a house edge of 2.70 percent. American roulette adds a double zero for 38 pockets and a house edge of 5.26 percent, which is why the single-zero version costs less per bet on the numbers alone. French roulette uses the single-zero wheel with a table layout in French terms and, in many versions, a rule called La Partage that returns half of an even-money stake when the ball lands on zero. That cuts the edge on those bets to 1.35 percent.

Many online casinos also offer variants with multiplier features, such as boosted payouts on selected numbers. The extra payout is funded by lower payouts elsewhere, and the overall edge is often higher than on the plain wheel.

Live dealer roulette

In live roulette a real wheel is spun in a studio and streamed to the player. The odds and house edge match the equivalent software version. Betting happens in a short window, and a camera and optical recognition read the result. The live casino guide describes the format in more detail.

Systems do not change the edge

Betting systems such as doubling after a loss, known as the Martingale, are widely discussed. They do not alter the house edge. A doubling system raises the stake quickly, and table limits or a limited balance stop it just when a long losing run arrives. Every bet on the wheel carries the same edge, apart from the special cases of La Partage and the American five-number bet, which is worse.

A quick game, and the law

Roulette for money is gambling, and most Arab states forbid gambling to the people who live there; the regional overview sets out the position and the risks. The game is fast. An online spin can take under a minute, and a whole evening can pass unnoticed. Roulette is for adults only, and the limits guide explains how to cap time and losses in advance. Casinos on this site whose records include roulette appear below by name, with details from September 2026.