European Roulette

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Here at Wildz Casino, you’ll find a whole host of different online roulette games, including a wide selection of live casino options. But no matter what variant you play, you’ll notice that there are a few different styles of roulette wheel, each named after the place it was created.

The main two are European roulette and American roulette, though you may also see references to French roulette sometimes too. Europe can be considered the original version of the game as it was on this continent that the game was invented, but American casinos have also done a good job of promoting their variant.

But what is European roulette and why is it different from others? Here’s everything you need to know.

European Roulette rules

European and American roulette rules are pretty much identical. They both use a wheel with several dozen differently-coloured pockets, most of which are painted red and black.

When you play, the dealer will start the game by spinning the roulette wheel and then invite players to make bets on the number(s) and/or colour they think the ball will eventually land in by placing chips on the table. You have several different wagering options, including:

• Straight up - any single number on the wheel
• Street - three consecutive numbers (eg. 4, 5, and 6)
• Split - two adjacent numbers (eg. 8 and 9)
• Corner/Square - four numbers that meet at a corner (eg. 17, 18, 20, and 21)
• Six Lines/Double Street - six consecutive numbers across two horizontal lines (eg. 25, 16, 17, 28, 29, and 30)
• Low/High - bets on the first 18 (1-18) or second 18 (19-36)
• Red/Black - wagers on which colour
• Odd/Even - whether the number will be odd or even

The amount you’ll win depends on the type of bet you place as they each have different odds, depending on the difficulty of your wager being successful.

How does a European Roulette wheel differ?

A European roulette wheel is almost identical to its American cousin, except it has 37 pockets instead of 38. Both versions have the green 0 pocket, but American wheels also have 00 which increases the house edge (more on that later).

Aside from that, there are no differences between them, so the uninitiated can struggle to spot the difference.

What’s the casino house edge of European Roulette vs American?

If you’re used to playing slots in an online casino , you might be familiar with the term “return-to-player” (RTP) rate. This is a measurement of how much, on average, you can theoretically expect a slot game to payout if you play it for a very long time.

It’s a little different for table games like roulette as a different calculation is used. In these popular games, you’ll see references to the house edge instead of the RTP. It’s similar, but house edge tells you the small amount the casino will earn on average over a large number of games.

So, while players want to maximize RTP, they want to minimize the house edge. This is why European roulette is often more popular than American roulette as the former’s edge is around half that of the latter: European roulette house edge: 2.7% American roulette house edge: 5.26%

FAQs

How is European Roulette different from American?

The American Roulette wheel has an extra 00. In European Roulette, the numbers on the wheel are in a different order, and there is no 00 segment, only a single green zero.

What's the house edge of European Roulette?

The house edge in European Roulette is 2.7%, lower than the American, which is 5.26%.

How do you play European Roulette?

Players place their bets on a numbered layout on the table. A ball is then spun on a wheel with 37 pockets, and you win if the ball lands on the number(s) you've placed your bet on.

What is the best bet in European Roulette?

The best odds in Roulette are outside bets on either even or odd, red or black or numbers 1-18 or 19-36. Each of these bets has a 1:1 payout.