Online Roulette: Rules, Bets and Odds
Roulette is one of the simplest casino games to learn and one of the easiest to misunderstand. This guide covers the wheels, the bets, the payouts and what the house edge means for you.
How roulette works
A roulette wheel has numbered pockets, coloured red and black, plus one or two green zero pockets. You place chips on the table layout to bet on where the ball will land, the dealer (or the software) spins the wheel, and winning bets are paid according to fixed odds.
Every spin is independent. The wheel has no memory, so a run of reds doesn't make black any more likely next time.
European, French and American wheels
| Wheel | Pockets | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| European | 37 (0 to 36) | 2.70% |
| French (with la partage) | 37 (0 to 36) | 2.70%, or 1.35% on even-money bets |
| American | 38 (0, 00 and 1 to 36) | 5.26% |
The extra double-zero pocket on the American wheel nearly doubles the house edge, so if you have the choice, a single-zero wheel costs less to play over time.
Some French roulette tables use la partage: if the ball lands on zero, half of your stake on even-money bets (red or black, odd or even, high or low) is returned. That cuts the house edge on those bets to 1.35%.
Inside and outside bets
Inside bets are on specific numbers or small groups of numbers:
| Bet | Covers | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 number | 35 to 1 |
| Split | 2 numbers | 17 to 1 |
| Street | 3 numbers | 11 to 1 |
| Corner | 4 numbers | 8 to 1 |
| Six line | 6 numbers | 5 to 1 |
Outside bets cover bigger groups:
| Bet | Covers | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Dozen (1-12, 13-24, 25-36) | 12 numbers | 2 to 1 |
| Column | 12 numbers | 2 to 1 |
| Red or black | 18 numbers | 1 to 1 |
| Odd or even | 18 numbers | 1 to 1 |
| High (19-36) or low (1-18) | 18 numbers | 1 to 1 |
Outside bets win more often but pay less; inside bets win less often but pay more. On a European wheel, every one of these bets has the same 2.70% house edge.
The house edge
The house edge comes from the zero. A straight-up bet pays 35 to 1, but on a European wheel there are 37 pockets, so the true odds are 36 to 1. That small gap, repeated over many spins, is the casino's margin.
In practice, for every £100 you stake on a European wheel, you can expect to lose about £2.70 on average over time. On an American wheel it's about £5.26. Any single session can go either way, but the average holds over many spins.
Betting systems, such as doubling your stake after every loss, don't change this. They change how your wins and losses are spread out, but every bet still carries the same house edge, and table limits and your own budget mean a losing run can't be chased forever.
Live roulette vs RNG roulette
- RNG roulette uses a random number generator and an animated wheel. Games are quick, and stakes can be very low.
- Live roulette is streamed from a studio with a real wheel and a dealer. It's slower and more sociable, and many tables offer variations such as lightning-style random multipliers, which change the payouts and usually the house edge, so read the rules for each table.
Our live casino page compares the live casino offers from our featured brands, and these are the current live casino options:
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Playing within a budget
Roulette is fast, especially online, and a single session can involve hundreds of spins. Decide how much you're willing to spend before you start and stop when it's gone. Every UK-licensed casino lets you set deposit limits and reality checks; our deposit limits guide explains how.
Keep it fun
Set a budget before you play, never chase losses and take regular breaks. Gambling should never be a way to make money. Free, confidential help is available from GamCare or the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.
