The Basics: 8 Quick Facts About Roulette
- A standard European Roulette wheel contains 37 segments.
- Each segment contains a number from 0-36.
- Each segment is alternately coloured red or black.
- Every roulette game involves a small ball travelling around a spinning wheel, before eventually landing in one of the segments.
- Before each game, players have to place bets that predict where the ball will land.
- These bets can be on individual numbers or specific groups of numbers (see below).
- All players who correctly predict where the ball lands receive a payout.
- The house edge of European Roulette is 2.7%.
How To Place Roulette Bets
To make an online roulette bet, you need to place chips (all of which carry a value) on a table containing the numbers laid out sequentially in a 12×3 grid, plus a host of other betting options. Here’s a look at the most common bets you can make, including details of the payout you will receive if your bet is successful:
| Bet | How it works | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| Single number | You simply place your chips on a single number | 35:1 |
| Split bet | This bet covers two numbers that are adjacent to each other on the table | 17:1 |
| Street bet | This bet covers three consecutive numbers that are in a row on the betting table | 11:1 |
| Corner bet | A bet covering four numbers that make a square on the betting table | 8:1 |
| Line bet | This is placed on two adjacent rows on the betting, meaning that a total of six numbers are covered | 5:1 |
| Red or black | A simple bet on whether the ball will land in a red or black segment | 1:1 |
| High or low | Will the winning number be low (1-18) or high (19-36)? | 1:1 |
| Column bet | This covers one of the three columns on the number grid. Each column contains 12 numbers | 2:1 |
| Dozens | This bet is on the ball landing on either 1-12,13-24 or 25-36 | 2:1 |
Online Roulette Variations
The details in the previous two sections of this guide cover the rules of European Roulette. But whilst this is the most common type of roulette you will find at online casinos, there are several other variations of the game, all of which add a fun twist to proceedings:
- American roulette - This adds an extra 0 to the wheel (labelled as 00), causing the house edge to rise slightly.
- French roulette - This incorporates the La Partage rule, which gives you half of your stake back if the ball lands in the 0 segment.
- Double ball roulette - As the name suggests, this involves two balls. To win an outside bet (the bottom four options in the above table), you need both balls to land in winning segments. For other bet types, you just need one ball to be successful.
In addition to the above roulette variation, you may also see new games at casinos incorporating rules such as applying a free roulette bonus or win multipliers to specific numbers. Because of these variations, make sure you thoroughly check the rules of the specific roulette game you are playing before placing your first bet.
How To Play Free Roulette
Want to play roulette for free? It’s actually quite easy to do so. Many online casinos provide freeplay versions of roulette. To access these free roulette games, you usually need to navigate to the version of video roulette you wish to play, then select the Demo Mode option before opening the game. This will let you test the game and learn the rules without spending any money.
You can also play roulette for free at a sweepstakes casino. Those let you play using virtual currencies without having to spend any money.
Pros And Cons Of Online Roulette
Pros
- Very low house edge
- Easy to play
- Available at all leading online casinos
Cons
- Long losing streaks are possible
Seven Of The Best Places To Play Online Roulette
Those are the basics of playing roulette, so now let’s take a peek at seven top online casinos that offer a fantastic range of roulette games:
BetMGM Casino - Play Like A Pro
As you would expect from such a renowned casino brand, BetMGM is home to a rich selection of live dealer roulette tables. What’s more, if you’re looking for a slightly more relaxed online roulette experience, you can try BetMGM Roulette Pro, a first person video roulette game that you can play at your own pace. BetMGM Roulette Pro is expertly designed with high class graphics and a user friendly layout that makes it ideal for online roulette beginners.
Fanatics Casino - World Class Roulette In The Palm Of Your Hand
Whilst pretty much all online casinos with baccarat, blackjack, and roulette now have mobile apps, we think that Fanatics Casino leads the way when it comes to mobile casino play. The Fanatics app is incredibly intuitive to use, enabling you to easily locate the roulette games you wish to play. Not only that, but the Fanatics Casino app is also a superb looking tool full of innovative features and superb graphics. In other words, this is an absolute treat for mobile roulette players.
Fanduel Casino - Start With A Bang
New players at Fanatics Casino can currently receive a brilliant welcome bonus that gives them 1,000 (yes, 1,000!) free spins on a top online slot. This gives you a superb chance to get a tidy sum in your pocket before you hit the site’s excellent collection of live roulette tables. Better yet, Fanatics also provides a regular stream of promos for existing players, all of which can help you top up your account even further.
Bet365 Casino - All Round Excellence
With a host of top class roulette tables powered by world renowned developers, it’s clear to see that bet365 is the number one choice for hordes of online roulette fans. But roulette is far from the only area in which the bet365 Casino excels. Regardless of whether you are looking for casinos with craps, online slots, live dealer titles or first person table games, bet365 gives you an unbeatable all round experience in terms of game quality, graphics, presentation and much more.
Golden Nugget Casino - Find Your Ideal Roulette Game
Golden Nugget Casino may not be as famous as the other names on this list, but it is still a brand that packs a powerful punch when it comes to online roulette. There are well over 50 live dealer tables at Golden Nugget Casino, including an impressive variety of roulette games. So whether you want to play a traditional game such as American Roulette or fancy trying your hand at a quirky title like Lightning Roulette, Golden Nugget Casino has your back.
Rolla - Something Completely Different
Unlike the five real money casinos featured in this section, Rolla is a sweepstakes casino. This means that you have a fantastic chance to try out a variety of games without risking a dollar. Rolla is a brand new sweeps site that already boasts a superb collection of free-to-play games, including several roulette tables (live and video). There are also several superb promotions to get involved with, including an exclusive VIP club that regards regular players with enhanced bonuses, personalized offers and a host of other brilliant rewards.
Stake.us - Free Roulette Every Day
Stake.us is one of the most popular free online social casinos in the US and provides a top-of-the-range sweepstakes experience for roulette fans. A key reason for Stake.us’ ever-growing popularity lies in the breathtaking array of freeplay offers available every single day. There are login bonuses, tournaments, referral bonuses and a host of other ways to get free virtual currency. And thanks to our exclusive welcome bonus, you can claim 560,000 GC, 56 SC and a 5% rakeback when you open your new account using the promo code GAMEDAY. You’ll get the full bonus over your first 30 days on the site.
Summing Up: Give Online Roulette A Spin
Hopefully, this guide has put you in the perfect position to head forth and play online roulette. As you can see, there are a lot of big decisions to make in terms of which online casino sites to join and which roulette games to play. Therefore, it is important to read our expert articles and discover which ones best suit you. And when you have found your ideal online casino sites for playing roulette, make sure you use the links on this site when signing up, as that will ensure you get the best possible welcome bonuses whenever you open a new account. And once you’ve joined your perfect roulette sites, remember to look for free roulette modes, as this will really help you hone your strategy and become a roulette master.
