What is the house edge in roulette?

House edge is what makes casinos their profit. Each game has a small percentage built into it, ranging from less than 1 to more than 7%. Players can win money over short periods, though in the long run the house will make a profit equal to the edges they have in the games multiplied by the bets made. We explain the house advantage edge of different roulette games. Roulette lies in the mid-range for casino games when it comes to the house edge.

Odds & edge roulette calculator

BetPayoutOdds European rouletteOdds American roulette
Even / Odd (18 numbers)x148,65%47,37%
Red / Black (18 numbers)x148,65%47,37%
Low / High (18 numbers)x148,65%47,37%
Dozen (12 numbers)x232,43%31,58%
Column (12 numbers)x232,43%31,58%
Double Street (6 numbers)x516,22%15,79%
First Five (5 numbers)x613,51%13,16%
Corner (4 numbers)x810,81%10,53%
Street (3 number)x118,11%7,89%
Split (2 numbers)x175,41%5,26%
Straight (single number)x352,70%2,63%

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Three types of roulette with different house edges

There are three main types of roulette. The US wheel, the European wheel and the French roulette. Each roulette game has its own house edge. The house edge of the US wheel is 5,26%, for European roulette the house edge is 2,7% and the French roulette uses a house edge of 1,35% but this is even bets only. the extra ‘Double Zero’ on the US wheel makes an outsized difference, almost doubling the casino house edge. All even money and 1/3rd bets lose when either zero is hit, which is a bigger disadvantage to players. This is what drives the ‘golden rule’ or Roulette games.

Customers should forget patriotism, and always choose the European wheel when they have the chance! French roulette has an even lower house edge. This is due to an additional rule known as ‘Le Partage’. This returns half of the stake of even money bets when the zero slot is hit. This format is less common online. The very low house edge in this format means that many casinos exclude this game from bonus play-though requirements.

House edge european roulette

One zero at European roulette

House edge american roulette

Two zero’s at American roulette

How to reduce house edges with bonuses and comps?

Players can significantly reduce the house edge of an online roulette game with the use of bonuses and comp point schemes. With so many casinos competing for a persons business, there is no reason to stay with one that does not offer ongoing deals and promotions to keep the bankroll of a player topped up. There are two things to look for when comparing how much bonuses will help customers to reduce casinos’ advantage.

First is the play-through or wager-through requirement. This shows how many times a customer needs to bet its bonus amount before the bonus cash can be withdrawn. Next is the percentage contribution that each live game makes towards this play through. Typically, slots are 100%, many table games are 25% and Roulette is between 10% and 20%. French Roulette is often excluded all together.

Conclusion

Many people will try and sell betting systems that claim they will beat the house edge for roulette games. Players will have to realise that these strategies won’t work over long term. If lucky, a person will have a short term beat of the house edge. Down below, there are two recommendations for players who are looking to keep the house edge at a minimum while they enjoy real roulette games.

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