Short answer: European roulette has a single zero and a 2.70% house edge. American roulette adds a double zero and the house edge jumps to 5.26%. The payouts are identical, so the extra pocket simply makes every bet worse. If you have the choice, play European.
The wheels
- European roulette: 37 pockets, numbered 0 to 36. One green zero.
- American roulette: 38 pockets, numbered 0, 00 and 1 to 36. Two green zeros.
Both wheels pay exactly the same: 35 to 1 for a single number, 1 to 1 for red or black, and so on. Those payouts would be perfectly fair on a wheel with 36 pockets. Every green pocket is where the casino's advantage comes from.
Odds and payouts for every bet
Here is the chance of winning each type of bet, and the house edge, on both wheels.
| Bet | Numbers | Pays | Win chance (European) | Win chance (American) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 | 35:1 | 2.70% | 2.63% |
| Split | 2 | 17:1 | 5.41% | 5.26% |
| Street | 3 | 11:1 | 8.11% | 7.89% |
| Corner | 4 | 8:1 | 10.81% | 10.53% |
| Six line | 6 | 5:1 | 16.22% | 15.79% |
| Dozen or column | 12 | 2:1 | 32.43% | 31.58% |
| Red/black, odd/even, 1–18/19–36 | 18 | 1:1 | 48.65% | 47.37% |
| House edge (every bet above) | 2.70% | 5.26% |
Notice that on a given wheel every bet has the same house edge. Betting on a single number or on red changes how often you win and how much, but not what you lose on average. The one exception is below.
The worst bet on the table: American roulette's five-number "top line" (0, 00, 1, 2, 3) pays 6 to 1 and carries a 7.89% house edge. Avoid it.
What the house edge means in euros
The house edge is the share of every euro you bet that you lose on average over time. Say you bet €10 a spin for 100 spins, €1,000 in total:
- On a European wheel you'd expect to lose about €27.
- On an American wheel you'd expect to lose about €53.
Any single session can end well above or below that. Luck dominates in the short run, which is exactly why roulette is fun. But the more you bet, the closer your total result gets to the house edge. You can watch this happen in our free roulette simulator by switching between the two wheels and running 1,000 sessions.
French roulette: even better odds
French roulette uses the European single-zero wheel, often with an extra rule:
- La Partage: if the ball lands on zero, you get half of your even-money bet (red/black, odd/even, high/low) back.
- En Prison: your even-money bet stays on the table for one more spin instead of being lost.
Either rule halves the house edge on even-money bets to about 1.35%, the best odds you'll find on a standard roulette table. Other bets keep the normal 2.70%.
Watch out for triple-zero roulette. Some casinos now run wheels with 0, 00 and 000 at the same payouts. That pushes the house edge to about 7.69%, nearly three times the European game.
Which wheel should you play?
- French roulette with La Partage or En Prison, if you bet on red/black, odd/even or high/low.
- European roulette for everything else.
- American roulette only if nothing else is available, and never the five-number bet.
Online, the wheel is usually named in the game title. If it isn't, look at the layout: an American table shows both 0 and 00 at the top.
Frequently asked questions
Is American roulette rigged?
No, it's just a worse deal. The extra 00 pocket is part of the rules, and the payouts stay the same, which is how the casino earns its larger edge.
Can a strategy make American roulette as good as European?
No. Strategies like Martingale change how your bets are sized, not the odds of each bet. The house edge stays 5.26% whatever you do. See Does the Martingale strategy work?
Does it matter for small bets?
Yes. The house edge is a percentage, so it applies to every bet. Doubling the edge doubles your expected cost per hour, whatever your stake. Our guide on setting a roulette budget shows how to work out that cost.