Roulette Guide: Types, Bets and the House Edge Explained

Roulette is the quintessential casino game — a spinning wheel, a bouncing ball, and the possibility of significant wins from a single spin. But not all roulette is created equal. The variant you choose and the bets you place have a direct effect on how the odds stack up. This guide covers everything UK players need to know.

The Different Types of Roulette

Three main variants appear at UK online casinos. The differences are subtle but meaningful.

European Roulette features a wheel with 37 pockets: numbers 1–36 plus a single zero (0). This is the standard version and the one most UK players are familiar with. The house edge on all outside bets is 2.7%.

French Roulette uses the same 37-pocket wheel but adds two player-friendly rules: La Partage and En Prison. If the ball lands on zero and you've placed an even-money bet (Red/Black, Odd/Even, High/Low), La Partage returns half your stake. En Prison keeps your bet "in prison" for the next spin instead. These rules effectively halve the house edge on even-money bets to 1.35% — making French Roulette the best mathematical choice for outside bettors.

American Roulette has a 38-pocket wheel with both a single zero (0) and a double zero (00). This seemingly small change doubles the house edge to 5.26%. There is almost no reason for UK players to choose American Roulette over European.

Inside Bets vs Outside Bets

Roulette bets are divided into "inside bets" (placed on specific numbers or small groups) and "outside bets" (broader categories covering large portions of the wheel).

Inside bets offer higher payouts but lower probability:

• Straight up — a single number, pays 35:1
• Split — two adjacent numbers, pays 17:1
• Street — three numbers in a row, pays 11:1
• Corner — four numbers, pays 8:1
• Six line — six numbers across two rows, pays 5:1

Outside bets offer lower payouts but better hit probability:

• Red or Black — pays 1:1, covers 18 of 37 numbers
• Odd or Even — pays 1:1
• High (19–36) or Low (1–18) — pays 1:1
• Dozens — first/second/third 12 numbers, pays 2:1
• Columns — one of three columns, pays 2:1

Regardless of which bet type you choose, the house edge is the same across all bets in European Roulette. The zero creates the edge — and every bet on the table is equally affected by it.

Neighbour Bets and Racetrack Betting

Many online roulette games offer a "racetrack" view of the wheel, which allows you to place neighbour bets — betting on a number and the few numbers adjacent to it on the physical wheel, rather than adjacent on the table layout.

Common racetrack bets include:

• Voisins du Zéro — covers 17 numbers around the zero on the wheel
• Tiers du Cylindre — covers 12 numbers on the opposite side of the wheel
• Orphelins — covers the 8 numbers not included in the other two sections

These are popular with experienced players but don't change the underlying house edge.

Live Roulette at UK Casinos

Live dealer roulette has become very popular at UKGC-licenced online casinos. Evolution Gaming, Playtech, and Pragmatic Play all offer high-quality live roulette studios with multiple tables, including dedicated UK-market variants and immersive camera angles.

Speed Roulette completes a round every 25 seconds for faster-paced play. Lightning Roulette adds random multipliers of up to 500x to straight-up bets, increasing variance significantly while maintaining the same underlying wheel mechanics.

What the House Edge Actually Means for You

A 2.7% house edge on European Roulette means that for every £100 wagered, you can expect to lose £2.70 on average over time. This doesn't mean you'll lose exactly £2.70 on a £100 spin — individual spins are entirely random and your results in any single session can vary wildly. But over thousands of spins, the mathematics will assert itself.

This also means roulette is not a game where strategy can meaningfully reduce the house edge. Systems like Martingale, Fibonacci, or D'Alembert might manage your bankroll differently in the short term, but they don't change the underlying odds. No betting system can overcome a negative expected value game.

Bottom Line

Play French Roulette with La Partage if it's available — the 1.35% house edge on even-money bets is the best you'll find in roulette. Stick to European Roulette otherwise and avoid the American variant. Understand that no betting system beats the house edge in the long run. Roulette is entertainment with a known cost — know that cost, set a budget, and enjoy the game for what it is.