European vs American Roulette

European vs American roulette: the single zero vs the double zero

Roulette comes down to one question: where will the ball land? A croupier spins the wheel in one direction and the ball in the other, and you bet on the number, color or group you think will win⁵. The game was born in France, and the classic version spread with a wheel of 37 pockets: the numbers 1 to 36 in alternating red and black, plus a single green zero⁶.

American roulette is the same game with one change. The wheel carries a second green pocket, the double zero (00), alongside the single zero⁷. That is the whole difference between the two versions. The betting layout is nearly the same, the payouts are the same, and the ritual of the spin is the same. But that one extra pocket quietly reshapes the mathematics of every bet on the table².

The single-zero game is often called European roulette, and it is the version that gives you a better chance of winning on any given bet⁴. The double-zero game is called American roulette because it became the standard in North American casinos, where the wheel usually has green 0 and 00 spots⁸. Both versions are dealt in Asia, and some tables and online lobbies offer both side by side, along with a French variant that uses the single-zero wheel with friendlier rules on zero⁹.

One bet exists only on the American layout: the five-number bet covering 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3, which pays 6 to 1⁷. It is also the worst bet on the table, as you will see in the house edge section below.

House edge: 2.7% vs 5.26%

The house edge is the share of everything wagered that the casino expects to keep over time, and in roulette it is set entirely by the number of zeros. On a single-zero wheel the edge is 1/37, or 2.70%, on all bets³. On a double-zero wheel it is 1/19, or 5.26%, on all bets except one³.

That single exception is the five-number bet on the American layout, covering 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3, which carries a house edge of 7.89%³. It is the only bet in either game that is worse than everything else on the table, and there is no reason to prefer it.

The practical meaning is simple. For every 100 units you put through a European table, the expected long-run cost is about 2.7 units. On an American table it is about 5.26 units, nearly double. Nothing you do with your betting pattern changes this; the edge is built into the wheel itself. If you want the full breakdown of how that edge is constructed, see true odds vs casino payouts.

Wheel layout and pockets: 37 vs 38

The European wheel runs from 0 to 36, giving 37 pockets in total: 18 red, 18 black, and one green zero⁷. The American wheel has 38 numbered slots, the numbers 1 to 36 plus two green slots marked 0 and 00¹⁰. On both wheels the numbers other than zero sit on alternating red and black backgrounds, while the zero has no such background color and is engraved plain¹¹.

The numbers are not arranged in numeric order around the wheel. They are scattered in a fixed sequence designed so that red and black, high and low, and odd and even alternate as much as possible. The pockets are separated by metal frets, and when the ball comes to rest completely in one of the compartments, that number wins; the dealer announces it loudly and places a marker on it¹¹.

A quick way to tell which wheel you are facing before a single spin: count the green pockets. One green zero means the European game. Two green pockets, 0 and 00, mean the American game. The betting layout mirrors the wheel, so the double zero also appears as a second green box at the top of the American layout⁷.

What happens when zero comes up

The zero pockets are where the casino makes its money. When zero comes out, a bet placed on 0 wins, and all other bets lose to the house¹¹. On an American wheel the same applies to double zero: when 0 or 00 comes up, all bets lose except straight bets placed on 0 and 00 themselves¹². All outside bets lose when zero or double zero is the winning number¹³.

So if you have money on red and the ball drops into the green zero, your red bet is gone. That is the standard rule on both wheels, and it is exactly why the zeros create the house edge.

Some tables soften the blow on even-money bets, meaning red or black, odd or even, and the 1-18 or 19-36 ranges:

• French rules, "la partage": if you have an even-money bet and the ball lands in zero, you get half your bet back³. Under the classic written version of the rule, you may either withdraw half your stake or leave the whole stake "en prison" for the next spin¹⁴.
• Atlantic City rules: if the ball lands in 0 or 00, you lose only half of any even-money bet, which lowers the house edge to 2.63% on those bets³.

These half-back rules are a genuine improvement, but they only apply to even-money bets, and they are not offered everywhere. Ask at the table, or check the rules page of an online game, before assuming they apply.

One curiosity worth knowing: some casinos run a double-zero wheel as if it were single zero. Under one regulator's rule, if the ball comes to rest in the 00 compartment, the spin is declared void and the wheel is spun again¹⁵. That arrangement restores single-zero odds on an American wheel.

Inside and outside bets and their payouts

The roulette table has two main areas: an inside area for placing bets on specific numbers, and an outside area for placing bets on outcomes like odd or even and red or black¹⁰.

Inside bets are placed on one or more numbers on the layout. They have lower odds of winning but much higher payouts, as high as 35 to 1¹⁶. The standard set, with payouts that are the same on both wheels:

Outside bets cover large groups of numbers. They have better odds but lower payouts, either 1 to 1 for even money or 2 to 1¹⁶. The options are high or low (1-18 or 19-36), odd or even, red or black, and the first, second or third dozen, plus the three columns¹⁶. A dozen or column bet covering twelve numbers pays 2 to 1; the even-money boxes pay 1 to 1¹⁴.

One table rule trips up first-timers: on outside bets you must put the table minimum on one individual wager, while on the inside you can spread that same minimum across several different numbers¹⁰. So a $10 minimum table lets you place ten $1 chips on ten different numbers inside, but a red bet outside must be the full $10 on its own.

For the full probability of every individual bet, see roulette odds.

The straight-up bet: odds against you vs what the casino pays

The straight-up bet shows the whole mechanics of the house edge in one example. You place a chip on a single number, say 17, and if it hits, the casino pays 35 to 1¹⁸.

Now look at what the wheel actually pays. On an American wheel there are 38 numbers, so the true odds against your number coming up are 37 to 1¹⁹. The casino pays only 35 to 1 (some tables express it as 36 to 1 counting your returned stake)²⁰. That gap of two units between the true odds and the payout is the house edge.

On a European wheel there are 37 numbers, so the true odds against you are 36 to 1, and the casino still pays 35 to 1. The gap is only one unit, which is why the edge halves.

Your chance of winning a straight-up bet is 2.7% on a European wheel and 2.6% on an American wheel¹⁹. Per unit wagered, the expected cost is the same 2.7% versus 5.26% that applies to every other bet. This is the honest answer to anyone selling a roulette system: the payout table is fixed, the wheel has no memory, and no combination of bets changes the arithmetic. For more on why systems fail, see betting systems.

Triple-zero and quadruple-zero wheels: newer variants

If one zero is good for the casino and two are better, some operators reasoned, why not add even more? Newer variants have pushed the idea further. Quadruple-Zero Roulette, as the name says, puts four zeroes on the wheel, and on the betting layout the zeros sit in a 2x2 grid³.

The logic has been pushed further. Quadruple-zero roulette has four zeroes on the wheel, arranged in a 2x2 grid on the betting layout, and the house edge on every bet is 10%³. The author of the leading independent rules analysis believes the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore became the first casino to offer it in 2024³.

These variants look like ordinary roulette, and the payouts on the familiar bets are unchanged. What changes is the chance of a zero wiping out your outside bets: three or four green pockets instead of one or two. A table with a 7.69% or 10% edge costs you roughly three to four times as much per unit wagered as a single-zero table. If you sit down and see more than two green boxes at the top of the layout, check the plaque before you buy in. For more on these games, see roulette variants.

Where the two versions are dealt in Asia

Both wheels are easy to find across the region, and the single-zero game is well represented.

Macau. The classic game rules for roulette there are written around a wheel with 37 compartments, the single-zero layout¹¹.

Vietnam. The e-roulette terminals at Ha Tien Vegas follow the European format with a single zero, with a 2.7% house edge stated as the standard there²¹. The game is described as fun and easy to play, with the wheel spinning automatically each time a player makes a bet²³.

Philippines. NUSTAR deals American roulette on a 38-space wheel with 0 and 00²⁰. City of Dreams Manila's guide covers the full bet set including the First Five bet on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 that exists only on the double-zero layout¹³. Okada Manila describes the game simply: predict which number the ball will land on with each spin²⁴.

South Korea. At Paradise Casinos the dealer spins the ball and players bet on the number or color of the pocket where it will land; players change money chips into play chips before the game and back into money chips afterward²⁵.

Online and live dealer. Live dealer studios serving the region offer roulette alongside baccarat, blackjack, Dragon Tiger and Sic Bo²⁶. Natural8's lobby carries European, American and French roulette¹². CoinPoker's live tables include VIP Roulette on a single-zero wheel, Auto Roulette with an automated European-style wheel, Live French Roulette on a traditional single-zero wheel, and Double Ball Roulette, which uses a single-zero European wheel with two balls and stakes from $0.20 to $4,000²⁷. Its standard European game runs stakes from $0.10 to $5,000²⁸. Shuffle's own provably fair crypto roulette runs a single-zero European wheel²⁹.

The pattern is clear: when an operator offers only one version, it is usually the single-zero game, because the lower edge is a selling point. Double-zero tables sit alongside them in many land-based casinos, especially those following American-style floor layouts.

Which version should you play: what the numbers say

The numbers do not argue. Betting a single number in European roulette gives you odds of 1 in 37; in American roulette it is 1 in 38³⁰. On even-money bets your winning chance is 48.65% on a single-zero wheel versus 47.37% on a double-zero wheel⁷. The house edge is 2.7% versus 5.26%¹. Every bet on the layout tells the same story, because the edge comes from the wheel, not from the betting layout.

So the practical ranking is:

1. French rules on a single-zero wheel with la partage, where the even-money edge drops further, to about 1.35%³.
2. Standard European roulette, 2.70% on everything³.
3. American roulette, 5.26% on everything except the five-number bet at 7.89%³.
4. Triple zero, 7.69% on everything³.
5. Quadruple zero, 10% on everything³.

Within the American game, avoid the five-number bet; it is the only wager that is worse than its own table's standard edge³.

Two honest caveats close the comparison. First, roulette is a game of pure chance; there is no skill involved, and no decision you make after placing your chips changes the outcome³¹. Second, the difference between 2.7% and 5.26% shows up in the long run, not in an evening. Over a few hours of play, luck dwarfs the edge. But if you have the choice of two tables in the same casino, the single-zero wheel costs you roughly half as much per unit wagered, and nothing about the double-zero game gives you anything in return for the difference. When both are on offer at the same stakes, the single-zero table is the one the math points to.