European, French and American Roulette: The House Edge Difference
Roulette is the simplest casino game to learn and one of the easiest to misjudge, because three versions that look nearly identical carry very different costs. The difference comes down to how many zeros are on the wheel and what happens when the ball lands on one.
The three wheels
European roulette has 37 pockets: 1–36 plus a single zero. Every bet pays as if there were 36 pockets, so the zero is the house’s margin. House edge: 2.70% on every bet.
French roulette uses the same 37-pocket wheel but adds a rule on even-money bets (red/black, odd/even, high/low). Under la partage, if the ball lands on zero you lose only half your stake; under en prison, the stake is held for the next spin. Either rule halves the edge on those bets to 1.35%. Inside bets remain at 2.70%.
American roulette adds a double-zero pocket, making 38. Payouts are unchanged, so the house now has two winning pockets out of 38. House edge: 5.26% — almost double the European figure.
Some online lobbies also offer triple-zero or “no zero” novelty variants; the former is worse still, and the latter usually recovers its edge through a commission on wins.
What this means in money
Over £1,000 of even-money bets, the expected loss is:
- French (la partage): £13.50
- European: £27.00
- American: £52.60
Same game, same bets, four times the cost between best and worst.
Bets and their odds
Every standard bet on a European wheel has the same 2.70% edge; the only thing that changes is the volatility.
| Bet | Covers | Pays | Probability |
| Straight up | 1 number | 35:1 | 2.7% |
| Split | 2 | 17:1 | 5.4% |
| Street | 3 | 11:1 | 8.1% |
| Corner | 4 | 8:1 | 10.8% |
| Line | 6 | 5:1 | 16.2% |
| Dozen / column | 12 | 2:1 | 32.4% |
| Even-money | 18 | 1:1 | 48.6% |
Choosing a straight-up bet over red/black doesn’t improve or worsen your expected return; it changes how bumpy the ride is.
Betting systems
Martingale (double after each loss), Fibonacci, D’Alembert and the rest all share a property: they rearrange when you win and lose without altering the expected total. Martingale in particular produces many small wins and an occasional large loss when a losing streak collides with the table limit or your bankroll. No pattern of bet sizing can overcome an edge that applies to every spin.
Live vs RNG roulette
Live dealer roulette uses a physical wheel streamed from a studio; RNG roulette uses software. The mathematics are identical. Live tables tend to have higher minimums and slower play (roughly 30–40 spins an hour versus hundreds), which in practice reduces the amount staked over a session.
A simple rule
If a lobby offers European or French roulette, there is no mathematical reason to choose American. And if a French table with la partage is available, it is the lowest-cost roulette you can play.
Roulette’s edge is small but constant. Set a budget for the session and stop when you reach it, whether ahead or behind.
