European roulette rules

Roulette might be the most exciting game of all online casino games. The European roulette rules are quite simple and easy to learn. The differences between the European and American roulette rules will also be explained. Although we have a separate page for the American roulette rules, you will be able to play both games after reading the rules on this page. 

Roulette history
Roulette means little wheel in French. The roulette game finds it origin in France at the end of the 17th century. In the 18th century the roulette game found its way to the rest of Europe and the US. Roulette grew out to one of the most popular online casino games in the industry. During all those centuries the rules of roulette always staid pretty much the same.
In the US the ‘double zero’ wheel was introduced. Nowadays the ‘double zero’ wheel is still used in the US, the rest of the world plays roulette with the European Roulette wheel which has a single zero.

European – American roulette differences
The differences between the American and European roulette game are almost not worth mentioning. The only difference in the rules of the two variants is the amount of pockets on the roulette wheel.

• European roulette: is played with a roulette wheel with 37 numbers (1 – 36 + 0)
• American roulette: is played with a roulette wheel with 38 numbers (1 – 36 + 0 + 00)

All numbers are colored black or red. The 0 and the 00 are colored green. European rouletteoffers a better chance of wining because of the single 0. Therefore we advise players to choose for European roulette when a casino offers both.

Placing bets
A game of roulette starts with placing a bet. Bets can be made by placing one or more chips on the different betting sections on the roulette table. The little ball is removed from the pocket and the roulette wheel starts to spin. The ball always spins in the opposite direction of the rotating Roulette wheel. The little ball bounces in a numbered pocket. This pocket has a number and a color (black / red / green)

As said, the ball ends up in a pocket and the number of this pocket is the winning number. The
Dolly is placed on the winning number. This winning number is also showed at the billboard of your screen. In most casinos, you can also check the latest winning numbers on this billboard. Lost bets will be cleared from the table. In case you win, your winnings are showed on the screen. Your winnings will be added to your players-balance.

Possible bets
There are 2 main-betting options available at a game of roulette. First there is the inside bet where the player bets on a certain straddle or on which number te ball will land in. Second there is the outside bet where the player gambles on odd/even, black/red or the positional groupings of pockets. For an overview of all inside and outside bets, see the following tables:

Special / progressive bets
Some online casinos offer a 'special bets' feature. These special bets are different from the traditional roulette bets. Usually you’ll find these special bets in special bets panels. Some roulette tables are also connected to a progressive jackpot. A progressive jackpot grows every bet made. There are hundreds of online casinos connected to these progressive jackpots. The rules of the roulette game with special / progressive bets are similar to the rules of the regular roulette game.

After reading the European roulette rules on this page, it should be no problem to name the differences between the American and European roulette rules. We hope that our explanation of the roulette rules will contribute to your success when playing roulette online!