Online Roulette
If you're bored of the same old European Roulette at your local UK casino, you'll love the range of roulette available online.
Choice is no problem at most of the big Internet casinos. British gamblers can enjoy European, American or French roulette from the comfort of their own homes. There are also plenty of good variants exclusive to online like Multi-Ball, Premier Edition and Live Dealer.
And players on a budget can usually choose stakes as low as 25p. That's way below the typical minimum bets you can place in a land-based casino.
Try the best roulette games online for free:
- Try out top software and exciting variants
- Test out some betting strategy
- Find some great real-money sites while you play
Roulette
Playing Online Roulette
Roulette might have been around since the 1700s, but since it arrived on American shores from France, Germany or the UK (depending on your favourite historical story) it's been the preserve of Vegas and Atlantic City casinos.
It wasn't until the mid-1990s that the first roulette software appeared online. Improvements in software, and a relaxation of gambling law, meant the next generation of online roulette wouldn't appear until the mid-2000s. And it wasn't classic online games, either. Live Dealer games, which allowed players to bet on a real table controlled by a human croupier, made their first appearance around 2007.
Better graphics and animation have led to a new generation of 3D roulette games, but it's the mobile revolution that has really changed the landscape. Now, UK players can bet real money on roulette via their iOS or Android smartphone without glitches or crashes.
Full List of Free Table Games
Table Games Reviews (No Free Games)
How to Play Roulette Online
It's simple to play roulette on your computer. Games are available either via a download client on a PC or Mac, or via instant-play games played in a web browser. Instant-play sites sometimes offer a limited range of games as they need to work via a Flash Player.
Placing Bets:First, you need to select your stakes. The minimum and maximum bets will be clearly displayed on the table. Click the mouse on the pile of chips and drag them to the area of the table layout you want to bet on.
If you make a mistake, there will be a 'Clear Bet' button. You can leave your bets on for another spin by hitting the 'Rebet' button too.
With most developers, you can also view past bets (the 'history'), play several tables at once, and check your own wagers. You can also play for free before committing real cash.
With most online formats, there's no rush to place bets; once you're ready it's up to you to hit the Spin button. You can continue to place bets until the computer announced 'no more bets'. Winning bets are paid out immediately after a winning spin.
Bets and Odds:You'll find a range of bets available on a standard table, all with different payouts. Let's take a game of European Roulette as this is most popular at UK casino sites.
Bet PayoutsOutside Bets
| Red | (1/1) |
| Black | (1/1) |
| Odd | (1/1) |
| Even | (1/1) |
Sections
| 1 to 18 | (1/1) |
| 19 to 36 | (1/1) |
Dozens
| 1 to 12 | (2/1) |
| 13 to 24 | (2/1) |
| 25 to 36 | (2/1) |
Inside Bets
| Six-line bet | (5/1) |
| 'First Five' (0,00,1,2,3) | (6/1) |
| Corner | (8/1) |
| Street | (11/1) |
| Split | (17/1) |
| Any Number | (35/1) |
With most tables, the minimum bet on the even-money, outside, bets will be a bit higher than a min. bet on inside bets. Betting on individual numbers pays 35/1, and they are harder to hit, but the minimum stakes can be low. For example, it's typical to find minimum stakes of £5 on the outside bets but just £0.25 on inside bets like Any Number.
House Edge
Where the casino makes its money is in the difference between the odds and the payout. With 37 numbers the odds of hitting a single number is 37/1.
However, the casino only pays out 35/1. In addition, the Red/Black or Odd/Even bets pay even-money.
But the green zero slot will see you lose your bet. The discrepancy is the house edge, and the edge can vary massively from variant to variant.
Popular Roulette Variants
The advantage of online roulette is that you'll find half a dozen variants where your local casino might have one.
Roulette games vary from online casino to online casino and usually depend on who the developer is. All the major software and slots developers have their own roulette versions available.
European RouletteThe most popular form of online roulette, European Roulette features a layout with 36 numbers (1-36) plus a single, green zero slot (0). Outside bets like Odd/Even or Red/Black pay even-money (1/1) but the single zero spot means that the house edge is drastically reduced. The edge in European Roulette is 2.7% compared to American Roulette's 5.26%.
American RouletteAmerican Roulette, found in Vegas casinos and online sites alike, has an identical table layout to European but features an additional 00 slot. The extra green slot makes it harder for players to win, and so the house edge is double that of European Roulette.
French RouletteFrench Roulette is hard to find in UK casinos but online you'll have no problem. Played with a single zero, as in European Roulette, French Roulette also features an insurance bet known as 'La Partage'. If you place an even-money, outside, bet, and zero comes up you will receive half your original stake back. The insurance of La Partage means the game's house edge is even lower than traditional European Roulette.
Progressive RouletteMicrogaming is one of the major developers which supplies Progressive Roulette. Bets are placed across multiple roulette games and sites and all contribute to a linked jackpot. To win the big jackpot, players must hit the same number five times in a row.
Multi-Wheel RoulettePopular at many online casinos, Multi-Wheel is a European Roulette variant that lets you place bets on 1-6 wheels at the same time. You'll only place one set of bets on one board but have up to six chances to strike it lucky.
Multi-Ball RouletteAs the name suggests, Multi-Ball lets you bet on one wheel but with up to three balls falling at the same time. Players place one set of bets, but with three numbers you have three times the chance of hitting your lucky number.
SpingoDevelopers are always hunting out the next big idea. And with Spingo, they may have come up with the craziest.
A blend of bingo, lotto and roulette, Spingo requires players to bet on coloured slots and numbers. Numbered balls are then released and fall into place in the coloured areas. Wins are paid put according to number and colour.
Live Roulette/Live Dealer RouletteLive Roulette, or Live Dealer Roulette, lets you bet on a physical roulette wheel operated by a human croupier in a studio or casino environment.
The dealer spins the wheel and drops the ball manually. Bets are placed by players on a virtual table as in online roulette. When the winning number is announced, the dealer places the marker on the table. The computer recognises the winner and pays out accordingly.
While there are several live roulette developers, Evolution is the biggest and supplies many online casinos with games.
Immersive RouletteLaunched in 2013, Immersive Roulette uses a familiar Live Dealer format but adds some HD streaming and extra camera angles to the game.
Instead of watching the wheel from one position players can select from multiple cameras set up around the wheel. You can even watch via a camera attached to the wheel itself.
3D RouletteAlthough Microgaming are known for Gold Series Roulette, which offers better HD graphics and sound FX, 3D Roulette also makes the most of your computer's firepower.
3D Roulette features an animated wheel, as in regular online roulette, but the wheel is highly-defined and spins more realistically than a typical online wheel. Games are played as European Roulette with numbers 1-36 and the single zero.
Branded RouletteThemed roulette, like themed slots, is hugely popular. Playtech has doubled up its Marvel output with a Marvel Roulette game. Win a bet placed on the Marvel Bonus slot and you'll have a chance of winning more cash with a special 3-reel slot game.
Mobile Roulette
Roulette games can also be played on a smartphone or tablet (maybe even a smartwatch). Games are usually programmed in HTML5 so that they work across multiple platforms.
Games are specially designed to fit the smaller touch-screen. Bets are placed by tapping the screen but you will usually lose a lot of the functionality of typical online versions.
Roulette apps can be downloaded for iOS iPad, iPhone or Android devices, but you will usually find a reduced offering at mobile casinos compared to online sites.
Online Roulette Top Tips
1 - Stick to Outside BetsRoulette is one of the best casino games for playing safe. With the outside bets like Red/Black or Odd/Even you'll be paid out even-money (1/1) if you win. You can check the history, of course, to spot trends but even if there have been 20 consecutive red spins, there's no reason that the next spin will be black.
2 - Start Out With European RouletteEuropean Roulette boasts the lowest house edge of all the roulette variants. Of course, the casino still has a massive advantage over players but sticking to European or French (if available) means the odds are more in the players' favour.
3 - Pick a Variant You Can Multi-TableGambling online is about winning as much as you can and working your way through a deposit bonus. By choosing a variant you can multi-table (e.g. three tables at once) you'll work off that bonus faster. Make sure your computer and web connection can handle the extra tables before you go gung-ho. Make sure to pick a bet amount that suits your bankroll. If you are on a budget you should play low stakes instead of high limit!
Popular Online Roulette Terms
- American Roulette - Popular form of roulette in the US. Features two green slots (0 and 00), along with the numbers 1-36
- Bankroll - Funds available to a player
- Bets - Wagers placed on the roulette table
- Cold Numbers - Numbers that don't come up often
- Column Bets - Wagers placed on three columns. Each column pays 2/1.
- Croupier - Dealer in a game of Live Dealer Roulette
- Double Zero - The second green slot in a game of American Roulette
- Dozens - Bets placed on 1-12, 13-24, or 25-36
- En Prison - A second insurance bet found in French Roulette
- European Roulette - Popular roulette format in the UK. Features a single zero slot which reduces the house edge to 2.7%
- Even-money - Outside bets (Red/Black, Odd/Even, 1-18, 19-36) which pay 1/1
- French Roulette - European Roulette variant with two added insurance bets - La Partage and En Prison - which let players win back some of their original stake
- History - List of numbers that have been spun previously
- Hot Numbers - Popular numbers that get hit a lot on one table
- House Edge - Casino advantage over the players
- Inside Bets - Bets on columns or single numbers
- La Partage - Insurance bet found in French Roulette
- Layout - Table where bets are made in Roulette
- Live Dealer - Form of online roulette which lets players bet on real-life wheels. Roulette wheels are spun by human croupiers and watched via a live video stream
- Neighbours - Adjacent numbers on the racetrack (see below)
- Odd/Even - Outside bet on all odd or all even numbers. Pays 1/1
- Orphans/Orphelins - Popular groups of numbers for bets (1,20,14,31,9 & 17,34,6) on the track
- Outside Bets - Even-money bets (Red/Black, Odd/Even etc)
- Premier Roulette Diamond Edition - Online variant of roulette that features four colours instead of just red and black.
- Racetrack - Separate area which replicates the layout of numbers on the wheel. Players can place bets on the track or sections of the track
- Red/Black - Popular outside bets on all red or all black numbers. Pays 1/1
- Systems - Betting plans for making wagers and making bankroll go further
- Tiers Du Cylindre - Groups of numbers on the racetrack (35, 3, 26, 0, 32 & 33, 16, 24, 5, 10, 23). Players can bet on all numbers at once to save time.
- Wagers - Bets made at the table
- Zero - Green slot in European Roulette