Difference Between American and European Roulette

An Overview of Roulette European and American Roulette

Roulette is a game that originated in Europe, to be specific in France, in the 18th century. The EU variant was designed in Germany in 1843 by François and Louis Blanc: you may remember them from the famous Monte Carlo Casino. When the game entered the United States in the 19th century, casino operators changed the wheel design and added two 0 pockets (0 – 00) to increase the house edge. This design difference in the US roulette wheel has since led to the emergence of two basic variants: European and American. These are also known as single zero (EU) and double zero (US) games.

For almost 250 years, roulette has been among the most popular table games, and you can find it in almost every casino in the world. EU and US are still the main options, although many variants have emerged over time, differing in wheel design, bet types, and gameplay. It is possible to count French roulette as the third most popular option.

American Roulette Wheel vs European Roulette Wheel

If you are asking are all roulette wheels the same, the answer is no: they may seem the same at first glance, but roulette wheel American and European, are different from each other. This difference is due to an additional pocket in the US version. American roulette wheel layout is designed to include more pockets.

Let's try to explain simply: In the EU version, there are a total of 37 numbers (0 – 36) on the wheel. The US version has a total of 38 numbers (0 – 00 – 36), meaning it has an additional “0” pocket. This also slightly changes the table designs of the games: in EU roulette, you see a single 0 section on the table, while in US roulette there are two sections, 0 and 00.

This is more than a simple design difference: the additional 0 pocket changes the house edge and winning probabilities, even adding a new bet type. In EU roulette, your chance of winning when you bet on a single number is 2.70% (1/37). In US roulette, this probability is 2.63% (1/38). This also causes the US version to have a higher house edge, as we will explain below.

House Edge of American and European Roulette

No matter which variant, roulette house edge calculation is not that hard and always uses the same mathematical formula. To explain it simply:

• In all variants of the game, there are 18 red and 18 black numbers on the wheel.
• In the EU version, there is also 1 green number (0), so 37 numbers in total.
• In the US version, there are also 2 green numbers (0 and 00), so 38 numbers in total.
• If a player bets on “red”, for example, he or she will be taking a chance on a total of 18 numbers. We can express this as 18/37 for EU roulette. For US roulette, we can express it as 18/38.
• So, in the EU variant, the player bets on 18 numbers but skips 19 numbers in total. In the US variant, the players bets on 18 numbers but skips 20 numbers in total.
• Therefore, the probability of a player losing in EU roulette is 19/37, and in US roulette, it is 20/38.

To calculate the house edge, we just need to subtract the chance of winning from the chance of losing. For the European variant, this formula will be:

• 18/37 – 19/37 =
• 1/37 =
• 2,70% (house edge)

For the American variant, the formula will be:

• 18/38 – 20/38 =
• 2/38 =
• 5,26% (house edge)

So, the winner of the American vs European roulette comparison in terms of house edge is the EU variant. The difference is almost twofold. These percentages affect you more than you think, because we can also calculate RTP (return to player) values using them.

• EU version: 100 – 2,70 = 97,30% RTP
• US version: 100 – 5,26 = 94,74% RTP

So, it is possible to earn back 97.30 CAD of every 100 CAD you invest while playing European roulette. When playing American roulette, this figure will be at most 94.74 CAD. The EU variant allows you to recover more of your investment in the long run.

European Roulette vs American Bets and Rulesets

We mentioned above that the roulette wheel layout American is different, which causes an additional section (00) to be created on the American roulette table. This additional section gives rise to a new bet: the basket. Apart from this, the inside and outside bet types are the same in both variants. Similarly, there is no difference in payouts.

With the basket, you bet on 5 numbers (0, 00, 1, 2, and 3) at the same time. This bet is specific to the US version only and is not available in other variants, as the 00 pocket is exclusive to the American roulette layout.

There is also no difference between the two variants in terms of rules and gameplay. However, in some EU games, you may see special rulesets called “En Prison” or “La Partage”. These rules belong to a sub-variant of the game called “French” and they do the following:

• En Prison If the bets paying 1:1 are lost due to the ball landing at zero, the player can use the same bet on the same outcome on the next spin.
• La Partage If the bets paying 1:1 are lost due to the ball landing at zero, the player gets half of his bet back.

American Roulette vs European Roulette in Terms of Strategies

We can also compare American roulette vs European by taking the strategies into account. These variants do not have special strategies, so what you use for one, you can use it for the other too. However, you have to consider the house edge/RTP difference, because in US roulette, the return on your investment will be more limited, which is especially important for progressive betting strategies.

For example, the Martingale strategy works the same way in both variants: as you lose, you continue to double the bet amount. However, due to having a higher house edge, your bankroll may run out a little faster on the US variant, which means you should keep the starting bet lower for this version.

European and American Roulette Odds

European roulette payout and American roulette payouts are the same – there is no difference between the two variants in this regard. However, the RTP/house edge difference causes the winning odds to change. So, the European roulette odds will be different (higher) than the US version. In the table below, you can see this more clearly.

Tips for Playing American and European Roulette

When playing these types of roulette, we recommend that you pay particular attention to three things:

• Determine your strategy according to the variant you play. Progressive strategies such as Martingale are more suitable for the EU variant. Due to the higher house edge, strategies with a more controlled increase in the bet amount (for example, Reverse Martingale or Labouchère) would be a better option for the US variant.
• Be careful to use your bankroll efficiently in both variants. Splitting your budget into units of ten is a good strategy for most players. For example, if you have 1,000 CAD, divide it into groups of 10 CAD and use each for different bets.
• Inside bets offer the highest chance of winning in both variants. If the strategies and systems seem complicated, you can just focus on inside bets that pay 1:1.

Roulette Variants Around the World

The European roulette table and the American roulette board are not your only options: there are many more variants of this game that you can try. For example, you can check out:

• French Roulette: Games played according to the En Prison or La Partage rules mentioned above. This is the option with the lowest house edge (1.35%), but the gameplay is more complex.
• Mini Roulette: It is a special variant developed for the small screens of mobile devices. There are 13 numbers (0 – 12) on the wheel and betting options are limited.
• Double Ball Roulette: Two balls are dropped onto the wheel at the same time. You can bet on each of these separately or make a special bet that they will both land in the same pocket.

Remember that you will not find these exotic variants in every casino. EU and US are the most popular roulette types worldwide and are almost always in the top three in the “table games” category. If you want to try exotic options, we recommend you take a look at our selected casinos.

Which Variant to Choose?

The American variant has slightly more dynamic gameplay thanks to its additional bet, but its house edge is very high. The European variant is ideal for beginners and its RTP/house edge rates are satisfactory, but the gameplay can become monotonous after a while. We recommend trying both and choosing the one that best suits your play style (and budget). If you can't decide, you should opt in for European roulette, as it has an objectively higher RTP.