European roulette rules

Unlike American roulette which features two zeros on the roulette wheel, European roulette features only one zero, bringing the house edge down substantially and making it a preferable version for roulette players, with better odds. This article will take you through how to play European roulette, the kinds of bets available and where punters can play European roulette online.

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The European roulette wheel and betting table

European roulette online for real moneyThe European roulette wheel is made up of 37 numbered pockets from zero to 36, with all numbers coloured red or black, except for the zero which is green.

The standard layout of numbers on a European roulette wheel, in clockwise order is as follows:

0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25, 17, 34, 6, 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33, 1, 20, 14, 31, 9, 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3 and 26.

The corresponding betting table consist of three rows and three sections each divided into 12 numbers. The colour of each number on the table matches the colour of the number in the roulette wheel.

How to play European roulette

Just like French roulette or American roulette, European roulette requires the player to place a bet on the predicted outcome of the spin of the roulette wheel. Bets are placed by moving a chip onto different sections of the roulette betting table, where players can place more than one chip per spin.

Once all bets are placed, the croupier (or RNG if playing online) spins the wheel, with the ball spinning in the opposite direction until it lands on one of the numbered pockets. The pocket the ball lands on forms the winning number and winnings are paid out accordingly before all bets are cleared from the table.

There are several different betting options players can choose from, with outside bets and inside bets available as explained below. Some games may also offer special side-bets but it will entirely depend on the game at hand.

Outside bets in European roulette

Outside bets are the most popular type of bet placed in roulette, especially for beginners. Making an outside bet in European roulette refers to wagers on the outer layer of the betting table. Outside bets have much better odds than inside bets, but the payouts are nowhere near as lucrative.

  • Odd or even
    Place a bet the wheel will land on an odd or even number. A win pays 1 to 1. Odds of winning an odds or even bet are 48.65%.
  • Red or black
    Place a bet the wheel will land on red or black. A win pays 1 to 1. Odds of winning a red or black bet are 48.65%.
  • 1-18 or 19-36
    Place a bet the wheel will land on low numbers (1 to 18) or high numbers (19-36). A win pays 1 to 1. Odds of winning are 48.65%.
  • First 12, Second 12, Third 12 (Dozens)
    Place a bet on the first, second or third row of 12 numbers. A win pays 2 to 1. Odds of winning a dozens bet are 32.43%.
  • Columns
    Place a bet on all 12 numbers in the right, left or middle row. A win pays 2 to 1. Odds of winning a column bet are 32.43%.

Inside bets in European roulette

In European roulette, inside bets are wagers placed on numbers within the inside of the betting table, with the following bets available:

  • Straight
    Place a bet on a single number. A win will pay 35 to 1. Odds of winning a straight bet are 2.70%.
  • Split
    Place a bet on two numbers. A win will pay 17 to 1. Odds of winning a split bet are 5.41%.
  • Street
    Place a bet on a horizontal row of three numbers. A win will pay 11 to 1. Odds of winning a street bet are 8.11%.
  • Corner/Square
    Place a bet on four adjoining numbers forming a square. A win will pay 8 to 1. Odds of winning a corner bet are 10.81%.
  • Six line
    Place a bet on two adjoining streets (rows of three numbers). A win will pay 5 to 1. Odds of winning a six line bet are 16.22%.

How is European roulette different than American or French?

Due to the use of a single zero, the house edge when playing European roulette is 2.70%, which is highly preferable over the American roulette house edge of 5.26%. Other than the difference in house edge and the exclusion of an extra zero, the rules of European and American roulette are more or less the same.

European roulette and French roulette both use a single zero wheel and are very similar in nature, the difference being French roulette allows for some additional rules like La Partage, which decreases the house edge to 1.35% when the rule is in play.

Where to play European roulette online

To get used to the rules of European roulette, you can play for free in demo mode at any of the safe and reputable casino sites listed in our casino table at the top of this page.

These reputable casinos also offer live dealer European roulette, giving you the option to play directly against a real human croupier in real time. If you don’t have an account with any of these venues, follow our links to receive bonus offers and special promotions. We recommend Slots.lv as our top-rated casino site for players from United States, which has a great range of roulette variants, along with online slots, blackjack and other table games.