Roulette odds & payouts explained | April 2024

Since roulette first graced the French elite in the late 1700s, it remains one of the most popular casino games in the world. Beyond French, American, and European Roulette variants, “the little wheel” has changed much through the centuries, especially the roulette table layout and colored chips. But maximizing your payouts shrewdly combines the right strategy and mastering the odds.

While straight or zero spiel for German players stakes occur, particularly with American roulette, thanks to the double zero, they are 37:1, or a potential $37 for every dollar wagered on a single number. Nevertheless, things increase slightly in the player’s favor to 35:1 with French and European Roulette, mainly due to the wheel only having a single zero.

Follow along with the rest of this guide for a detailed breakdown of how roulette odds and payouts work, including the different bet types associated with roulette, how to properly manage your roulette bankroll, and much more.

More on Roulette Odds & Payouts

Roulette Payout Chart

While tried-and-true strategies like the Martingale, Paroli, and D’Alembert are essential, true winners understand the nuances of the different roulette bets and the best odds on getting the winning number. To better understand how payouts work and to calculate the true odds, our roulette experts outline below the primary gambling stakes, including the column bet, top line, five number bets, and high-end double street gambles.

Bet Type: One Number (Straight Up Bet)

  • Payout: 35:1
  • American Roulette Odds: 5.26% in favor of the house
  • European and French Roulette Odds: 2.70% in the players’ favor

Split

  • 17:1: American Roulette payout.
  • 1:19 odds that American Roulette players win split bets
  • 1/18.5 odds that European and French Roulette players win split bets

Defining Roulette Payouts

If this is your first time playing roulette, reading the playing table might seem like a head-scratcher on how to call bets. Except for French casino game, where everything is written in French, it is standard for the roulette table to lay out common odds on the column, even and odd, and high and low stakes. The live versions might involve variants like platinum and lightning roulette, which might have slightly different table layouts.

Roulette Odds

For those unfamiliar with the roulette game or playing for the first time, it might not be wise to begin with the American version because the double zero impacts the roulette payout tree with a steep house advantage at 5.26% or 94.74 RTP to the player for the exact number or the ball landing on red or black.

Consider European or French roulette payout odds for more favorable outcomes as you learn how to place bets. In addition, the European and French versions make even money and odd-number stakes easier with a 36-number split. Besides the simple number bet, the odds strongly apply to more sophisticated stakes like the corner bet, inside and out, or the highly challenging and reserved six-number bet.

Roulette Bet Types

New American and European roulette players gravitate toward single number and the red or black wager, despite the lower payouts. Players who prefer higher stakes like to gamble on a column, the line, four numbers, or high-low bets, all of which require the placed gambles in the group to hit to win. Nevertheless, it is common for players, including those playing online, to try their luck with split, the three-number bet, or street ones, if the game permits.

Maximum Bets

Calculating the maximum stakes varies by game and casino. Live roulette games tend to accept higher betting rounds, sometimes worth thousands of dollars. High rollers who prefer the outer edge, or the challenging five-number bet, can let it ride between $1,000 to $10,000.

Minimum Bets

Virtual casinos offer lower minimum stakes than land-based casinos, which open spins between $2 to $5. Standalone online titles by NetEnt and IGT have minimums of as small as $1 or $5, depending on the site. Online Penny Roulette accepts wagers as low as a penny.

Roulette Inside Bets

While inside bets offer lower earnings, the chances of winning are higher. With inside table gambling occurring in the middle of the table as opposed to the outer ones, players can frequently hit where the ball lands with 35:1 odds or inside split bets with 17:1 odds. Most games accept inside wagers for street, corner, basket, and the elusive line bet that involves six numbers with 5:1 winnings.

Roulette Outside Bets

Outside stakes for payoffs offer higher payouts, including 38 pockets, but the inherent odds of 1:1 for even and odd, red or black, or high or low stakes. Even slightly more advanced types of bets like column and dozen gambling offer consistent 2:1 odds.

A roulette dealer placing a ball on a roulette wheel
The house edge refers to the casino’s profit written as a percentage of the player’s initial bet. Getty Images

House Edge in Roulette

The American version of roulette offers a 5.26% house edge to the house, thanks to the second zero. The newly released triple-zero games increase the house’s edge to 7.69% for a bet on a single row. Meanwhile, the European and French versions favor the player with straight bet odds at 2.7%.

Roulette Wheel Payouts

Different payouts are linked to different wager types. Inside ones have the potential for higher payouts, but the odds are not in your favor compared to outside ones. New players tend to gamble simply on where the ball lands, or on red or black, which leads to a 35:1 payout ratio or $35 for every buck gambled.

Roulette Bankroll Management

If you aren’t careful, the allure of winning with any spin can help you become too immersed and you can quickly burn through your budget. To improve your odds, spend only what you can afford to lose, and consider the expert tips listed below.

Don’t Bring Credit Cards

To prevent overspending, consider not bringing credit cards to the casino. Once you spend the cash you came in with, you can’t overspend.

Don’t Overlook the Promotions

Online casinos frequently offer casino signup bonuses, which sometimes involve online roulette. Depending on the online casino, the stakes also count for higher comp or reward points for the VIP club.

Consider Practice Play

Unfortunately, live dealer roulette doesn’t qualify for practice participation, but standalone games might offer it. You can also study online professional guides for examples.

Which Online Casinos Offer the Highest Roulette Payouts?

The online versions offer consistent payouts for the mainstream games. Some sites, like DraftKings, have proprietary versions that also vary payouts. Our experts have put together a brief list of the top casino apps and the action they offer.

BetMGM Online Casino

BetMGM Casino offers 22 options for roulette, including Black and Yellow, with a $0.25 minimum buy-in.

Borgata Online Casino

Borgata Casino rules the roost with 25 games in their roulette category.

FanDuel Online Casino

FanDuel Casino delivers 13 unique options for roulette players. Most minimum stakes begin at a dime, but the maximum range is between $5,000 to $15,000, especially for the American version.

DraftKings Online Casino

DraftKings Casino offers online gamblers 24 roulette options. DraftKings Casino also has exclusive options like Basketball Roulette, with progressive jackpots approaching half a million dollars for a maximum bet.

Someone at a roulette table playing a roulette mobile app on their phone
Should you play roulette online or at a casino? Getty Images

Live Roulette vs. Online Roulette Comparison

Playing the little wheel live involves playing with a professional roulette dealer, known as a “croupier”. In addition, live play offers fair and transparent gameplay in real-time. Online roulette usually offers variants like Blazing 7s and uses a random number generator to deliver fair and transparent results.

Roulette Odds & Payouts FAQs

Check out the FAQ section below for answers to some of the most common questions surrounding roulette odds and payouts.

Can I play online roulette for real money?

Yes. Licensed real money online casinos like BetMGM Casino and BetRivers Casino offer several online roulette options for real money.

What is the payout on roulette?

It depends on the variant and the bet. Straight bets, for example, have a low payout at 37:1 for the American version with such bets at 35:1 for European and French options.

How much does roulette payout?

Depending on the variant, the payouts differ. Corner bets or gambling on the opposite direction pay 5:1, while even and odd, high or low, black or red bets pay 1 to 1.

What are the best odds in roulette?

Outside bets offer more favorable odds than inside ones, mostly 1 to 1. Straight betting and even money for European and French Roulette pay 35 to 1.

Is online roulette rigged?

Licensed iGaming venues, like New Jersey and Michigan, use random number generators to deliver fair and transparent playing results. Live play has fair play in real time for players.

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