USA vs UK: Roulette Across the Pond

We know the game of roulette is awesome - you place your favourite bets, watch the wheel spin and hope the ball lands in your numbered pocket.

The great thing about roulette is that it's so popular, there have been multiple spin-offs created for you to try.

Luckily for you, we're bringing you the best of both worlds at Bally Casino. We have plenty of American and European roulette tables to play at, so you can enjoy all of the nuances of the games.

Want to know more? Before you take a seat in our online casino, keep reading to find out how roulette compares in the UK to the USA…

The double zero

Check out a European roulette wheel and an American version and there's one difference that instantly stands out - the double zero.

That's right, back across the pond US casinos use roulette wheels with 38 pockets, instead of the 37 UK players are used to. Don't sweat it if you’re unfamiliar with this concept, it uses the same purpose as the European zero, separating the red and black numbers.

The great thing about the double zero? It gives you another number to bet on! It's always a thrill to have a winning straight up wager on the winning number being the standard zero, so this is no different.

Return to player

What impact does the double zero have on the game? Aside from the obvious of adding an extra pocket, it affects the Return To Player (RTP) rate on each of the online roulette games.

The RTP is the amount we expect to pay out on a game relative to the money wagered on it. If an RTP is 97% it means that for every £100 staked, we will pay out £97 on average. It's not an exact science folks, but it's a great guide.

On our European roulette games, the RTP is 97.3%. Take a seat at an American roulette table and it drops to 94.7% on account of the extra pocket, which increases the house edge. So, the double zero does more than just change the way the wheel looks. Speaking of which…

Layout of the roulette wheel

When you play roulette online, the other change you'll notice is the positions of the numbered pockets. Naturally, it’s not as simple as just wedging the double zero in - the numbers must be in specific positions.

Here's how American roulette wheels are laid out, in clockwise order: 0, 28, 9, 26, 30, 11, 7, 20, 32, 17, 5, 22, 34, 15, 3, 24, 36, 13, 1, 00, 27, 10, 25, 29, 12, 8, 19, 31, 18, 6, 21, 33, 16, 4, 23, 35, 14, 2.

When you look at that next to the European roulette layout, you'll see a lot of the numbers in different places: 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, 26.

The wheel has to be split evenly so all roulette players have a fair chance of winning, no matter where the ball lands. If you had all the numbers from a bet option on one side, like red, even or 19-36, unbiased outcomes would be unavoidable. While you do get some odd or even numbers next to each other, you will never find two black or red pockets side by side.

French roulette wagers

If you're a fan of special wagers, check out French roulette. There's no new layout to learn, as it's the same as European tables - but it is a key difference to American games.

French roulette bets cover a certain set of numbers. This could be an area of the wheel or a pattern of numbers, and you have five wagers to choose from:

• Voisins du Zero (Neighbours of Zero) - nine wagers covering numbers 22, 23, 24 and 25. Corner bets and street bets are both involved.
• Le Tiers du Cylinder (Thirds of the Wheel) - the numbers on the other side of the wheel to zero will be covered, which includes 27-33. To place this wager, you have six chips on the table as split bets.
• Jue Zero (Zero Game) - covers zero and the three numbers to the left and right of it are covered - 35, 3, 26, 32, 15 and 19. Jue Zero has three split wagers, plus a straight up wager on 26.
• Orphelins (Orphans) - eight numbers are covered with this wager - 17, 34 and 6 in the first part of the racetrack, plus 1, 20, 14,      31 and 9 in the second section.
• Finales - place a chip on each of the numbers that end in the same way. This could be 4, 14, 24 and 34, for example.

The Number Five bet

How about a unique wager from back in the States? This one covers the first five numbers in numerical order, and it's the only betting option that includes the zero and double zero.

The Number Five bet, as it's commonly known, adds a chip to numbers 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. It has odds of around 6/1, giving you a 13.16% chance of hitting a winner. Try it out the next time you're soaking up the atmosphere at our awesome American roulette tables.

La Partage and En Prison

Another bonus feature when you play online roulette in the UK is La Partage. This rule is found exclusively on European roulette tables, so our buddies back home in the USA are missing out.

All roulette players have been there - your chips are stacked on red or black, and the green hits. Well, with La Partage, you get half your stake back from the casino on all even money bet options when the zero lands.

That's where the En Prison features comes in. This isn't available at all roulette tables, so double-check the game information pages before you play. It gives you the option to leave half of your original stake 'in prison' for the next spin of the wheel, repeating the bet you previously placed. Second time lucky? Get your stake back. Same result? You lose the rest of your wager.

We've got incredible American and European roulette games waiting for you at Bally Casino. So, don't dilly dally, place your bets and get on Bally!