The Differences Between The American Roulette and European Roulette Game
European Roulette | Introduction
The game of roulette has certainly come a long way since its release in the early 18th century. The game of roulette is now a popular game in casinos as several people enjoy playing this particular game. The game of roulette has now even extended to the internet with several online versions of the game.
There are two main types of roulette – European Roulette and American Roulette. These two games are similar in ways, for example, when the dealer spins the wheel and the ball starts running. The two are also similar when players bet on black or red numbers.
However, what are the differences between the two? Here are a few answers. The main differences between the American and European Roulette are mainly in the layout of their corresponding tables.
American Roulette Vs. European Roulette
- In the European Roulette version of the game, their wheel only has a single zero, which means that the European Roulette table only has 37 sections, which are numbered in order from 0 to 36. Since betting and gambling is a game of chance, the ball, once spun, can fall into any of the 37 compartments. The advantage of the European Roulette version is that the game offers a better, healthier chance of players winning, with the ratio of 36:1. This only gives the casino a payout of 35:1, with a 2.7% advantage.
- The game of American Roulette, on the other hand, is a double zero roulette game so it has 38 compartments, as this version has an extra section that contains a double-zero or 00. A 00 means two sets of zeros – a single zero roulette number and a double zero roulette number. This increases a player’s chance of landing on a zero. This tiny difference has a big impact as the odds for the American Roulette game is 37:1, so the game’s payout is 35:1, which gives the casino a 5.7% advantage over players. This means that the odds of winning for players in the American Roulette game are much worse.
- The European Roulette game offers the option to use the “En Prison” rule, which is an advantage for players rather than the casino game itself, as it gives players higher chances at winning the game. The “En Prison” rule is when the ball lands at a zero, but then allows the player to either give up only half the money that they used to bet, allowing them to escape with, at least, the remaining half, or to leave them for the next bet. The “En Prison” rule, also known as “Surrender” drops the house advantage lower to about 1.35% which is an inviting play compared to the American Roulette’s house advantage of 5.6%. The American Roulette game does not offer a rule similar to the European Roulette’s “En Prison” rule.
- Another difference between the two games is their chips. When you buy chips at an American Roulette game, their chips are colored so that you can distinguish your bets from the other players on the same table as you. Whereas, on the other hand, in the European Roulette game, all of the chips are the same color, so this game requires adequate memory skills to differentiate the players’ bets.
European Roulette | Conclusion
Since the European Roulette game presents a more favorable, inviting offer to players, they are more popular worldwide compared to the American Roulette game.




