European Roulette Offers Better Odds for Players Than American Roulette Does 

Roulette is one of the most iconic casino games, having graced gambling floors for over 200 years. Today, casinos around the world offer two standard versions of the spinning wheel game – European roulette and American roulette. While the games appear almost identical at first glance, there is one key difference that has an enormous impact on the house edge and players’ odds of winning.

Specifically, European roulette wheels contain just a single zero slot numbered 0, while American wheels add an additional 00 slot. This extra zero may seem inconsequential, but in reality it nearly doubles the house advantage against players. Yet many roulette fans continue overlooking the superior odds offered by European roulette.

How the Extra Zero Impacts the Odds

To understand why that additional zero makes American roulette so much less favorable, you need to comprehend the payout structure. In roulette, you are able to place bets on individual numbers or on groupings of numbers such as odd/even and red/black.

The following table shows the different payout rates for the two most common roulette bets at Casumo:

Bet Type	European Roulette	American Roulette
Straight Up (single number)	35 to 1	35 to 1
Even Money (red/black, odd/even, high/low)	1 to 1	1 to 1

As you can see, the payout rates remain the same regardless of whether you play European or American roulette. So how does that extra zero slot impact your odds so drastically?

It all comes down to the probabilities. Let’s take a closer look:

• European roulette wheel: 37 total slots – 36 numbered slots + 1 zero slot
• American roulette wheel: 38 total slots – 36 numbered slots + 1 zero slot + 1 double zero slot

On a European wheel, the odds of any straight up number bet winning is 1 in 37 (2.7% probability).

Comparatively, on an American wheel the odds decrease to 1 in 38 (2.63% probability) because of the extra slot.

While this may seem like barely a difference, over the long run of repeated spins it has huge implications. The house edge represents how much the casino expects to profit from each bet and European roulette’s house advantage is nearly half that of its American counterpart.

• European roulette house edge: 2.70%
• American roulette house edge: 5.26%

So in other words, American roulette takes roughly twice as much money from players over time, significantly reducing their chances to actually walk away a winner.

More Winners on European Wheels

Some may argue that they prefer American roulette simply because the extra 00 slot increases the potential payouts. After all, having 38 slots instead of just 37 should open up more winning combinations, right?

While that logic seems reasonable, the reality is that even with the additional slot, the odds are stacked astronomically in the casino’s favor. Let’s consider some statistics:

• The odds of hitting 0 or 00 on an American wheel are 1 in 19.
• Comparatively, the odds of hitting 0 on a European wheel are just 1 in 37.

As you can see, players are about twice as likely to lose due to the zeros in American roulette versus European.

Now let’s compare probabilities of landing some common winning bets:

• Hitting any dozen bet (1st 12, 2nd 12, or 3rd 12):
  • European roulette probability = 31.58%
  • American roulette probability = 31.58%
• Hitting any column bet:
  • European roulette probability = 32.43%
  • American roulette probability = 32.43%
• Hitting black or red:
  • European roulette probability = 48.65%
  • American roulette probability = 47.37%

As these statistics make painfully clear, adding that extra double zero to American wheels simply does not open up enough additional winning possibilities to offset the expanded house edge.

While American roulette players do have that miniscule chance of specifically hitting 00, overall European wheels create many more winning numbers and thus more winners for those sitting at the tables.

Final Considerations

While most players understand that European roulette offers better RTP (return to player) percentages, many drastically underestimate the actual magnitude of difference. With its double zero slot, American roulette essentially renders most bets twice as likely to lose than its European counterpart.

So for players who enjoy the spinning wheel, choosing to play European roulette over American provides a vastly superior chance to walk away from the tables a winner. Just remember to look for that single zero before placing bets – it makes all the difference!