American vs European Roulette – How are They Different, and Which is Better?

There is only one important difference between American and European roulette, and that’s the number of zeroes on the wheel. American roulette has a two zero pockets, 0 and 00, while the European version has only one. There’s a lot more to it, though, so bear with us.

First of all, we need to point out that these two games are almost identical in almost every way. The basic gameplay is pretty much the same. You place bets on various positions, hoping to predict where the ball will land after the dealer spins the wheel. If you’re not familiar with the basic rules of roulette and how the game plays, check out our roulette tutorial for a detailed, beginner-friendly guide.

It’s also worth noting that the payouts also the same. For example, both games pay 1:1 for a Red/Black bet and 35:1 for a Straight Up bet. Both also allow for the same standard roulette bets. There are only two notable exceptions – the Top Line bet and the ability to bet Straight Up on 00. These two are only available in American roulette – more on that later.

For now, let’s take a closer look at each individual type or roulette wheel.

European Roulette Specifics

European Roulette is any roulette version with only a single green zero. This means that there is only one green position on the whole wheel.

Nowadays, this version is widely considered the go-to option for most gamblers out there. While American wheels are still present in casinos, especially in the US, they’re much more rare online. For instance, the vast majority of live casino roulette tables is based on the European model.

One of the main advantages of European Roulette is its consistent, high RTP. If you’re familiar with that term, you’ll know that RTP, or return-to-player, is absolutely crucial for your profits while gambling. If you’re not familiar with what RTP is or how it works, check out this guide. Basically, this number represents the statistically average returns you can expect from a game in the long run. The higher it is, the the better for you as the player.

European Roulette has an RTP rate of 97.3% for all types of bets. That’s a fairly high figure in the casino world(though not as high as, say, blackjack). It also means that you can make any bet or combination of bets you want. Statistically speaking, none of them is better than others.

This boils down to the fact that the green zero is the source of the house advantage in roulette. The reasons why are a bit complicated, so we won’t go into it here. If you’re interested, you may want to read our detailed guide to roulette odds.

American Roulette Specifics

In contrast, American Roulette wheels have two zeroes. One is called 0, while the other is marked as 00. They are also traditionally green.

At first glance, this may not seem like such a big deal. However, remember what we just talked about. The zero is technically the reason the house has an advantage – it’s the reason “the house always wins.” With that in mind, it’s easy to reach the main conclusion of this article.

American roulette has double the house edge of European roulette. On average, players stand to win noticeably less in the long run if playing American roulette instead of European roulette.

The game’s payouts aren’t the reason, either. The payouts are entirely the same – you win the same reward for the same bet on both types of wheels. However, every bet in American roulette is slightly less likely to win because of the second zero. This further skews the statistics in the casino’s favor. Again, if you’re not sure how this works, here’s a bit of information about odds in roulette.

In practice, this means that the RTP of American roulette is 94.74%. That puts it at a significant disadvantage compared to its European counterpart and its 97.3% RTP.

The 00 pocket expands your betting options a bit, but there’s no real advantage to that. Also, this extra position allows players to place a special type of bet called Top Line.

The Top Line is a unique wager that covers the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. It’s only possible to make this bet in American roulette. However, it only pays 6:1 while covering 5 numbers. This puts the bet’s RTP at 92.1%, which is even weaker than the rest. We strongly recommend against ever playing the Top Line bet in American roulette, no matter the circumstances.

Is American or European Roulette Better?

European roulette is better than American because it has a higher RTP. Every bet in the European version is slightly more likely to win on every spin when compared to the American variant. This is always true, no matter your goals or playing strategies.

Frankly, the odds in European roulette are better. If you’ve been paying attention to the guide above, our answer should be quite obvious to you.

Payout Table Comparison – Payouts, Odds, and RTP

To recap, here’s a table with the payouts, RTP, and odds of every bet in both types of Roulette.

The table above clearly illustrates why European roulette is better. With a higher probability of success across the board, the game’s RTP also increases. This brings us to our next question.

Is there any reason to play American roulette?

Frankly – no, there isn’t. Of course, we’re working under the assumption that your goal is to win as much money as possible with roulette, or at least lose as little as possible. If you have different goals, you do you.

There are some interesting things to note here, though. Casinos prefer when players play games with smaller RTP because that means that the house wins more. Some employ strategies to try to entice players to pick American roulette instead of European.

Some examples include casino bonuses or more comp points if you play American Roulette. We’ve only ever seen this in brick-and-mortar establishments. If we’re being honest, you’re probably still better off just playing European roulette even after we factor in the bonuses.

We’ve also seen some casinos on the Vegas Strip offer American roulette with lower limits. Again, they’re still best avoided if you can muster the bankroll.