Roulette: A Classic and Beloved Casino Game

Online roulette is a game of chance based on the same versions you can play at brick-and-mortar casinos. You can choose between single-player RNG table games that use computers to determine each spin and live casino roulette, which features a real wheel with the action streamed in real time and allows hundreds of players to join at once.

To play, you make bets on the roulette table, which covers bets from individual numbers to specified groups. Once you’ve placed your wager, the game spins the roulette wheel until the ball lands in one of the numbered pockets, at which point you win the corresponding payout if the number was featured in any of your bets.

You can play roulette at the vast majority of UK online casinos, where its numerous versions, simple gameplay and variety of bet types often means that it equally appeals to both gambling newcomers and experienced players.

A Beginner’s Guide to Roulette Bets

There are two main bet types in roulette, called inside and outside wagers. These bets feature in all versions of roulette at real money casinos, while offering different levels of risk and reward. Some variations of roulette also let you place announced bets, which are exclusive special wagers covering specific number combinations. Let’s take a look at each type of wager:

Inside Bets: High Risk, High Reward

The aptly named inside bets are wagers you make by placing virtual chips in the inner section of the roulette table. These cover up to six numbers and involve bets with higher payouts, including the game’s standard maximum of 35:1.

We recommend inside bets for more advanced players who are familiar with roulette and its odds. However, placing inside bets puts your bankroll at greater risk, so keep this in mind when playing.

Bet Type	Explanation	Numbers Covered	Payout
Straight Up	Bet on one specific number.	1	35:1
Split	Bet on two vertically or horizontally connected numbers on the roulette table (e.g. 1 and 2).	2	17:1
Street	Bet on three numbers in a row, (e.g. 4, 5, 6).	3	11:1
Corner	Bet on four numbers that sit in a 2x2 grid on the roulette table, (e.g. 7, 8, 10, 11).	4	8:1
Six Line / Double Street	Bet on six consecutive numbers in two rows (e.g. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18).	6	5:1

Outside Bets: A Safer Option

Rather than restricting you to a small range of numbers, outside bets allow you to cover 12 to 18 numbers on the table. This makes them less risky than inside wagers, although they offer smaller payouts as a result.

Outside bets often require you to choose between one set of numbers or another, such as red or black, odd or even, and high or low. You can also use them on columns of numbers or successive sequences of 12 numbers. They’re ideal for beginners who are still getting used to the game and players with smaller budgets.

Bet Type	Explanation	Numbers Covered	Payout
Column	Bet on any column of 12 numbers on the table.	12	2:1
Dozen	Bet on a group of 12 successive numbers, either 1 to 12, 13 to 24, or 25 to 36.	12	2:1
Red/Black	Bet on the winning number having a red or black-coloured pocket.	18	1:1
Odd/Even	Bet on the winning number being odd or even.	18	1:1
High/Low	Bet on the winning number being high (19 to 36) or low (1 to 18).	18	1:1

Announced Bets: For Experienced Players

The French and European variants of roulette have special wagers called announced bets. These are considered more advanced than both inside and outside bets, so we only suggest placing them if you’re an experienced player.

Announced bets cover numbers based on their location in the roulette wheel. You can get a better view of this by enabling the racetrack view in an online roulette game. It helps you understand how the numbers are spread around the wheel and which sections are targeted by the announced bets. They’re made from a combination of different inside bets, with the payout value depending on the winning number.

Bet Type	Explanation	Numbers Covered	Payout
Les Tiers du Cylindre	Covers 12 numbers using split bets, from 33 to 27 on the roulette wheel.	12	17:1
Les Voisins du Zero	Covers 17 numbers with a mix of split bets, corners and a street from 22 to 25 on the roulette wheel.	17	17:1 / 11:1 / 8:1
Les Orphelins	Bet on the numbers not covered by the other announced bets. This includes a straight bet on 1 and split bets from 20 to 9 and 6 to 17.	8	35:1 / 17:1

What Roulette Variants are Available at UK Casinos?

European, American, and French roulette are the three main variations of the online game. However, you can play numerous variants, including multi-wheel roulette, no zero roulette, and live roulette. You’ll need to adapt your strategy according to each variation’s unique rules and features:

• European Roulette: This is the most common version of roulette, with 37 numbers on the wheel running from 0 to 36. It has a standard house edge of 2.7%.
• American Roulette: In the US, roulette wheels have an additional number known as the double zero (00). This adds more betting choices for corner, street and split wagers, but also raises the house edge to a less favourable 5.26%.
• French Roulette: Just like European roulette, French roulette features 37 numbers, but also uses the La Partage rule, where you get half your wager back on even money bets if the ball lands on 0. This also reduces the house edge to 1.35%.
• Multi-Wheel Roulette: As the name suggests, this version of roulette has several wheels spinning at the same time. The addition of multiple wheels means you stand a better chance of winning, but you’ll also need to spend more money to cover bets across the extra wheels.
• No Zero Roulette: By eliminating zeros from the game, no zero roulette has a 0% house edge. However, it’s a very rare variation at online casinos as a result.
• Live Roulette: In live roulette, the game is hosted by an actual dealer and uses a real wheel, with each spin streamed from a dedicated studio. It offers a more immersive experience and allows you to communicate with the host and other players throughout via live chat.

Features of Highly-Rated Roulette Casinos

Nearly all UK casino sites offer some form of online roulette, but the best sites and apps give you a great all-around experience. You want to play at casinos that have plenty of roulette variations to choose from, as well as access to rewarding promotional offers, responsive customer support and the highest levels of safety and security.

In our expert casino reviews, here are the criteria we use to determine our recommend roulette casinos:

• Roulette Game Variety: The ideal online roulette game library features multiple roulette variations covering both RNG and live options. These should also offer bet limits catering to players of all budgets, as well as helpful in-game functions like pre-saved bets and live statistics.
• Bonuses and Offers: New and existing players at roulette casinos should be able to boost their bankroll via regular casino bonuses. These promos must be available for use on roulette games and come with fair T&Cs and wagering requirements.
• Customer Service: Whenever we run into issues, we want to know that the available customer support has our back. That’s why our top picks have 24/7 assistance via several channels including live chat and email, with helpful responses delivered by quick and friendly agents.
• Payment Methods: The best online roulette casinos give you a varied set of banking options to choose from, including bank transfers, debit cards, e-wallets and prepaid methods. They also enable speedy and fee-free withdrawals that quickly deliver your winnings.
• Mobile Compatibility: Top-rated mobile casinos make it easy and fun to play online roulette on your smartphone. We test them to make sure they run smoothly on mobile browsers across both Android and iOS platforms, and award extra marks if they offer a mobile app featuring personalisation options and push notifications.
• Licensing and Security: We make sure that our recommended casinos have valid licenses from trusted regulators like the Gambling Commission (UKGC). They also use advanced SSL encryption to protect your personal and financial information.

Test Your Roulette Skills By Playing Online for Free

Many RNG online roulette games have free versions that you can play without risking your money. As with other free casino games, demo versions of roulette have the same rules and features as real money counterparts, but you play with virtual chips that can’t be cashed out.

You can use these free demos to get familiar with the game's rules, bets and features and test out different bet levels, analysing how this affects both your payouts and bankroll. Once you feel comfortable, you can then switch to the real money version.

While live roulette games don’t have any free versions due to production and hosting costs, they do let you watch as a spectator, so you can get a feel of how the game works before joining the other players.

Play Roulette on the Go at Mobile Casinos

The best mobile casinos host roulette games that run seamlessly on smartphone platforms. These sites and apps responsively adapt to smaller screens, giving you an optimal experience regardless of the device you’re playing on, and can even offer exclusive bonuses and perks for mobile players.

There may be a few subtle changes, since online roulette games change their interface to suit smaller screens. For instance, if you can usually see the racetrack on the desktop version, this may be hidden when playing on mobile, and you’ll need to trigger it using an assigned button.

Despite these minor differences, top mobile roulette games have quick loading times, crisp graphics and intuitive touchscreen controls. You can play them directly on your mobile browser or through dedicated casino apps available via the likes of the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.