Roulette — Play Free Online

Roulette is one of the simplest casino games to learn: place chips on the layout, watch the ball settle into a numbered pocket, and collect if you chose correctly. The game above uses European single-zero rules — the best version for players.

1. 1
   Select your chip size

   Choose the chip denomination you want to use from the chip selector — $1, $5, $25, or $100.

2. 2
   Place your bets

   Click any bet area — red/black, odd/even, dozens, or the zero — to add chips. You can place multiple bets on the same spin.

3. 3
   Spin the wheel

   Click Spin. The wheel animates and a number is drawn randomly using a European single-zero distribution.

4. 4
   Win or lose

   Winning bets are paid at their stated odds: 1:1 for even-money bets, 2:1 for dozens, 35:1 for the zero (straight up).

5. 5
   Start the next round

   All bets are cleared after each spin. Place new chips and spin again, or clear and reset if you run out.

Read the complete roulette rules guide →

Roulette is a wheel-and-ball game. The dealer spins a numbered wheel in one direction and rolls a small ball along the rim in the opposite direction. When the ball loses momentum it falls into one of the numbered pockets — that number is the winning result for the round.

Before the spin, players place chips on a felt betting layout covering individual numbers, groups of numbers, colours, or odd/even outcomes. Payouts depend on how specific the bet is: a bet on a single number pays 35:1, while a bet on red or black pays 1:1.

1. 1
   Select your chip size

   Choose the chip denomination you want to use from the chip selector — $1, $5, $25, or $100.

2. 2
   Place your bets

   Click any bet area — red/black, odd/even, dozens, or the zero — to add chips. You can place multiple bets on the same spin.

3. 3
   Spin the wheel

   Click Spin. The wheel animates and a number is drawn randomly using a European single-zero distribution.

4. 4
   Win or lose

   Winning bets are paid at their stated odds: 1:1 for even-money bets, 2:1 for dozens, 35:1 for the zero (straight up).

5. 5
   Start the next round

   All bets are cleared after each spin. Place new chips and spin again, or clear and reset if you run out.

European, French, and American: which variant should you play?

The three common variants share identical bet types and payouts, but differ in one critical way: how many zero pockets the wheel contains, and what happens to even-money bets when the ball lands on zero.

La Partage and En Prison explained

French roulette's two zero rules are the only way to improve your odds at a standard roulette table, and they apply only to even-money bets.

La Partage ("sharing"): if zero hits and you have an even-money bet on the layout, you immediately receive half your stake back. The other half goes to the house. Net effect: the house edge on those bets drops from 2.70% to 1.35%.

En Prison ("in prison"): instead of losing half, your even-money stake is locked ("imprisoned") on the table for the next spin. If your bet wins on the following spin, you get your full stake back — no profit, but no loss. If it loses, the house takes it. Mathematically equivalent to La Partage: 1.35% effective edge.

Full guide: European vs American roulette →

Every bet on a European roulette wheel carries the same 2.70% house edge — this is a mathematical certainty, not a matter of opinion. No bet is "safer" or "worse" in expected value terms; they differ only in hit frequency and payout size. The only exception is French roulette with La Partage or En Prison, which cuts the edge on even-money bets to 1.35%.

No betting system — Martingale, Fibonacci, D'Alembert, or any other — changes the house edge. Systems that increase stake after a loss (negative progressions) create the illusion of recovery but run into table limits before any sequence is guaranteed to close. In the long run, every system player faces the same 2.70% expectation per chip wagered as a flat-bet player.

Full roulette odds and bet types guide →

Roulette's origins trace to 17th-century France, where Blaise Pascal inadvertently produced the precursor to the wheel while attempting to build a perpetual motion machine. The modern game took shape in Parisian gambling houses in the 1790s, with a single zero and the numbered layout still recognisable today.

The turning point came in 1843. Brothers François and Louis Blanc, operating the casino at Bad Homburg in Germany, removed the double-zero pocket to attract players away from rival houses. The single-zero wheel halved the house edge and became the standard across Europe — a standard that survives into the live casino era.

The double-zero wheel had already crossed the Atlantic, taking root in New Orleans and spreading west with the American frontier. American operators preferred the extra house advantage; the double-zero layout remained dominant in the United States and is the reason American roulette has nearly twice the edge of its European counterpart.

French roulette preserves one further refinement: the La Partage and En Prison rules, codified in 19th-century Monte Carlo play, that return half the stake (or lock it) when zero hits on even-money bets. These rules are the only mechanism in roulette history that meaningfully improves the player's long-run expectation without changing the wheel itself.

Full history of roulette →

What is the house edge in roulette?

European roulette (single zero) has a house edge of 2.70%. French roulette with en prison or la partage rules reduces this to 1.35% on even-money bets. American roulette (double zero) has a house edge of 5.26%. The zero pocket is the entire source of the edge.

What is the difference between European and American roulette?

European roulette has 37 pockets: numbers 1–36 plus a single zero. American roulette has 38 pockets, adding a double zero (00). The extra pocket raises the house edge from 2.70% to 5.26%. Always choose European when you have the option.

What are the best bets in roulette?

All bets on a European wheel carry the same 2.70% house edge. However, if the table offers French rules (en prison or la partage), even-money bets — red/black, odd/even, high/low — drop to an effective edge of 1.35%, making them the best bets on any standard roulette table.

Does the Martingale system work?

No betting system overcomes the house edge. The Martingale doubles your bet after each loss, but table limits end the sequence before any guaranteed recovery. In the long run, every system player faces the same 2.70% house edge per unit staked as a flat-bet player.

Is every spin independent?

Yes. Each spin is physically independent of every previous one. The wheel has no memory. A run of ten reds does not make black more likely — the probability of red or black is 48.65% on every spin of a European wheel, without exception.

Can you play live casino for free?

No. Live casino games — live roulette, live blackjack, live baccarat — cannot be played for free at any major online casino. Unlike software-based (RNG) games, live dealer tables run in real studios with professional dealers and live video streams. Those studios cost real money to operate, which is why every licensed live casino requires a genuine deposit. A handful of casinos run short promotional free-chip sessions, but these are limited offers, not permanent free play.

Is there a free live roulette game online?

No. No online casino offers a permanently free live roulette table — one where a real dealer operates without requiring a deposit. What does exist is RNG (software-based) roulette in free demo mode, which simulates the wheel with a random number generator rather than a real dealer. If you want to practise roulette without spending money, free RNG demo roulette — like the game on this page — is the practical choice. The rules, bet types, and odds are identical to a live table.

Which live casino games have a demo or free-play mode?

None. The major live casino providers — Evolution Gaming, Playtech Live, and Authentic Gaming — do not offer free-play or demo access for live dealer games as a standard feature. The demo mode on most casino sites applies only to software (RNG) slots and table games. To learn roulette, blackjack, or baccarat without risking money, RNG demo versions are widely available and follow the same rules, just without the live dealer experience.

Do NetEnt live casino games have free play?

No. NetEnt's live casino studio was acquired by Evolution Gaming in 2020. Games previously branded NetEnt Live are now part of Evolution's portfolio. Evolution does not offer free-play or demo access for any live dealer title. To play these games you need a funded account at a licensed online casino.

What is the difference between RNG roulette and live roulette?

RNG roulette uses software — a certified random number generator — to produce outcomes, with no physical wheel or dealer involved. Live roulette streams a real dealer spinning a real wheel in a broadcast studio, viewable via video feed in real time. RNG games run faster, accept lower minimum bets, and are available in free demo mode. Live roulette is slower, more immersive, and requires a real-money deposit — but you watch an actual ball settle into an actual numbered pocket. The rules, bet types, and house edge are the same in both formats.

Read the full roulette FAQ →