Roulette is one of the first ever casino games, and certainly one of the most well known and most popular. It was invented in France during the seventeenth century, and from there emigrated slowly to Las Vegas.
The original version of roulette is known as European roulette, and this is the most famous version, and the version most often played today. The spinning roulette wheel has even come to be the symbol of casinos. It is a game based entirely on luck, so there are no rules and regulations for the player to learn and practise. NetEnt delivers a fully integrated version of the game.
Three Different Types of Roulette
Today there are three types of roulette, American, European and French. The differences are in the green slot on the wheel. The NZ betting grids may look the same, but the odds of the ball landing in a numbered slot vary greatly between the American form of roulette, and the European and French versions.
The European roulette wheels have one green ‘zero’ slot. Without that green slot the expected takings from the roulette table would average out at zero, and there would be no point in running the game. American roulette pays the same odds, but there are two green slots, the zero and the double zero. Therefore a casino running the American version is twice as likely to get a ball landing in the green slot, and the casino’s advantage is doubled.
That is one of the reasons why roulette is far more popular in Europe than in America. There are not as many roulette tables in Las Vegas or other American casinos, as the operators recognise that a double zero game has a low return.
How to Play Roulette
Roulette is easy and fun to play, particularly at a NetEnt casino. The game consists of a wheel and a metal ball that is thrown on the wheel. The figures on the wheel range from 1 to 36 and are coloured either red or black. There is an equal number of red and black numbers, odd and even numbers, and high numbers and low numbers.
The single zero in the European roulette game is allotted the green slot. This green number is called the house number, as it gives the house a small edge into the game. Without this green number the odds would be equal whether the ball would land on a red or black number. The single green slot in European roulette adds a 37th pocket on the heel that the ball can land on, so the odds of the ball landing in red or black is slightly less than half.
Every now and then, the ball will land on the green number, and anyone who has bet on either red or black will lose their money to the casino. The house has a 2.70% house edge because of the green zero on the roulette wheel.
The Differences in Roulette Games
American roulette uses the same rules, only, as described, it has an extra green slot with double zeros. This means the casinos can earn more, and the players lose more. In fact, wherever people wish to play and bet on roulette, they look for the European roulette wheel. Worldwide, players prefer European roulette. The United States is the only place where people will find American roulette.
Thanks to Net Entertainment, European roulette is now available to many more players than ever. It is now possible to play this entertaining game on a laptop, or even on a smart phone or tablet, through an online casino.