Roulette House Edge

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Feb 7, 2022 1,081 0

House edge is the long term advantage the casino has over players, and it can be easily calculated (for any game) as:

House edge = 100 % - RTP (Return to Player)

Therefore, the standard house edge for roulette is:
  • European roulette (single zero roulette) – 2.7 %
  • American roulette (double zero roulette) – 5.26 %
However, there are some bets that are exceptions, as well as special roulette rules that can lower the casino’s advantage over players.

The bets and rules that can change the house edge of the casino are:
  • The rules La Partage and En Prison decrease the single zero roulette house edge for even money bets (red/black, even/odd, high/low) to roughly 1.35 %.
  • The rule Surrender decreases the double zero roulette house edge for even money bets (red/black, even/odd, high/low) to roughly 2.6 %.
  • The bet called top line that covers the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 on a double zero roulette has the highest house edge found on a roulette table – 7.9 %.
The lower the house edge, the better off the players. From an RTP and house edge perspective, the even money bets on French roulette with either La Partage or En Prison rules are the most advantageous for the players, because they statistically lose only 1.35 % of their bets.


How does roulette house edge compare to other casino games?
Thanks to the house edge and RTP, it’s easy to compare various casino games and find out which of them are the least beneficial for the casino and the most beneficial for the player. So, is roulette’s house edge any good when compared to other games?

Here are the house edges of the most popular casino games:
  • European roulette – 2.7 %
  • American roulette – 5.26 %
  • French roulette (with one of the rules La Partage and En Prison) – 1.35 %
  • Blackjack (with basic strategy) – less than 0.5 %
  • Slots – approximately 1 % to 8 % (roughly 4 % on average)
  • Baccarat – approximately 1 % (when betting on Banker)
  • Video Poker – less than 0.5 %
As you can see, when it comes to table games, there are some games that are better for a player in the long run. American roulette is far worse for the player, which means that if you want to play roulette, try to find a casino that operates the european variant of this game, ideally using some of the rules that decrease the house edge in roulette.

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