European Roulette
Written February 18, 2008 by Jack Jones
More and more online casinos are using European roulette odds to draw customers to their sites. You can enjoy the benefits of this variation by not having an added zero on the wheel, which will increase your chances of cashing.
While starting as only a brick and mortar casino game, roulette has turned into an online casino classic. The game itself has divided into different versions with different odds, and when playing at online casinos you need to know which version you are playing. You have to look closely because an online casino which is based in the Caribbean will most likely offer American roulette to cater to their American audience. The many new online casinos emerging from the United Kingdom will most likely offer European online casino roulette to cater to their European fan base.
In a brick and mortar casino the differences between the two games are more obvious, like the size of the roulette table itself. In European roulette the table is so large that the dealer, or croupier, must use a rake to reel in the bets, but in American roulette the table is much smaller.
It is the online casino roulette wheel itself that makes the biggest difference between the two versions of the game. In European roulette the wheel contains numbered slots, 1 through 36. The slots are also alternately colored red and black, with the number one slot starting off as red. In the original roulette, and in European roulette, the wheel also contains another green slot numbered 0. In the American version of online casino roulette the wheel also has a double zero slot, 00, colored green as well.
While the 0 and the 00 slots in the two versions of online casino roulette seemingly make no difference to the online casino player, the added 00 in the American version makes a big difference. The house advantage in European roulette is 2.7 percent, and in the American version of the game the house advantage is 5.3 percent. These means that when playing European roulette the odds of losing money is half that of American roulette.
Most reputable casinos will offer you European roulette in order to make your experience more enjoyable. Remember that with online casinos they can lower their house edge because of a lot lower overhead, no personnel, no buildings to keep cool, and everything else that goes with land-based casinos.