European vs American vs French roulette: odds compared

European vs American vs French roulette can look like a choice between three tables with the same bets and the same payouts. The real difference is the number of zero pockets on the wheel and, at French tables, the La Partage or En Prison rule, which softens the loss on even-money bets when zero wins. Those details move the house edge from about 1.35% to 5.26% on the same bet.

Updated 15 September 2026: rewritten with the house-edge maths, the American five-number bet, La Partage and En Prison, how to check a table's rules online, and sources from US gaming regulations and Wizard of Odds.

European vs American vs French roulette: how the wheels differ

A single-zero wheel has 37 pockets: the numbers 1 to 36 in red and black, plus one green zero. Pennsylvania's roulette wheel regulation sets this out and covers the double-zero wheel too: 38 evenly spaced pockets, with green 0 and 00 added to the numbers 1 to 36.

European and French roulette both use the 37-pocket single-zero wheel. American roulette uses the 38-pocket wheel, and its table layout adds a 00 betting box.

Outside bets are sometimes known by their French names: pair and impair (even and odd), rouge and noir (red and black), manqué and passé (1 to 18 and 19 to 36), and P12, M12 and D12 for the three dozens.

Do the payouts change between versions?

No. New Jersey's roulette payout rule sets minimum odds of 35 to 1 on a straight number, 17 to 1 on a split, 2 to 1 on a dozen or column and 1 to 1 on red, black, odd, even, 1 to 18 and 19 to 36. Pennsylvania's payout table matches them for straight, split and even-money bets.

Because the payouts stay fixed, the extra pocket is the main thing that separates European from American odds. A 35 to 1 payout would be fair on a wheel with 36 numbers, so each green pocket is where the casino's margin comes from.

Why is the house edge 2.70% or 5.26%?

Imagine a EUR 1 straight-up bet on every one of the 37 numbers of a single-zero wheel, EUR 37 in total. The winning number pays EUR 35 plus the EUR 1 stake back, so you get EUR 36 and lose EUR 1. That loss is 1/37, or about 2.70% of the money staked.

Do the same on an American wheel: 38 bets, EUR 38 staked and EUR 36 back. The loss is EUR 2 out of EUR 38, which is 2/38, or about 5.26%.

The Wizard of Odds roulette basics page gives the same figures, with one exception on the American table.

The American five-number bet

That exception is the bet on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3, which the Pennsylvania and New Jersey rules call the First Five Numbers wager and list at 6 to 1. Evolution's American Roulette page also mentions an extra Five Bet, so check the game's help panel for the numbers it covers.

On average, over 38 spins the bet wins 5 times, collecting 30 units, and loses 33 times, costing 33 units. The net loss of 3 units per 38 staked is a house edge of about 7.89%, which Wizard of Odds also lists for this bet.

How do La Partage and En Prison work?

Both rules apply only to even-money bets (red or black, odd or even, 1 to 18 or 19 to 36) and only when the ball lands on zero. Every other bet at a French table is settled under the normal single-zero rules and keeps the 2.70% edge.

La Partage is the French name for what Wizard of Odds calls the half-back rule. When zero wins, you get half of your even-money stake back and lose the other half, which is how Evolution describes French Roulette on its live roulette games page as of September 2026.

The maths is simple. On average over 37 spins, 18 wins and 18 losses cancel out, and zero costs half a stake once, so the edge is 0.5/37, or about 1.35%.

En Prison works differently. When zero wins, your even-money stake is locked in for one more spin. If your bet then wins, the stake is returned but nothing is paid on top, and if it loses, you lose the stake.

Wizard of Odds puts En Prison at between about 1.35% and 1.39%, depending on what happens if zero lands again while the bet is held. In the simplest version, where a second zero loses the bet, the edge is about 1.39%.

A US version of the half-back rule

New Jersey's rule lets a casino using a double-zero wheel take only half of each even-money wager when 0 or 00 wins and return the other half. Wizard of Odds puts the edge on those bets at about 2.63%, close to European roulette but still almost double the French 1.35%.

How can you tell which version an online table uses?

The name on a lobby tile is not enough on its own. Open the game's rules or help panel before you bet and check three things:

• the wheel: one zero, or both 0 and 00
• whether La Partage or En Prison is listed, and for which bets
• the return to player (RTP) or house edge figure.

In Great Britain, the Gambling Commission's remote technical standard on game rules requires operators to make the rules easily available before a player bets, along with information such as the RTP or house edge. If a table does not show these details, that is a good reason to pick a different one.

As a guide, a 2.70% edge equals an RTP of about 97.30%, 5.26% equals about 94.74%, and 1.35% equals about 98.65%. As of September 2026, Evolution lists European, French and American Roulette as separate live tables, but each casino chooses which ones it carries, so compare sites through our casino reviews.

What about Lightning Roulette and other multiplier games?

Multiplier games change some payouts, so not all the figures above carry over. Evolution's Lightning Roulette page says a straight-up win on a number without a multiplier is paid at 29 to 1 instead of 35 to 1, and a straight-up bet on a Lucky Number is multiplied by 50x to 500x, while payouts on splits, dozens and every other bet are unchanged. Pennsylvania's rule for the game confirms the 29 to 1 payout on a single-zero wheel.

Compare these games by the RTP stated in their help panel, not by wheel type.

What each variant costs per EUR 100 wagered

The house edge is a long-run average, so one session can end well above or below it. Over many bets, it is the expected cost of every EUR 100 staked:

• French roulette, even-money bets with La Partage: about EUR 1.35
• French or European roulette, all other bets: about EUR 2.70
• American roulette, most bets: about EUR 5.26
• American five-number bet: about EUR 7.89

That cost applies to the total amount wagered, not to your deposit. Playing 100 spins at EUR 10 each means EUR 1,000 wagered, so the expected loss on a European table is about EUR 27.

No betting system changes these numbers. Martingale and other staking patterns only change how bets are sized. Wizard of Odds, citing Encyclopaedia Britannica, makes the point that no staking system removes the edge created by the green pockets over time.

Set a budget before you play, for example with the approach in our bankroll management guide. If roulette stops feeling like entertainment, the tools on our responsible gambling page can help you take a break.

Questions about European, American and French roulette

Which roulette has the best odds?

Comparing European vs American vs French roulette, French roulette with La Partage has the lowest house edge, about 1.35% on even-money bets. Its other bets match European roulette at 2.70%, while American roulette sits at 5.26%.

Is French roulette the same as European roulette?

Both use the 37-pocket single-zero wheel and the same payouts. French tables add La Partage or En Prison on even-money bets, and the bets are sometimes known by their French names.

Why does American roulette have a higher house edge?

It adds a second green pocket, 00, but pays the same odds as a single-zero wheel. That raises the edge from 1/37 to 2/38.

Where can you find La Partage online?

Look for tables sold as French Roulette, such as Evolution's live version, and confirm the rule in the game's help panel. Availability depends on which games each casino offers, so check before you deposit.

Source information checked on 15 September 2026. Game ranges, table rules and RTP figures can differ by casino and country.