Part III: Business & Regulation · Gambling Mathematics & Probability

46. Roulette House Edge (European vs. American)

Table Game Math

The house edge in roulette varies by wheel configuration. European roulette (single zero, 37 pockets) has a house edge of 1/37 = 2.70% on all bets. American roulette (double zero, 38 pockets) has a house edge of 5.26% on most bets, nearly double the European version. The “first five” bet (0-00-1-2-3) on American roulette carries an even higher house edge of 7.89%. French roulette, played on a single-zero wheel with the “La Partage” or “En Prison” rule, reduces the house edge to just 1.35% on even-money bets. Quadruple-zero roulette, introduced at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, has a house edge of 10% — the highest of any standard roulette variant. Surveillance should be aware that players specifically seeking out European or French roulette tables are knowledgeable gamblers, though not necessarily advantage players.

In practice

The house edge is the same for ALL bet types within a given roulette variant — straight-up bets and even-money bets have identical expected value. The difference is in variance, not house edge. All betting systems (Martingale, Fibonacci, etc.) fail to overcome the house edge because each bet is an independent event with negative EV.

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