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The mathematics of Roulette are really simple, especially if you have a calculator handy. If there are 38 'numbers' on the wheel and only one wins on each spin, the odds of choosing the winning number are 1 in 38 or 37 to 1. But, a player isn't paid 38 for 1 the bet; s/he is paid only 36 for one (Yes, I know; you're really paid 35 to 1, but it's the same thing and it will help you understand the math). Thus, the player is 'shorted' 2 of 38 and if you divide 2 by 38, you get 5.26%, which is the house edge in the game. Ah, but you say, there are other bets, like high/low, black/red and odd/even and all those 'street' bets, column bets, dozens, etc. Yes, those bets exist, but except for one weird bet which you can make, the house has an edge of 5.26% on all of them. The 'weird' bet is a bet on the 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. That five-way bet has a house edge of 7.9%, so forget about it. As for those other bets I mentioned, the payoff on each is such that the house edge doesn't change. But in the European version of Roulette, there's a nice little feature on the so-called 'even-money' bets: the high/low, red/black, and odd/even bets which reduces the house edge even further. Now remember that a 'European' wheel has only one zero, so the edge is already cut to 1 of 37 or 2.70% on all bets (except that weird one), and then they have what's called the 'en prison' rule. If a player has bet on the 'even-money' spots and the zero comes up, the bet remains untouched, but it may not be removed; thus it's 'in prison'. On the next spin, the fate of the bet is decided: if it's on black and black comes up, the bet is returned, if red comes up, the bet is lost. This procedure effectively cuts the house edge in half on those bets, so the casino's advantage is 1.35%. That's about the same as a pass line bet at craps or the edge on a bet at Baccarat. It's also why Roulette is so popular in Europe. If the casino operators here would change their rules, they would see a lot more action at their tables and would probably make just as much money, though it would be a smaller percentage of a lot more bets. Roulette Systems online casino Back to casino news