Why is zero green in roulette?

Why is zero green in roulette? The short answer

The numbers 1 to 36 on a roulette wheel are split evenly between red and black. Zero has to be something else, because if it were red or black it would win for half the outside bettors. Giving it a third colour makes its role obvious at a glance: it's the pocket that doesn't belong to any of the even-money groups. Green is the colour used for it on standard wheels and layouts, and on wheels with extra zeros (00, or even 000) those pockets are green too.

So the colour is functional rather than decorative. It tells every player that when the ball drops into that pocket, red, black, odd, even, 1-18 and 19-36 all miss. For the bigger picture of the game, see our roulette hub and the questions section.

The green zero is where the house edge comes from

Roulette payouts are set as if the wheel had only the 36 coloured numbers. On a 36-pocket wheel, a £1 straight-up bet would win £35 once and lose £1 thirty-five times in 36 spins, exactly break-even. Add the green zero and there are 37 pockets but the same payout, so over 37 spins you stake £37 and get back £36. The missing £1 in 37 is the 2.70% house edge, and Wizard of Odds' roulette basics (opens in a new tab) gives the same worked example.

Each extra green pocket adds another losing outcome for every standard bet, which is why the edge climbs with each zero. Our page on how casinos make money puts this in context across other games.

What happens to each bet when the green zero lands

Zero is often said to be even because 0 is an even number in maths, but on the roulette table it is deliberately treated as neither, and its green colour signals that. Under La Partage, even-money bets get half back on zero, cutting their edge to about 1.35%; under En Prison, the stake can be held for the next spin instead. Our question what happens to outside bets when zero lands covers this in more detail.

Green zero history: what's known and what isn't

The origins of roulette's colours are poorly documented. Wikipedia's roulette article (opens in a new tab) traces the game to 18th-century France and records a 1796 novel describing a wheel at the Palais Royal in Paris. In 1843 François and Louis Blanc introduced the single-zero wheel at Bad Homburg, and it became the premier game at Monte Carlo after François Blanc took over Monaco's casino business in 1863.

None of the sources we rely on record who first painted zero green, or why that colour was picked over another. You'll see confident explanations online, but without a dated source they're guesses. The best-supported answer is the practical one above: a third colour separates zero from red and black. For the full timeline, read our roulette history page.

A popular legend says François Blanc bargained with the devil for roulette's secrets, linked to the fact that the numbers 0 to 36 add up to 666 (36 × 37 ÷ 2). It's folklore, not history; the François Blanc article (opens in a new tab) presents it as a local legend.

Where the green zero sits on the wheel and table

On a single-zero wheel, zero sits between 26 and 32, and the sequence runs 0-32-15-19-4-21-2-25 clockwise from it, with red and black alternating around the rest of the wheel. On the betting layout, zero has its own green box at the head of the three columns. On an American wheel, 0 and 00 sit directly opposite each other. See roulette wheel numbers and the roulette table layout for diagrams.

The numbers around zero have their own call bets. Jeu zéro covers the seven numbers nearest zero (12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32 and 15) with four chips, and Voisins du Zéro covers 17 numbers with nine chips. Both carry the usual 2.70% edge.

How to bet on the green zero

1. Check the wheel has a single green zero (two green pockets means American, with a 5.26% edge).
2. Choose your stake within the table's limits.
3. For a straight-up bet, place the chip on the green 0 box: it pays 35 to 1 and wins 1 time in 37.
4. To cover zero with a neighbour, place a split on the line between 0 and 1, 2 or 3; it pays 17 to 1.
5. Or use a call bet from the racetrack, such as jeu zéro, if the game offers it.
6. Confirm the bet before betting closes, and remember each spin is independent of the last.

A bet on zero costs exactly the same as any other single number on a single-zero wheel: £10 on 0 has an expected loss of 27p per spin. The question can you bet on zero in roulette lists every zero bet.

Green zero myths against the facts

UK rules require online roulette to be acceptably random and ban games that compensate for past results, so zero is no more likely after a quiet spell. See is online roulette random and our gambler's fallacy explainer.

Why the green zero matters for UK players

The number of green pockets is the quickest guide to a roulette game's price. UK rules require the game's rules, payouts and RTP to be available before you play, so check for a single green zero (about 97.30% RTP) rather than two (about 94.74%). For even-money bets, a French-rules table is cheapest. Our question why does American roulette have two zeros explains the double-zero wheel, and the single zero glossary entry covers the terms.

Where to play single-zero roulette

None of these partner offers is a roulette bonus: table and live games are often excluded or count for less towards wagering, so check the terms and look in each casino's lobby for single-zero tables. 18+ and terms apply. Casumo's welcome offer for new customers who opt in is a 50% bonus up to £100 on a first deposit of £20 or more, wagered 10x within 7 days, with a £5 maximum bet while the bonus is active and game, play and payment restrictions. 10bet's is a 100% match up to £25 for new UK customers who choose it at sign-up and deposit within 7 days, wagered 10x on slots within 3 days, with maximum bonus winnings of £1,000; Skrill and Neteller deposits are excluded.

Coral's slot offer gives new players 100 free spins on selected games at 10p each after they deposit and bet £10 or more on slots; the spins must be accepted within 48 hours and used within 7 days, and winnings have no wagering. The promotion is open from 1 October 2026 until 1 February 2027; deposits by Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards are excluded.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.