How to play roulette

How to play roulette in one minute

Roulette is a guessing game with fixed prices. A ball is spun round a numbered wheel, and you bet on where it will stop. You can back a single number, a small cluster of numbers, or a big group such as all the reds. The fewer numbers your chips cover, the less often you win and the more you are paid when you do.

That is the whole game. There are no decisions to make once the ball is moving and no skill that changes the result. What you do control is which version you sit down at, how much each spin costs you and when you stop. Those three choices matter far more than any pattern on the scoreboard. Our roulette hub covers every bet and variant in depth; this page gets you from zero to your first spin.

1. Choose a table, ideally a single-zero (European or French) game.
2. Pick a chip value within the table's minimum and maximum.
3. Place chips on the layout for the bet you want.
4. Wait for betting to close and the wheel to spin.
5. See where the ball lands: losing chips are cleared and winners are paid.
6. Leave winning chips, move them, or collect them before the next spin.

The roulette wheel and table: what you are looking at

Every roulette game has two parts. The wheel decides the result. The layout (the betting cloth, or the on-screen table online) is where you put your chips. The two carry the same numbers, but in a different order: the wheel scatters them for balance, while the layout lines them up in three columns so bets are easy to place. Our guides to the wheel number order and the table layout map both in detail.

The key difference between versions is the number of green zero pockets. Zero is not red or black, odd or even, high or low, so when the ball lands there almost every bet loses. Each extra zero adds a pocket that the payouts ignore, and that raises the price of playing.

Roulette rules for bets: inside, outside and what each pays

Bets split into two families. Inside bets go on the numbered grid and cover one to six numbers. Outside bets sit in the boxes around the grid and cover 12 or 18 numbers. All payouts are written as "to 1": a 35 to 1 win on a £1 chip pays £35 and you keep your £1, so you get £36 back in total.

Look down the last column and you can see the trade-off. A red or black bet wins nearly half the time but only doubles your stake. A single number pays 35 to 1 but loses 36 spins in 37 on average. Neither is the "smart" bet: on a single-zero wheel each one carries the same 2.70% house edge. The full price list is on our roulette payouts page.

Why the house always has an edge

The payouts are set as if the wheel had 36 numbers. It actually has 37 (or 38). Take a £1 straight-up bet spun 37 times on average: you lose £1 on 36 spins and win £35 once, so you end £1 down over 37 spins, or 2.70p per £1 bet. That gap between true odds and paid odds is the house edge, and it is the same on every standard single-zero bet.

How a round of roulette works, step by step

In a casino the croupier runs the table. Online, software or a live presenter does the same job, and the screen shows a countdown instead of a spoken call. The order of play is identical either way.

1. Betting opens. You place chips on the layout. Online, you tap a chip value and then tap the spot on the table.
2. No more bets. The croupier waves a hand or the timer hits zero. Bets placed after this are not accepted.
3. The spin. The wheel turns one way and the ball is sent the other. On automated live wheels, a machine launches the ball.
4. The result. The ball drops into a pocket. In a venue the croupier puts a marker, called a dolly, on the winning number.
5. Clearing and paying. Losing chips are swept away first, then winners are paid at the table's odds.
6. Next round. The marker is lifted and betting reopens. Winning chips stay on the layout unless you take them back.

A common surprise for new players is that a winning outside bet stays where it is. If you win on red and do nothing, your original chip plus your winnings may sit on red for the next spin. Online tables handle this in different ways, so check the game rules for the version you are playing.

A worked first session: £20 at single-zero roulette

Here is how the maths of a modest session plays out. Say you bring £20 and stake £1 a spin. The table below shows what one £1 chip returns when it wins on different bets, and what the same chip is expected to lose on average.

If you spin 40 times at £1, you stake £40 in total through recycling wins, and the expected loss is 40 × £1 × 2.70% = £1.08. That is the average. In practice a run of straight-up bets can leave you £20 down after 20 spins without a single hit (the chance of no hit in 20 spins is about 58%), or £16 up after one early win. Red bets swing less: you will usually be within a few pounds of where you started after 40 spins, but it can still go either way.

These are illustrations of standard game maths, not predictions. Every spin is independent, and short sessions can end far from the average in either direction.

How to play roulette online: RNG, live and which version to choose

Online roulette comes in two forms. RNG roulette uses a random number generator to pick the pocket, and the Gambling Commission's remote technical standards on random outcomes (opens in a new tab) require the results to be acceptably random and the simulated odds to match a real wheel. Live roulette streams a real wheel from a studio, sometimes with a dealer and sometimes fully automated. Both use the same maths: a single-zero live wheel and a single-zero RNG wheel each carry a 2.70% edge. Our guide to RNG against live roulette compares the pace and feel.

The version matters more than the format. European roulette has one zero. French roulette has one zero plus the La Partage rule, which hands back half of an even-money bet when zero lands; Evolution's French Roulette uses it. American roulette adds a double zero and nearly doubles the cost of every bet.

Speed and branded variants

Faster tables are not cheaper; they simply get through more spins. Evolution's Speed Roulette runs 25-second rounds, about half a standard live round, and its Auto Roulette is described as running 60 to 80 games an hour. More spins an hour at the same edge means a higher hourly cost. Multiplier games such as Lightning Roulette change the payouts, cutting a plain straight-up win to 29 to 1 to fund the boosted numbers, so read the rules before you treat them like standard roulette.

UK rules for playing roulette online

If you play at a site licensed by the Gambling Commission, several rules shape the game you see:

• Age and identity checks must be completed before you can deposit or play, including free demo games.
• No credit cards: they cannot be used to gamble in Great Britain, including through an e-wallet funded by one.
• No autoplay on any online casino game since 17 January 2025. A re-bet button that repeats your last stake is allowed because you still press it each round.
• A minimum of 5 seconds per game cycle for casino games other than slots, also from 17 January 2025.
• One game at a time: you cannot be offered several roulette tables at once.
• Net spend and time played must be shown on screen in real time.

The £5 and £2 online stake limits apply to slots only, not to roulette. Table limits are set by each game and casino, so a high-limit live table can take much larger stakes. That makes your own limits more important, not less. See our page on live casino rules in the UK for the detail.

Common roulette mistakes and myths

• Sitting at a double-zero table by accident. Check for a 00 pocket before you bet; it costs 5.26% against 2.70%.
• Believing a number is due. The wheel has no memory. After ten blacks, red is still 18 in 37. This is the gambler's fallacy.
• Using a doubling system. Martingale and its cousins change the size of your swings, not the edge, and table limits cap them. See roulette betting systems.
• Covering most of the table. Spreading chips over 30 numbers wins often but pays little, and the edge applies to every chip.
• Reading the scoreboard. The recent-results panel is history, not a forecast.
• Forgetting the clock. Fast tables multiply the hourly cost without you noticing.

What roulette costs: setting a budget before you play

The simplest way to budget is to work out the average hourly cost: stake per spin × spins per hour × house edge. The table assumes 60 spins an hour, which is within the 60 to 80 games an hour Evolution gives for Auto Roulette.

Treat that as the price of the entertainment and set your budget above it, because real sessions swing. Decide your limit before you start, use the casino's deposit limits and reality checks, and stop when the money set aside is gone. If roulette stops being fun, the National Gambling Helpline from GamCare (opens in a new tab) is free on 0808 8020 133, 24 hours a day.

Where to play roulette at UK-licensed casinos

Our partner casinos are all licensed by the Gambling Commission, but their welcome offers are built around slots, not roulette. For table games, look at each casino's game lobby and its bonus terms: roulette and live tables are often excluded from bonuses or count for less towards wagering. 18+ and terms apply.

Casumo offers new customers a 50% bonus up to £100 on a first deposit of £20 or more, with opt-in required, 10x wagering within 7 days, a £5 maximum bet and game restrictions. 10bet gives new UK customers a 100% match up to £25 when the casino bonus is chosen at sign-up and the first deposit is made within 7 days; it must be wagered 10x on slots within 3 days, winnings are capped at £1,000, and Skrill and Neteller deposits are excluded. Coral gives new players 100 free spins at 10p each on selected slots after a £10 slot bet, with 48 hours to accept, 7 days to use them and no wagering on winnings; some payment methods do not qualify. For roulette itself, check the casino's roulette bonus rules and lobby before you deposit.

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.