Roulette is one of the most popular casino games – it is simple to learn and easy to play. You can play roulette in a brick-and-mortar casino or stay at home and play live roulette in your favourite online casino, making it easier than ever to get on board with this fun game.
Online roulette has a long history, from Europe to the UK and into America. It is probably not surprising that it continues to grow in popularity in the UK and beyond.
The History of Online Roulette
The earliest form of roulette was seen in 18th century France. It didn’t take long to move from the upper echelons of French society across the channel to the UK, and then onto the Americas.
How Does Roulette Work?
A roulette wheel is a tilted circular track, with numbered and coloured pockets. The croupier spins the wheel in one direction, and then puts the ball in, spinning it in the opposite direction to the wheel.
The ball eventually loses momentum and stops – and it will land in one of the pockets.
Players place bets on where the ball will land. You can choose to bet on a single number or a range of numbers, or go for the slightly easier choice of the colour of the pocket, or whether it will land on a number that is odd or even. There are many betting combinations that you can make.
The numbers on the roulette wheel go from 1-36, but they are not placed in numerical order.
Different Versions of Roulette
There are three different setups for a roulette wheel, and the main difference between them is how many zeros there are on the wheel. The zero represents the house edge; players cannot bet on that and if the ball lands on zero the bank/casino wins.
- French/European Style: Single zero (0), with 37 pockets
- American Style: Double zero (0, 00), with 38 pockets
- Sands Roulette: Triple zero (0, 00, 000), with 39 pockets
As you can imagine, you are more likely to find the American style wheel in US casinos, and the European style in the UK – but all versions are available pretty much everywhere, especially when it comes to online roulette.
What Makes Roulette Popular?
Roulette is one of the fastest growing casino games in the UK, especially online, because it has a similar vibe to slots – you don’t need a lot of skill to play.
Where the ball lands on the roulette wheel really is all about chance, and the skill comes from deciding what to bet on. For the beginner, simple bets like whether it will land on an odd or even number, or whether it will land on red or black, can be placed, with a 50/50 chance of coming in. Betting amounts can also be small, too – some online games will allow you to place a bet with pennies, for example.
Once you have got the hang of the way it works, you can up your game and go with some of the more advanced betting types – or even throw it all on one number to get the straight win.
The Online Bonus
You can find hundreds of online casinos online, and all of them offer some sort of roulette game as part of their library – and this is part of the reason that the game is becoming so popular.
Online roulette offers players the chance to play wherever they are – from a laptop or a PC, or even on the go thanks to smartphone technology.
Casino games like roulette have never been more accessible – and because of innovations in software and technology, play can be as interactive and immersive as real life – but with added support and extras.
For example, if you want to get started with online roulette for the first time, but don’t really know what to do, online roulette provides instructions and help in the form of tips and tricks as you play, You’ll know if you are trying to place an invalid bet, and you can play through a few games really quickly (and with pennies) to get the hang of it.
Live roulette games are even more exciting. Featuring a real croupier and real time play, you can sit virtually at the wheel, chat with other players, and really feel like you are ‘there’ in the game.
With all this in mind, it is probably smartphones that have had the most impact in the popularity of roulette and other casino games.
Native apps have been developed for Android and for Apple, which means that the way the games are played is optimised for your device. You can take the online casino with you wherever you go, and thanks to the extensive rollout of superfast 5G around the world – and the proliferation of Wi-Fi hotspots – you can play roulette when you are waiting for the bus, or killing some time anywhere you go.
