Best European Roulette Casinos

European Roulette, because of its single-zero wheel, offers some of the best odds of winning of any real money roulette games. Players from Europe and the U.K. have the most options when it comes to finding European Roulette games for money, as most land-based casinos and online casinos offer it. U.S. players looking for the casinos with European Roulette will have to stick to online casinos.

We’ve reviewed and ranked the top online European Roulette casinos below for your convenience.

History of European Roulette

In the 17th century, Blaise Pascal developed the first primitive form of a roulette wheel while searching for a perpetual motion machine. It wasn't until the 18th century, however, that a game was built around the wheel in France. The original wheel did, in fact, include both single zero and double zero slots, used as house pockets to give the house a greater edge. Frenchmen Francois and Louis Blanc introduced a wheel in Germany with only a single zero slot in 1843, allowing them to compete with casinos that used the traditional wheel because it allowed for slightly better odds to the player.

Roulette's popularity grew by leaps and bounds, spreading across both Europe and the United States throughout the 19th century. It quickly became one of the most recognizable and popular casino games available. When Germany outlawed gambling in 1860, the Blancs moved their roulette game to the only place left in Europe with legalized gambling; Monte Carlo. From there, the single zero wheel became so popular it spread across the rest of Europe, forming the basis for the European variety of roulette.

European roulette makes use of the single zero wheel, creating a total of 37 slots. Most European roulette tables have a wheel at the top of the table with the betting layout printed underneath. The layout is separated into two sections, allowing players to make what are known as Inside Bets and Outsides Bets.

Inside Bets are wagers on either a single number, or a small group of connected numbers. Outside Bets, on the other hand, let players bet on larger number groups, colors, or whether the winning number is even or odd.

The single zero layout allows for a unique bet known as a Trio. The bet covers either the group 0, 1, and 2 or 0, 2, and 3. It's made by placing a chip on the line intersecting the three desired numbers on the table layout. Because there's no double zero slot, the Basket and Top Line bets seen in American roulette cannot be made in the European version. All the other Inside Bets are still available, though.

European Roulette vs Other Roulette Variations

The major difference is between European and American roulette variations. European Roulette has a single-zero wheel, unlike American Roulette, which has an extra (00) slot. That makes your odds of winning better on a European Roulette table.

The difference in French Roulette games is that there’s an extra rule that allows a player to get back half of all losing even money outside bets. For that reason, French Roulette games have slightly better odds, but are more difficult to find.

Recently a slight variation of European Roulette began being offered exclusively at online casinos that use Microgaming software. They offer Royale Roulette, which is basically European Roulette with a progressive jackpot.