American roulette meaning

American roulette is a roulette game played on a wheel with 38 pockets: numbers 1 to 36, a single zero and a double zero. Payouts are the same as on other wheels, so the extra pocket raises the house edge to about 5.26%. It is common on US casino floors. Our how to play roulette guide covers the bets and table layout.

The difference is the 00 pocket. American roulette has 38 pockets and a 5.26% house edge; European roulette has 37 pockets and a 2.70% edge. Payouts are identical, so the American wheel costs about twice as much per dollar bet. On $1,000 of bets, that is $52.60 against $27 on average. See European roulette for more.

The five-number bet on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 is the worst standard bet, with a house edge of about 7.89%. It pays 6:1 but wins only 5 times in 38. Every other standard bet carries 5.26%. Avoiding it is one of the few choices that changes your cost. Our house edge entry shows how to work this out.

Casinos offer American roulette because the extra zero roughly doubles their edge while payouts stay familiar. Many players don’t notice the second green pocket or don’t know what it costs. Where both wheels are available, the single-zero table is the cheaper choice. Our is roulette better than slots page compares roulette with other games.

Some online casinos offer double-zero roulette, but it depends on the software. SlotCatalog lists only European Roulette as RTG’s roulette title, and the RTG casinos with offers via our links aren’t reported to carry an American wheel specifically. Look for a 00 on the wheel before you bet. Our best roulette casinos page covers where roulette is reported.

No strategy removes the 5.26% edge, because every spin is independent and the payouts are fixed. The only cost-cutting choices are avoiding the five-number bet, picking a single-zero wheel where you can, and betting less in total. Systems that raise stakes after losses add risk without changing the odds; see our roulette strategies guide.

The chance of hitting a single number in American roulette is 1 in 38, or about 2.63% per spin. A straight-up win pays 35:1, so a $5 bet returns $175 in winnings plus the $5 stake. Because true odds are 37 to 1 against, the payout falls short, and that shortfall is the 5.26% house edge: on average a $5 straight-up bet costs about $0.26 per spin. Covering more numbers raises your chance of a hit but not your average cost. The inside bet entry and the house edge explained guide run the math for other bets.

No, 0 and 00 are separate green pockets on the American roulette wheel, each with its own 1 in 38 chance. You can bet on either one straight up at 35:1, or on both as a split at 17:1. What they share is their effect on outside bets: red or black, odd or even, high or low and the dozens and columns all lose when either zero lands. Both also sit inside the five-number bet, the costliest wager on the layout at 7.89%. Our outside bet entry and how to play roulette guide show the layout.

Your average cost equals the total you bet multiplied by the 5.26% house edge, so it depends on stake size and pace. As a worked example, 50 bets of $5 in an hour put $250 in action, for an average cost of about $13.15. At 100 bets of $5 the figure doubles to about $26.30, and on a single-zero wheel the same 100 bets would cost about $13.50. Short sessions can land far above or below these averages. Our bankroll entry and bankroll management guide help you size a session budget.

Usually not, because roulette is often excluded from bonus wagering or weighted low. Silver Oak's terms, for example, list roulette among the games excluded from its welcome bonus, alongside baccarat, craps and sic bo. Playing an excluded game with bonus money can void the bonus or the winnings, so read the eligible-games list before you spin. Slots are the usual way to clear a welcome bonus at the partner casinos. Our game weighting entry and table games bonus page explain how casinos count different games.

Real-money online casino games are legal in Pennsylvania, but only at sites licensed by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The board listed 12 certificate holders and 25 authorized brands as of February 13, 2026, and which roulette variants each one carries is up to the operator. Offshore casinos, including the partners on this page, aren't licensed in Pennsylvania or any other state, so they come without the state's player protections. Pennsylvania is one of seven states with licensed online casinos. The Pennsylvania online casinos hub and states with legal online casinos page cover the details.

A fair American roulette game doesn't need rigging, because the 00 pocket already gives the house its 5.26% edge on nearly every bet. Online wheels use a random number generator to pick each result, so past spins have no effect on the next one. At offshore casinos there's no US state lab checking that generator, so you rely on the casino's and software maker's word, which is a real difference from state-licensed sites. Our RNG entry explains how results are produced, and are RTG games fair covers what is published about RealTime Gaming.

American roulette returns about 94.74% of total bets over the long run, which is simply 100% minus the 5.26% house edge. The five-number bet is lower, at about 92.11%. For comparison, RTG's European Roulette is listed with a 97.3% RTP by third-party game sites, matching its 2.70% edge on a single-zero wheel. RTP is a long-run average across all players, not a promise for one session. On $500 of total bets, the American figure points to about $473.70 coming back on average. Our RTP entry and European Roulette game page explain the numbers.