UK's Best Online Roulette Sites

Beginner’s guide to online roulette

Roulette became popular soon after its invention back in the late 1600s. The credits of the game were given to a Frenchman, Blaise Pascal, as it was the result of his study on probabilities. Hundreds of years on, players are still developing strategies in an attempt to swing the odds in their favour. However, ultimately, roulette is a game of chance, which means these roulette strategies do little other than help with bankroll management. In reality, winning at roulette comes down to basic understanding and, most importantly, luck! Of course, we can’t help you get the rub of the green, but we’ve got everything you need to know to get started when it comes to playing online roulette. Ready? Let’s go!

Rules of roulette

The rules of roulette are pretty simple, and they’re mostly based around etiquette. The object of the game is to place bets on the outcome of each spin, be this by number or colour. The main rule to keep in mind is that stakes should be placed before the wheel starts spinning- if you’re playing live, the dealer will inform you when no more betting is allowed. When the wheel has come to a stop, winning bets will be paid and a new round will begin.

Roulette variations

As with most online casino games, there are a few different roulette variations you can choose from. Here are some of the most popular roulette games, available at a range of the top online casinos.

European roulette

European roulette is the most common variation of the game, and its wheel has 37 pockets. These pockets are numbered 0 to 36, and coloured green (0), red or black.

American roulette

American roulette is pretty similar to its European counterpart, but the additional 00 pocket means these wheels have 38 pockets. This extra pocket increases the potential outcomes for each spin, giving the house a slightly higher edge in this variation.

French roulette

French roulette is similar to the European version, but the felt has a slightly different layout. The other main difference is that French roulette features a number of different betting options, including the La Partage rule that gives players half their money back when they’ve placed even-money bets and the ball lands on zero.

Mini roulette

This roulette variation isn’t quite as popular as regular roulette, but you’ll still find it at a selection of the top online roulette sites. The key difference here is that there are only 13 pockets on the wheel, making for more simple gameplay.

Multi-wheel roulette

This is the roulette game for you if you’re looking to take roulette one step further. With some games giving you the chance to have eight wheels in motion at once, you have the opportunity to build your bankroll at a much faster rate. Of course, you could lose at the same pace just as easily. You can usually control the number of wheels in play, meaning you can tailor multi-wheel roulette games to your own preferences.

Bets and odds

Bets on a roulette table fall into one of two categories: inside bets and outside bets. Which category your bet falls into will depend on where you place your chips on the table. Let’s take a look at the different types of roulette bets.

Inside bets

• Straight up- You’re placing chips on one single number.
• Split- This is a bet on two numbers, and you should put your chips on the line between the two numbers.
• Street- You’re splitting your bet between three numbers, and you’ll place chips on the border that surrounds the numbers.
• Corner- You’re betting that the ball will land on one of four numbers, placing your roulette chips on the corner where all numbers meet.
• Five- This bet is reserved for American roulette, because it involves the double zero. You’re putting your money on the ball landing on either the 0, 00, 1, 2 or 3.
• Line- This is a split bet between six numbers in a line on the roulette felt. You’ll need to place your chips on the outside border of the sequence of six numbers.

Outside bets

• Column- Numbers on the roulette felt are split into columns, and you’re placing your money on the ball landing on of the numbers in this column. Put your chips on either the ‘1st row’, ‘2nd row’ or ‘3rd row’ box.
• Dozen- You’re putting money on the roulette ball landing on a number in one of the sequences of dozen on the wheel.
• Odd/Even- This is a bet that the ball will land in either an odd or even numbered pocket on the wheel. Just place your chips in the corresponding box. Neither the 0 or 00 are included in this type of bet.
• Low/High- A low/high bet puts money on the ball landing in either pockets 1 to 18 or 19-36.
• Red/Black- This bet puts money on the colour of the pocket the ball lands in. All numbers— except zeros— are either red or black.

The odds of roulette are the same, no matter if you’re playing online or in a land-based casino, but the variation you choose does make a difference. While European roulette has a house edge of 2.7%, for American roulette it’s 5.26%, which means the casino has a slightly higher advantage. Let’s take a look at the probability of you placing a winning bet, and what the roulette payout is for each.

Try out live dealer roulette

Looking for a way to make online roulette even more immersive? Live dealer roulette is ideal, and it’s available at many of the UK’s best roulette sites. You can expect to interact with the live croupier through a live chat feature as the game is streamed from a purpose-built casino, which can really make you feel like you’re playing roulette for real- without even leaving the house.

These live dealer games are almost always reserved for real money players, and minimum bet limits mean these games won’t suit players of all budgets.

Play roulette on your mobile

Thanks to mobile roulette games, you can enjoy a round or two even when you’re out and about. Playing on the go doesn’t mean you need to compromise on quality, either as software houses are developing casino games with mobile users in mind. In fact, some games are even designed specifically for mobile, meaning you’ll benefit from first-class graphics, easy-to-use buttons and more seamless streaming than roulette games that are simply optimised for mobile use. Whether you’re playing through a mobile web browser or a native mobile app, all you need is a stable internet connection to play mobile roulette, wherever you are.

Best roulette software developers

You don’t have to look far to find a big-name casino software developer with roulette games, but we’ve picked out the best.

Playtech

Want to play live dealer roulette? Playtech has the answer. This software house has a roulette option for everyone, with classic versions to premium and branded roulette games. You can even play 3D roulette at Playtech casinos.

Microgaming

You won’t find any crazy themed roulette wheels from Microgaming, but you are guaranteed a good game of classic roulette. Whether you choose American, European or multiplayer roulette, you’ll get to enjoy a seamless game of online roulette.

NetEnt

NetEnt doesn’t have the biggest selection of roulette games, but it’s software provider to choose if you want the best mobile roulette games. Thanks to its NetEnt Touch range, you can enjoy the same high quality roulette on you mobile and tablet as you can on your desktop.

Fancy roulette for free?

You don’t need to risk real money to play roulette online, there are plenty of places to play roulette for free. In fact, virtually all roulette sites have free demo versions of their games so you can give the wheel a spin with no strings attached. Free roulette games are ideal whether if you want to try out a new game before you place real money on the table, or if you simply want to play roulette for fun.

Grab a bonus for online roulette

You’ll find a bonus at most online casinos, let’s take a look at what kind of rewards you can expect to find.

Matched deposit roulette bonus

Matched deposits are most commonly given out as a welcome bonus and are usually activated when you make your first deposit. These bonuses see online casinos offer players a percentage of their deposit, up to a certain amount, which gives you some extra cash to put down on the table. Not sure how it works? Let’s look at an example: Your chosen casino site is offering ‘200% deposit match up to £50’ for new players, and you deposit £25. This means the casino will give you £50 in bonus cash, so you’ll have £75 to bet on roulette.

No deposit roulette bonus

No deposit bonuses offer the perfect opportunity to try your luck at roulette with no strings attached. While you won’t lose a penny if you use a no deposit bonus to play roulette, you could win real cash if you do make a lucky bet.

Wagering requirements

Before you claim a welcome bonus, you should check the terms and conditions for any wagering requirements, time limits or game restrictions. These restriction could mean the big bonus numbers aren’t as great as they seem, and that you never actually get your hands on your winnings as real cash. At some online casinos, no deposit bonuses have wagering requirements of up to 70x as well as a limited time- that means you’ll need to wager 70 times the value of your bonus funds before you can even think about withdrawing your winnings.

Roulette strategy

As is the case with the majority of casino games, roulette mainly comes down to chance. This means there’s no roulette strategy that can tell you how to win at roulette. There are, however, a number of roulette betting strategies that can help with bankroll management and these fall into two categories: negative progression and positive progression betting. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular.

Martingale

The Martingale betting system is a well-known negative progression system that relies on players placing bets on even-money bets and doubling bets after every loss. The theory is that, no matter how many rounds you’ve lost before, the first win will recuperate all of your losses. Of course, roulette is a game of chance so it’s very possible that you could run through your bankroll, or hit the table limit, before you land a winning bet. Let’s take a look at an example of the Martingale strategy in action:

Paroli

This is a positive progression betting system based on players doubling bets after each winning bet. Once again, the even-money bets (odd/even, red/black, low/high) are recommended here, and players should return to their starting bet every time they lose. While Paroli betting can be a more effective way of managing your bankroll that random betting, it’s not guaranteed to win you money. Roulette results are completely random, meaning it’s perfectly possible that you could find yourself in a win-lose-win-lose situation, running through your bankroll very quickly. Let’s take a look at an example of the Paroli betting system in action:

Questions and answers

Is online roulette fair?

Yes, if you’re playing at a licensed roulette site. Governing bodies, such as the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) take active steps to ensure that licensed casinos and gambling sites are abiding by industry standards to provide players with the most fair and safe gambling experience possible. One requirement is that online casino games, including roulette, use random number generators (RNG) to determine results, making for completely fair play.

My budget is small, can I still play online roulette?

Of course! There are plenty of online roulette games with low-stakes, and even free roulette games, so you can enjoy the thrill of this casino classic without putting big money on the table. You should keep an eye out for a casino’s minimum deposit requirements, though. Even at sites with penny roulette, you might need to deposit £30 before you can play real money games.

I want to claim a welcome bonus, does it matter which deposit method I use?

This depends on the site you choose. Each casino bonus will have its own terms and conditions that specify how much players must deposit to claim the bonus, and which payment methods are eligible. While debit cards and PayPal deposits are eligible in most cases, other e-wallets, like Neteller and Skrill are often excluded.

Can I play live dealer roulette on my mobile?

Yes. The UK’s best online roulette sites offer mobile players exactly the same gameplay options as desktop users- including live dealer roulette. Whether you’d prefer to play through the mobile web browser or download the native mobile app, you can make the most of the very best UK roulette sites, even when you’re out and about.

Can I play other casino games at roulette sites?

Of course! It’s always fun to mix up the gameplay, and the majority of online casinos with roulette games also feature a range of other casino games. So whether you fancy a spin on the newest slots, a chance at hitting 21 in blackjack or want to try your hand at online poker, there’s a games library from everyone at these top sites.