However, the Roulette casinos in Canada always contain a variant that plays by this rule. Some online European games types do not integrate this feature. “En prison” is available at the discretion of the casino. In case you win on your next spin, you win your stake back! This can effectively reduce the house to 1.35%. With “en prison,” if you back a 1:1 bet before the spin and land on zero, you can spin another wheel. This essentially means that betting on even money is a more lucrative means of winning.

Your money remains on the table for a free spin and another chance to win. With this optional rule, even money bet that lands on 0 is held for an extra spin. The “en prison” (or “in prison”) rule is a unique difference between European Roulette and American Roulette. Optional “En Prison” Rule for European Roulette While the payouts and bets for both European and American Roulette are the same, the extra number increases the house edge. With American vs European Roulette, it’s all about the odds. So, from the beginning, your odds are always better with the European version. With American Roulette, that house edge rises to 5.26% (1/38). With the European one, the house has an advantage of 2.7% (1/37). The extra 00 drastically increases the house edge For instance, if you backed the number 17, you have a 1/37 chance versus 1/38 with American Roulette. That’s simply down to there being fewer numbers on the wheel. While the addition of 00 on the American roulette wheel may seem insignificant, it changes your odds of winning.Īs there are 37 numbered pockets for your ball to land on when playing the European game type, the odds of the ball landing on your number are more significant than in American Roulette. European Roulette vs American – Main Difference in House EdgeĬasinos will always have the edge over players, but not all games are created equal. Both games have 18 black and 18 red pockets on the wheel.

The numbers are distributed so as to be as even as possible. Although this doesn’t impact the gameplay in any obvious way, it’s a sure-fire method to spot which version you’re playing. Other than this, payouts remain the same for all bets across both versions.īoth wheels also feature numbers in different orders. This is crucial to how the games differ as American Roulette’s extra 00 adds difficulty to the game. American Roulette has an additional 00 (double zero), bringing the total number of pockets on the wheel to 38.īy contrast, the European wheel has just 37 numbers, with a 0 (single zero) but no 00. The most significant difference is the wheel layout.

American vs european roulette wheel