Roulette in the United States
Double zero by default, state-by-state online rules, and the home of the triple zero.
American roulettevariantAmerican rouletteWheel with 0 and 00, 38 pockets, house edge 5.26%. Not the default model on this site.Read full → (38 pocketsequipmentPocketOne of the 37 numbered compartments on the rotor. Also: slot, cup.Read full →, 5.26%) is the standard on US floors. Single-zero tables exist at higher limits. Online casino play is legal in a handful of states with live and RNG roulettevariantRNG rouletteRoulette with a software random number generator instead of a physical wheel. Same odds, no wheel bias possible.Read full →; elsewhere it is prohibited or unregulated.
The land picture
Nevada legalized casinos in 1931, Atlantic City in 1976, tribal casinos nationally after 1988, and commercial casinos in about two dozen states since. Nearly all run the double-zerowheelZeroThe single green pocket that no even-money, dozen or column bet covers; the source of the house edge. Also: single zero, 0.Read full → wheel at standard tables. Single-zero wheels sit in high-limit rooms on the Las Vegas Strip, in some Atlantic City and regional properties, and increasingly at electronic terminals. Atlantic City historically offered “surrender” on even-money betsbetEven-money betRed/black, odd/even, high/low. 18 numbers, pays 1:1.Read full → (half back on 0 or 00), bringing those bets to 2.63%; it has become rare.
Online, state by state
There is no federal online casino law; each state decides. As of 2026, online casino games including roulette are licensed in New Jersey (since 2013), Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Connecticut and Rhode Island, with live-dealer studios in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Sports betting is legal in many more states than casino games. Elsewhere, offshore sites operate without US licenses and without recourse. Sweepstakes-model casinos occupy a gray area under scrutiny.
Nevada legalizes casino gambling.
New Jersey authorizes Atlantic City casinos.
Nevada criminalizes prediction devices after the shoe-computer era.
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act; tribal casinos spread.
New Jersey launches regulated online casinos, including roulette.
Triple-zero roulette appears on the Las Vegas Strip.
Supreme Court strikes down the federal sports-betting ban; states legislate.
Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Connecticut, Rhode Island license online casinos.
Seven states with legal online casino play; live roulette studios in three.
The minimum-versus-edge market
US casinos price roulette by the table minimum, not the house edgemathHouse edgeThe share of each stake the casino keeps on average: 2.70% in European roulette.Read full →, and most players compare minimums. The result is a floor where the cheapest seat (triple zero at $5) has the worst odds and the best odds (single zero at $100) are priced out of reach of most players. The arithmetic says a $100 single-zero bet costs $2.70 a spin and a $10 triple-zero bet costs $0.77: the cheap table is cheaper per spin and dearer per dollar. Decide which you are buying.
Etiquette particulars
Color chipstableColor chipsRoulette-only chips in a color unique to each player at the table, with a value set at buy-in. Also: wheel checks.Read full → per player are universal. Tipping the dealer is customary, usually by placing a bet for them. Some older layoutsequipmentLayoutThe printed betting grid on the table. Also: table, felt, cloth.Read full → pay “35 for 1” rather than “35 to 1” on straight upsbetStraight upA single number, pays 35:1.Read full →, which is a one-unitmoneyUnitThe base stake a system or a player works in. Progressions are described in units so they apply at any table.Read full →-worse payoutmoneyPayoutWhat a winning bet returns, quoted as “X to 1” on top of the returned stake.Read full →; the Learn section explains the difference. Call betstableCall betA bet announced to the dealer rather than placed by hand, usually a wheel-sector bet such as voisins or tiers. Also “announced bet”.Read full → and racetrackstableRacetrackThe oval strip on live and electronic layouts showing the numbers in wheel order, used to place neighbors and sector bets in one tap.Read full → are rare at the felt and common on terminals.
Advice for a US player
Find the single-zero table if your bankrollmoneyBankrollThe total amount set aside for play. Bankroll management is deciding how much of it to risk per bet and per session.Read full → supports its minimum; otherwise bet smaller on the double zerovariantDouble zeroThe 00 pocket of the American wheel. Its presence raises the house edge from 2.70% to 5.26%.Read full → rather than sitting at the triple zero. Online, play only with a state-licensed operator, where the RNG is certified and the live wheel is in a regulated studio. Use the state’s responsible-gambling tools; every licensed site has deposit limits and self-exclusion.
Questions
History and a market that compares minimums rather than edges.
Not with a US license. Offshore sites have none and offer no recourse.
Rare now, but check the layout. It means 34 to 1.
Fun with Math
Try these yourself first. Each solution is folded; open it when you are ready.
In 2008 New Jersey approved a roulette bet on a fixed block of seven numbers, 10 to 15 and 33, paying 4 to 1. What does it cost on a double-zerowheelZeroThe single green pocket that no even-money, dozen or column bet covers; the source of the house edge. Also: single zero, 0.Read full → wheel, and what would it cost on a single-zero one?
Show the solution
Answer 7.89% on a double-zero wheel, half as much again as the usual 5.26%, and 5.41% on a single-zero wheel, twice the usual 2.70%.
Over 38 spins the bet wins 7 times, +4 each, and loses 31 times: 28 − 31 = −3, so 3/38 = 7.89%.
Over 37 spins: 28 − 30 = −2, so 2/37 = 5.41%.
The usual rule would pay 36/7 − 1 ≈ 4.14 to 1. Rounding down to 4 to 1 adds the extra cost, as 6 to 1 does on the American five-number bet. Bollman (2024) sets it as an exercise.
Comic relief
Double zero on the floor. State by state online.
Sources
- Schwartz, D. G. Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling.
- Bass, T. A. The Eudaemonic Pie.
- Bollman, M. Mathematics of the Big Four Casino Table Games: Blackjack, Baccarat, Craps, & Roulette.