Casinos are businesses that have to make money, yet players are able to win real money on casino games, such as roulette.
So how do casinos make money on roulette? Do they rig games so they can make more money? Let’s find out!
Is Roulette Rigged?
In short, no. Roulette is not rigged. If it were, casinos wouldn’t make any money as there would be no players to play if they couldn’t win!
Rigging slots or casino games is illegal. To ensure you are playing in a casino that isn’t rigged, you must pick a casino that is licenced and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). Look out for the UKGC logo on the website as well as the casino’s license number to feel safe in the knowledge that you are playing in a fair and legal casino.
Some players may convince themselves that roulette is rigged as they haven’t seen a win in a while. Roulette is a casino game that has one of the highest house edges. This built-in advantage can lead players to believe the game is rigged, but all numbers have the same chance to land as each other.
Why Does The Casino Always Win In Roulette?
Roulette is a table game with one of the highest house edges. The house edge refers to the advantage a casino has over the player in the long run.
The house edge for European roulette is 2.70% and 5.26% for American roulette. These percentages represent how much profit a casino can expect to make from bets placed over a long period. For example, for every £100 staked in American roulette, the casino expects to take in £5.26, on average.
Because of the house edge, the casino always wins in the long run. Many players have tried to cheat to get around this. However, that’s a quick way to get you thrown out and banned from the casino!
Even though the casino has the edge over the player, players can still win, and every game of roulette you play is fair. The chances of the ball landing in any given pocket are 1 in 37 in European roulette and 1 in 38 in American roulette. Furthermore, online roulette games use a Random Number Generator (RNG). The RNG is an algorithm that generates millions of number sequences that cannot be predicted, which correspond to a random outcome. This ensures gameplay is fair every time!
Can You Beat The House Edge at Roulette?
You can’t beat the house edge at roulette, as the casino always has an advantage over players.
One thing that you can do to limit the house edge is to simply pick a roulette game with a lower house edge. European roulette has a house edge of 2.70%, which is half of what American roulette is. European roulette is the roulette game to play if you want the casino to have a slightly lower advantage.
The house edge in roulette is static; it’s based on the presence of the zero pockets. The most obvious example of this in practice is the even-money outside bets.
For example, if you bet on reds, you are betting on 18 of the numbers, just under half, because of the green zero pockets, which count against you no matter what colour you pick. So the odds of you losing (i.e. the odds of the casino winning) is just over 50% because of the green zero pockets tipping the scales in favour of the house.
Additionally, whatever roulette game you play, always make sure to only bet what you can afford to lose. Never chase losses, and please gamble responsibly.
*All values (Bet Levels, Maximum Wins etc.) mentioned in relation to this game are subject to change at any time.
