Online roulette for players in Iceland

The three main variants

Roulette comes in three standard forms. They look almost identical and play very differently in the long run.

The difference in house edge comes entirely from the zeros. Payouts are the same across the three: a straight-up number pays 35 to 1 whether there are 37 or 38 pockets. The extra pocket on the American wheel is pure house advantage.

French roulette's advantage is the la partage rule (or its cousin en prison): if the ball lands on zero, even-money bets (red or black, odd or even, 1 to 18 or 19 to 36) lose only half their stake, or are held for the next spin. That halves the house edge on those bets to 1.35 percent, which is among the lowest of any casino game. Not every game labelled "French" applies the rule, so check the help panel.

What each bet pays

The table below is for a single-zero wheel. The true odds column shows what a fair payout would be; the gap between it and the actual payout is the house edge.

Inside bets (straight up to six line) are placed on the numbered grid; outside bets (columns, dozens, even-money) are placed around it. Call bets such as voisins du zéro, tiers du cylindre and orphelins cover sections of the wheel rather than the grid and are available on the racetrack layout at most online tables. Their house edge is the same 2.7 percent; they are a convenience, not a different proposition.

On an American wheel, the five-number bet (0, 00, 1, 2, 3) pays 6 to 1 and carries a 7.89 percent edge, the worst standard bet on any roulette table.

Betting systems and why they do not change the maths

Every roulette system that has ever been sold changes the size or placement of bets according to what happened before. Since each spin is independent and every bet has the same negative expectation, no arrangement of bets can produce a positive expectation. What systems do is reshape the distribution of results.

• Martingale (double after each loss) produces many small wins and an occasional catastrophic loss when a losing run meets the table limit or your bankroll. Eight consecutive losses on red, which happens about once every 170 sequences, turns a 1 euro starting bet into a 128 euro bet and 255 euros already lost.
• Fibonacci and d'Alembert are slower versions of the same idea with smaller bets and smaller catastrophes.
• Flat betting (same stake every spin) gives the smoothest ride and is what most experienced players do.

If you enjoy the structure of a system, use one with a fixed stop-loss and treat it as entertainment. Do not expect it to beat the wheel.

Live roulette

Live roulette streams a real wheel from a studio, with a croupier spinning and a sensor or camera reading the result. Bets are placed on a screen overlay; the round takes about 40 to 60 seconds. The main studios are Evolution, Pragmatic Play Live and Playtech, and most casinos offer tables from at least two of them. See our live casino page for the providers in detail.

Standard live tables are European, single zero, with the 2.7 percent edge. Some studios also run French tables with la partage, usually at higher minimums.

The popular variants add a twist:

• Lightning Roulette and XXXtreme Lightning Roulette (Evolution) apply random multipliers of 50x to 500x (up to 2,000x in XXXtreme) to one or more straight-up numbers each round. To pay for this, a non-multiplied straight-up win pays 29 to 1 instead of 35 to 1. The overall RTP is about 97.1 percent on straight-up bets, slightly worse than standard roulette; outside bets are unchanged at 97.3 percent.
• Mega Roulette (Pragmatic) and Quantum Roulette (Playtech) work on the same principle with different multiplier ranges.
• Auto roulette removes the croupier and spins continuously, resolving a round every 25 to 35 seconds. It is a real wheel, just faster.
• Double Ball Roulette spins two balls; payouts and edge are adjusted accordingly.
• Immersive Roulette is a standard European table with multiple camera angles and slow-motion replays.

Live roulette table limits are typically 0.50 to 1 euro minimum and 5,000 to 10,000 euros maximum on outside bets, with straight-up numbers capped lower (often 500 to 1,000 euros) because of the 35 to 1 payout. Tables are in euros for players in Iceland; there are no ISK tables at any casino we are aware of.

Software roulette

Software roulette resolves instantly and lets you play at your own pace. It is ideal for learning and for small stakes: minimums of 0.10 euro are common. Good versions from providers such as NetEnt, Play'n GO, Evolution's RNG range and Playtech offer European and French rules, racetrack betting, favourite bet saving and statistics panels. The edge is exactly the same as the live version with the same rules; the only difference is the random number generator in place of a physical wheel.

Beware of casino-branded or obscure-provider software roulette that does not show the rules clearly. If you cannot find the number of zeros and the la partage status in the help panel, choose another game.

Choosing where to play

For roulette specifically, look for:

1. French tables with la partage, live or software. This is the single biggest improvement to your odds available.
2. Low minimum bets if you play small, and high maximums on outside bets if you play a system that escalates.
3. Several live studios, so that a full or faulty table is not a problem.
4. Bonus terms that do not trap roulette players. Most bonuses count roulette at 5 to 10 percent towards wagering and some forbid it entirely while a bonus is active. If you play roulette mainly, decline the welcome bonus or find a casino with a live-specific offer. Our wagering guide explains the maths.
5. Fast withdrawals. Roulette balances can be large; see fast payout casinos.

None of the casinos in our comparison is licensed in Iceland, and winnings from them are taxable income here. Our laws page sets out the position and our methodology describes how we rank the sites above.