Roulette is one of the most popular casino games, and is also a key part of online casinos. It’s easy to play and is available in a variety of formats.

European roulette is the most common version of the game played at physical casinos and online platforms. This variant features a single zero pocket which automatically lowers the house edge to a coveted 2.7%. It’s also a very fast-paced game. European roulette is a good choice for novice players as it offers them greater winning probabilities than the American game.

The Roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk, slightly convex, with a red and black colored rim, and a series of compartments or pockets, painted alternately red and black. Thirty-six of these compartments are numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36, while a seventh, painted green, carries the sign of 0. The wheel spins on a smooth, perfectly balanced, steel axle, and when the ball drops in, all winning bets are paid out instantly.

While fanciful stories abound about the origin of the game, it’s safe to say that roulette was derived in France from older games like hoca and portique, which were already being played by ancient civilizations all over the world. It spread expeditiously in French-run gambling dens and then to the Americas where it grew into the game we know today.