Roulette is universally recognized as one of the most iconic and popular games in casino history.

European and American roulette may look nearly identical to the untrained eye, but the math differs wildly.
The Extra Green Zero
The single most important difference between the two games lies entirely in the number of green zero pockets.

This single extra pocket on the American wheel drastically alters the mathematical probabilities of the game.
The green zeros represent the house edgeAmerican roulette includes the 0 and the 00European roulette only utilizes the single 0 Comparing the House Edge
With a house edge of 2.70%, European roulette is relatively fair compared to many other casino games.

Statistically, for every $100 you wager, you expect to lose $2.70 on European and $5.26 on American.
Special European Roulette Rules
The "La Partage" rule dictates that if the ball lands on zero, you only lose half of your even-money bet.

If these special rules are in effect, the house edge on even-money bets drops to an incredible 1.35%.
GameWheel NumbersEdge with La PartageFrench371.35%American38N/A
The conclusion is incredibly simple: you should always seek out and exclusively play European or French roulette.