Play Online Roulette
Whether you like European roulette or the American version of the game, Canadian gambling sites have it all. Canadian casino players can enjoy loads of online roulette games with plenty of variety. From different rules, bonus features, and betting limits, we hand-pick the best casinos in Canada for playing online roulette real money games.
Nothing quite beats the thrill of playing online roulette, and the anticipation that comes with waiting to see where the ball will land after a spin of the roulette wheel. And with online roulette real money games, a lucky bet could mean loads of cash! Just visit our top-rated sites for roulette online to get started with your first roulette welcome bonus.
Top Sites for Roulette Online
How to Play Online Roulette
Learning the rules doesn’t require a lot of experience, so let’s start with the basics: roulette means little wheel in French. After all, the game has a wheel that spins around while you wait for a small ball to land on a number. But before the game begins, everyone places their bets on the number or colour they think the ball will land on.
Let’s break down the basic rules of roulette:
- First, place your bets on the roulette board using your mouse. Remember, you’ve got choices! You can go for a certain number, a group of numbers, all odd numbers, all even numbers… or you can forget about the numbers and just bet on red or black.
- Next, the croupier (or in this case the virtual dealer) will spin the wheel and release the ball.
- When the wheel slows to a stop, the ball comes to rest on a number.
- If it lands on your number or colour – you win!
- If you win, you can “Let it Ride” and leave your winning on the table for a chance to double or even triple up!
Different Bets and Odds in Roulette
Variations of Roulette Online
Roulette is a game anyone can play. The basic tenet is that players wager on the color and number of where a spun ball will fall on the roulette wheel. Players can bet on specific numbers, groups of numbers or all the numbers of a certain colour. Once bets have been placed, the dealer spins a small ball along the outside of the already spinning roulette wheel. The ball rolls along a track outside the wheel — in the opposite direction of the wheel — until it slows enough to fall off the track and onto the wheel, which contains either 37 or 38 numbered slots where the ball might stop. Once it stops, the dealer will pay out bets that align with where the ball fell and collect all losing bets for the house.
American and European roulette diverged as they developed either side of the Atlantic, with American roulette using a 0 and 00 wheel slot, instead of just the single 0 preferred in European roulette. Obviously this affects the odds, which are 1 in 37 slots (0 and 1-36), or 2.70% for the European version. In the American game, the odds are slightly harder you’ll hit your slot, at 1 in 38 slots (0, 00 and 1-36), or a 2.63% chance.
Once the table is clear, players may bet again and the process starts over.
Along with the surging international growth of roulette came the development of variations in how the game is played and strategies to lower the house edge. The most important variations occur on the roulette wheel and are as follows:
American Roulette
The most common variation of the game, American roulette wheels have both a single and double zero slot, as mentioned above. Because there is an additional pocket or track for the ball to fall into, this gives an increased house advantage. The typical house advantage for American roulette is approximately 5.26%.
If American roulette fits you best — go ahead and play at Spin Palace. This casino has the best American roulette we know. It also happens to offer more than 400 different games, and a welcome bonus of C$1600.
European Roulette
European roulette is very similar to American roulette, except for the fact that there is no double zero slot, which results in a substantial difference in house advantage — in your favour. The typical house advantage for European Roulette is 2.63%, half that of the typical American roulette house advantage.
Royal Vegas is known for having a great European roulette. We recommend you go ahead and try it.
French Roulette
The ‘original’ game itself, French roulette offers superior odds and a relatively low house advantage. As with European roulette, French roulette has no double zero slot. The odds of the ball landing in a particular slot are therefore the same — 2.63% – but the house edge is slightly decreased due to the rule of La Partage, which says a player will only lose 50% of their even-money bets when the wheel stops on 0.
Because of its similarity to European roulette, Royal Vegas is also our recommendation here.
Recommended Roulette Games
To ease your path into roulette games, we have suggested a few variations of the game below, offered by Microgaming and Playtech. These industry veterans have been leading the way since before the turn of the millennium (established in 1994 and 1999 respectively) and are still two of the leading software providers in the online casino industry, They won’t fail to keep you entertained.
Premier Roulette (Microgaming): Based on European roulette, Premier roulette is as realistic as games come. The game includes several features and settings such as a 3D wheel, video zoom, game speed setting and more. Premier Roulette also boasts a strong mobile version for Android and iPhone users, although the graphics are more limited on Blackberrys and other devices.
Gold Series (Microgaming): With a clean design and great sound effects, Roulette Gold Series is offered in American, European and French Roulette. Make your bet and click the ‘spin’ button, watch the ball go and wait excitedly for the result.
3D Roulette (Playtech): An exciting, authentic, 3D casino experience, this table game combines amazing graphics with loads of extra features and customizable settings.
Premium European Roulette (Playtech): A combination of dynamic features and customizable settings set within a European Roulette table game, Premier European Roulette from Playtech also offers enhanced betting and payout options.
Mini Roulette (Playtech): Mini Roulette is a game designed specifically for online play that features similar game play but different odds. The wheel is much smaller, featuring only 13 spaces, including a 0. Like French Roulette, the 0 pays out 50 percent. The big difference, though, is that players have a much better chance of hitting a specific number, if that’s how they chose to wager.
Online Roulette Strategy
Once you learn the basic principals, you can develop a roulette strategy to help tip the odds in your favor.
Practice play – Many online casinos offer to have free and real money online roulette games. Free demo games let you without risking any of your hard earned money. It’s a great way to learn the rules and practice different strategies before putting your money on the line in the hopes of winning cash prizes.
Start with small bets – Once you get the hang of the game, try your luck by placing real money bets. We recommend starting out small. Try finding a roulette game with low minimum bets and high maximum bet. You can start with small bets and still have the chance to double any losing bets.
Place outside bets – Although outside bets have lower payouts, they also have a higher probability of occurring. These relatively low-risk wagers are the better option, especially when you don’t have a lot of experience.
Set betting limits – Many online casinos allow players to set betting limits. Once you reach the limit, the casino will not allow you to place any more bets, helping you ensure you never bet more than you can afford.
Beginner’s Strategy for Roulette:
The best-known roulette strategy for beginners is the Martingale system. The simplest way to explain this system is that the player has to double their stake every time they lose, up until they win. Then the system resets itself.
Let’s look at an example: A player may stake $5 on red. If they win, they continue to stake $5 the next time. If they lose, they stake $10. If that bet wins, then the player has recovered the $5 lost from the previous bet, and also made a profit. If the $10 bet fails, the player would have to bet $20 the next time, and so on. The law of averages suggests that no matter how long a losing streak lasts, it will always even out in the end. Players should be mindful, though, that some roulette games will have a table limit.
Advanced Online Roulette Strategy:
There are a number of advanced roulette strategies that different players favour. Some of them include the James Bond strategy, Oscar’s Grind strategy, Insurance strategy, and the Paroli system. Let’s take a look at the Paroli system as an example.
The Paroli roulette betting system is a bit like the Martingale system but in reverse. Players using this method will double their bets every time they win, rather than when they lose. Before starting, it’s best to choose how many progressions you are willing to do, so you don’t get carried away.
For instance, if you bet $5 on an outside bet like black or red and then win, you would leave the winnings on the table the next time you place a roulette bet. There is, of course, the risk of losing it all, but you would then be back to where you started, so the chances of losing a lot of money are slim. Many people think that this is a safer way of playing than the Martingale roulette strategy.
Online Roulette Rules
Roulette is so popular because of its straightforward rules. It doesn’t take long to learn the basic rules of roulette since your betting options are very easy to remember.
It basically comes down to two types of bets: inside bets and outside bets. Outside bets have a higher probability of occurring but have lower payouts. Inside bets have a lower likelihood of occurring but come with more rewarding payouts.
Outside bets: Outside bets are bets placed on the outside area of the betting table.
- Bets on dozens: Betting on one of three groups of 12 numbers
- Column bets: Betting on an entire column of numbers on the layou
- Color bets: Betting on all red or all black spaces
- Even/odd bet: Betting on all even or all odd numbers
- Low/high bet: Betting on numbers 1-18 (low) or numbers 19-36 (high).
Inside bets: Inside bets are located on the inside area of the betting layout. You bet on a single number, or on a line between numbers. Placing a bet on a line between numbers is known as a combination bet, and can be comprised of a bet that includes anywhere between two and six numbers.
- Straight up: Betting on single number on the table
- Split bets: Betting on any two adjoining numbers, vertically or horizontally on the board
- Street bets: Betting on any three horizontal numbers on the board
- Corner bets: Betting on any four adjoining numbers in a block on the board
- Line bets: Combination bets placed on two adjacent rows covering six numbers
Top 10 Tips for Online Roulette
- Systems Don’t Work – There are a number of roulette systems folks have thought up to try to slim the house edge (we feature some of them in our roulette strategies page). Creative as they might be, none of them are going to help you win any more money. The house edge is always going to exist.
- Go European or French – The extra 00 piece on the American roulette wheel lowers a player’s chances of winning slightly compared to the European or French versions.
- Check Out Bonus Rules – Gambling your Welcome Bonus at the roulette table is a fine idea, but be warned, most casinos only let a certain percentage of roulette bets count toward wagering requirements. Before you start placing bets, you should look into that percentage and figure out how much money you’ll have to bet to work through your bonus. Our casino reviews can help you with that.
- Best Bet – It’s tempting to pick a lucky number and stick with it, but be warned, single-digit bets have lower odds. If you want to play it safe, stick with black/red, high/low or even/odd bets.
- Play for Fun – Roulette isn’t a game to play solely for the money — in the long-run, you’re likely going to finish with a little less than what you started. What you’re paying for is the experience. Make it count by enjoying your time at the table with online roulette free games.
- Find a site with good bonus offers. There are literally hundreds of online Canada options to choose from when it comes to playing online roulette, and all of these sites compete for customers by offering attractive signup deals. Join a few sites that have the best-looking offers and you will find that you have some free playing money to wager with.
- Look for sites with a wide variety of games by major software developers. There are normally different types of roulette on offer such as American, European, and Multi-wheel. There are also live links to real tables at a number of online casinos.
- Check for sites that have a number of different payment methods. This way, you know you will be able to deposit money in the way you feel most comfortable with. Most sites accept major credit cards and PayPal transactions, while some are also moving towards cryptocurrency payments.
- Make sure that the site you are using has a good customer support system which is easily accessible. If problems arise, you will feel at ease knowing that you can instantly get in touch with the site operator and have the issue resolved.
- If you are the kind of player that likes to play roulette games on the move, make sure that the site you are using has a mobile app. Most online roulette options in Canada these days have a mobile app which is free to download, and players simply log in using the same details as they would on the desktop site.
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American Roulette
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European Roulette
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French Roulette
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Multiwheel Roulette
Roulette Glossary
We’ve also prepared a quick roulette glossary of all those roulette terms you will want to know if you’re about to play. Here we go:
- Backtrack – The outer rim where the ball spins.
- Black Bet – When a players bets on the next number being black.
- Bottom Track – The inner area of a roulette wheel where the ball slides before bouncing onto the pocket.
- Chameleon Strategy – Observing someone on a winning streak and copying their behaviour.
- Corner Bet – Betting on four numbers by placing chips in the middle of them on the felt.
- Croupier – The casino employee operating the roulette wheel.
- High Bet – When players place bets on numbers 19-36.
- Inside Bet – When players bet on or between numbers.
- Low Bet – When players bet on numbers 1-8.
- Parlay – When a player places his bet on the table and leaves an added bet ready for the next spin.
- Payout – Winnings the casino pays to the player.
- Player Clocking – Watching players using Chameleon Strategy and then mimicking them.
- Quarter Bet – When players bet on one of four numbers.
- Red Bet – When players wager on the next number being red.
- Split Bet – When a player bets on two numbers at the same time.
- Straight Bet – When a player bets on just one number.
- Street Bet – When a player bets on three numbers.
- Visual Wheel Tracking – When a player has the ability to tell where the ball will land just by looking at the wheel.
- Wheel Head – A part of the roulette wheel that has numbered pockets.
- Wheel Roller – A croupier.
FAQ For Online Roulette
Bottom Line
The odds and rules at the roulette table are simple to understand and the experience is a thrilling mix of strategy and anticipation. For these and other reasons, roulette has become one of the most popular games in brick-and-mortar casinos and their online cousins. Now, with the advent of mobile casinos, players can play anywhere they get cell service — almost all mobile casinos feature online roulette games. The roulette options at Royal Vegas casino is our favourite, but you can use the list of casinos above to choose your favourite and start playing today!
The bottom line on roulette is that it is an incredibly fun game to play, but there is no surefire way of maximising your chances of winning. However, by incorporating a number of various strategies, as well as seeking out offers that allow you to play with free money, you can put yourself at an advantage. Before getting into it, make sure you make a strict set of betting rules and stick to them. For instance, set limits for online roulette winnings and losses, and if you pass those limits walk away.
