European roulette: single zero wheel, sector bets and odds

Key facts

European roulette uses a single zero wheel with 37 pockets: 1 to 36 in red and black plus one green 0. Every standard bet carries a house edge of 1 in 37, or 2.70%.
It is the default in Australian casinos: Victoria's approved rules make the single zero wheel standard unless stated otherwise, and Tasmania's rules specify 37 compartments.
The racetrack call bets cover sections of the wheel: Voisins du Zero covers 17 numbers with 9 chips, Tiers 12 numbers with 6 chips, Orphelins 8 numbers with 5 chips.
In our calculation $10 on red for 100 spins finishes ahead 35.5% of the time and exactly level 7.7% of the time; on a double zero wheel the chance of finishing ahead drops to 26.5%.

What European roulette is

European roulette is roulette on a single zero wheel: 37 pockets, numbered 1 to 36 and coloured red and black, plus one green zero. The table pays every winning bet as if there were 36 pockets, so on every standard bet the house keeps 1 unit in 37, a house edge of 2.70%.

That single zero is the whole difference from the American game. Add a double zero and the edge nearly doubles to 5.26%, as our American roulette guide works through.

Single zero roulette in Australian casinos

Single zero roulette is the standard game in the Australian rule books we read:

Jurisdiction	What the approved rules say
Victoria (Crown Melbourne, rules approved by the VGCCC, version 19.0, 10 April 2026)	Unless otherwise stated, the wheel is a single zero wheel. Double zero and triple zero versions are separate variations with their own rules.
Tasmania (Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission rules, effective 18 November 2015)	Wheels have 37 equal compartments, one marked zero and the others 1 to 36, coloured alternately red and black.
ACT (Casino Canberra rules approved in 2019)	The game is called American Roulette, but the rules allow either a single zero or a double zero wheel.

So a table in Canberra labelled American Roulette may still be running a single zero wheel. Always look at the wheel, not the sign.

The wheel order

The numbers do not run in order around a European wheel. Clockwise from zero, a single zero wheel reads:

0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25, 17, 34, 6, 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33, 1, 20, 14, 31, 9, 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26

Red and black alternate all the way round, with zero sitting between 26 and 32. The order matters because a family of bets, the call bets, covers sections of the wheel rather than areas of the table. We checked this order against the bet definitions in the approved rules: Victoria's example of "17 and the neighbours" (21, 2, 25, 17, 34, 6, 27 for the seven-chip version) and the ACT's example of the neighbours of 0 (3, 26, 0, 32, 15) both match it.

Sector bets on the racetrack

Many European tables have an oval racetrack next to the layout for call bets, which must be placed or requested before no more bets is called. Here is how the approved rules define the main ones, with what each does in our calculation:

Call bet	Chips and where they go	Numbers covered	Wins	Net result when it wins
Voisins du Zero (neighbours of zero)	1 each on 4/7, 12/15, 18/21, 19/22, 32/35; 2 on 0/2/3; 2 on 25/29	17	45.9%	+15 chips on 0, 2 or 3; +9 chips otherwise
Tiers (thirds, series 5/8)	1 each on 5/8, 10/11, 13/16, 23/24, 27/30, 33/36	12	32.4%	+12 chips
Orphelins (orphans)	1 on 1; 1 each on 6/9, 14/17, 17/20, 31/34	8	21.6%	+31 chips on 1 or 17; +13 chips otherwise
Zero game (jeu zero)	1 each on 0/3, 12/15, 32/35; 1 on 26	7	18.9%	+32 chips on 26; +14 chips otherwise
Neighbours (five-chip)	1 on a number and on the two either side of it on the wheel	5	13.5%	+31 chips

Voisins, Tiers and Orphelins together cover all 37 numbers exactly once. Every one of these bets carries the same 2.70% edge per chip: covering a section of the wheel feels clever, but it is just a bundle of ordinary splits, streets and corners.

A worked example: Voisins du Zero with $2 chips is an $18 bet. If 0, 2 or 3 comes up you net +$30; if any of the other 14 covered numbers lands you net +$18; any of the other 20 numbers loses $18. Average result: minus 49 cents per spin, which is 2.70% of $18.

European roulette odds over a session

Single-spin odds are covered bet by bet in our roulette odds table. What matters more over a night is the chance you walk away ahead. In our calculation, betting $10 a spin on a single zero wheel:

Bet	After 37 spins	After 100 spins	After 1,000 spins
Red (even money)	43.4% ahead*	35.5% ahead	18.8% ahead
A dozen (2 to 1)	42.3% ahead	40.5% ahead	26.7% ahead
One number (35 to 1)	26.4% ahead	50.9% ahead	45.1% ahead

*Over 37 spins of red you cannot finish level (odd number of spins); over 100 spins you finish exactly level 7.7% of the time.

The single number row looks odd but is real: over 100 spins three hits (paying $1,080 back on $1,000 bet) is enough to finish ahead, and three or more hits happens about half the time. The catch is that the other half usually ends well down. Over a long enough session every row heads toward the same place: a loss of 2.70% of everything bet. You can test your own stakes with our expected value calculator.

Pundit tip: the cheapest roulette decision you will ever make is choosing a single zero wheel over a double zero one. On $10 even-money bets for 1,000 spins, the chance of finishing ahead falls from 18.8% to 4.5% on a double zero wheel, in our calculation.

European, French and American compared

Version	Pockets	Zero rule for even-money bets	House edge on red
European	37	Lose	2.70%
French with La Partage	37	Half returned	1.35%
American (double zero)	38	Lose	5.26%

The French table uses the same wheel and payouts with French terms. Where the half-back rule applies, the even-money bets cost half as much; see French roulette. The layout and every bet type are explained in roulette bets explained.

Streaks and scoreboards

A European wheel produces streaks, hot numbers and cold numbers in exactly the same way as any random device, and none of them predicts the next spin. If a results board has you thinking a number is due, read our gamblers fallacy guide first.

Playing European roulette in Australia

Single zero roulette is offered in person at licensed Australian casinos under rules approved by the state or territory regulator. Online it is a different story: ACMA lists roulette among the casino games that cannot legally be offered online to people in Australia. Our online roulette Australia guide explains the law and the risks of offshore sites.

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Frequently asked questions

What is European roulette?

European roulette is roulette played on a single zero wheel: 37 pockets numbered 0 to 36. Because there is only one zero, the house edge is 2.70% on every standard bet, about half the 5.26% of a double zero wheel.

Is single zero roulette the same as European roulette?

Yes. Single zero roulette and European roulette describe the same wheel and payouts. French roulette uses the same wheel too, with French table terms and, at some tables, a rule that returns half of even-money bets when zero comes up.

What are the European roulette odds of winning on red?

Red covers 18 of the 37 pockets, so it wins 48.65% of spins and pays 1 to 1. Zero is the 19th losing pocket, which is where the 2.70% edge comes from.

What is Voisins du Zero?

It is a call bet on the 17 numbers around zero on the wheel, from 22 to 25. It uses 9 chips: one on each of five splits, two on the 0, 2, 3 street and two on the 25, 26, 28, 29 corner. It wins 17 spins in 37 and carries the same 2.70% edge.

Can I play European roulette online in Australia?

Online roulette cannot legally be offered to people in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. You can play single zero roulette in person at licensed Australian casinos.