Key facts
- French roulette uses the single zero wheel and standard payouts, with French names for the bets. Its draw card is the La Partage rule: when zero lands, even-money bets lose only half.
- La Partage cuts the house edge on even-money bets from 2.70% to 1.35% in our calculation. Inside bets, dozens and columns stay at 2.70%.
- Victoria's approved French Roulette rules at Crown Melbourne use French terms, croupiers and racetrack bets, but contain no La Partage or En Prison rule: on zero, every bet not covering 0 loses.
- En Prison holds an even-money bet for one more spin instead of halving it. In our calculation it is worth 1.35% if a second zero re-imprisons the bet, or 1.39% if a second zero loses it.
- Over 1,000 spins of $10 on red, in our calculation you finish ahead 33.0% of the time with La Partage, against 18.8% without it.
What French roulette is
French roulette is single zero roulette with a French table: the same 37-pocket wheel and the same payouts as the European game, French names for the bets, and, at the tables that offer it, a rule that softens the blow of zero on even-money bets. That rule is called La Partage, and it is the only thing that can make French roulette cheaper than European roulette.
Without La Partage or En Prison, French and European roulette cost exactly the same: 2.70% of every dollar bet. With La Partage, the even-money bets cost half that.
The La Partage rule
La Partage means "the sharing". When the ball lands on zero, each even-money bet (red, black, odd, even, 1 to 18 or 19 to 36) loses only half its stake; the other half comes back to you. Evolution, which runs a French Roulette game, describes it as an even-money bet that lands on zero losing only half the stake.
Worked example: $20 on red, the ball lands on 0. Under the usual single zero rule you lose $20. Under La Partage you lose $10 and keep $10.
Here is the maths, per $1 on red over 37 spins, in our calculation:
| Outcome | Spins out of 37 | Result per spin | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | 18 | +$1 | +$18 |
| Black | 18 | -$1 | -$18 |
| Zero, standard rule | 1 | -$1 | -$1 |
| Zero, La Partage | 1 | -$0.50 | -$0.50 |
The standard game loses $1 per 37 spins (2.70%); La Partage loses 50 cents (1.35%). The rule only applies to even-money bets. A straight-up, split, street, corner, six line, dozen or column still loses in full on zero, at 2.70%.
En Prison roulette
En Prison ("in prison") is a cousin of La Partage. Instead of handing back half the bet when zero lands, the table keeps your whole even-money bet in place for the next spin. If the imprisoned bet wins, you get your stake back, without winnings. If it loses, it is gone.
Tables can differ on what happens if zero comes up again while the bet is imprisoned, and the difference shows in the edge. In our calculation:
| En Prison version | House edge on even-money bets |
|---|---|
| A second zero re-imprisons the bet | 1.35% (identical to La Partage) |
| A second zero loses the bet | 1.39% |
| No En Prison or La Partage | 2.70% |
None of the Australian casino rule books we read (Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT) includes En Prison. Tasmania's rules, for example, say that when the result is zero "the whole of all other wagers will be lost". If a table anywhere says it offers En Prison, ask how a second zero is treated.
French roulette at Crown Melbourne
Victoria's approved roulette rules include a French Roulette variation, and it is a good illustration that the name does not guarantee the rule. Under the version approved by the VGCCC and in force from 10 April 2026, French Roulette has:
- French bet names and the same payouts as standard roulette;
- croupiers, a chef de table supervising and, at the end of the table, a third croupier at the bout de table;
- a rake called le rateau, round chips called jetons and rectangular chips called plaques;
- the calls "faites vos jeux" (place your bets) and "rien ne va plus" (no more bets);
- racetrack bets, with neighbours bets marked by a distinctive marker.
What it does not have is La Partage. The general zero rule applies: when 0 lands, any bet that includes 0 wins and all other bets lose. So at that table the even-money bets cost the normal 2.70%.
The French names for the bets
| French term | English | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| En plein | Straight up | 35 to 1 |
| A cheval | Split | 17 to 1 |
| Transversale | Street | 11 to 1 |
| Carre | Corner | 8 to 1 |
| Sixaine | Six line | 5 to 1 |
| Colonne | Column | 2 to 1 |
| Douzaine | Dozen | 2 to 1 |
| Manque / Passe | 1 to 18 / 19 to 36 | 1 to 1 |
| Pair / Impair | Even / Odd | 1 to 1 |
| Rouge / Noir | Red / Black | 1 to 1 |
The names and payouts are from Victoria's approved French Roulette rules. For how each bet sits on the layout, see roulette bets explained.
What La Partage is worth over a session
The halved edge adds up. Betting $10 on red each spin, in our calculation:
| Standard single zero | With La Partage | |
|---|---|---|
| Average loss per $1,000 bet | $27.03 | $13.51 |
| Chance of finishing ahead after 100 spins | 35.5% | 43.7% |
| Chance of finishing ahead after 1,000 spins | 18.8% | 33.0% |
It also makes even-money bets the cheapest bets on the table, which is not true on a standard wheel, where every bet costs the same. Rules that hand back half of an even-money bet exist on double zero tables in some places too: New Jersey's regulations let casinos choose a half-loss option on 0 and 00, which brings those bets to 2.63%, as our American roulette guide explains.
Pundit tip: if a French table offers La Partage, the only bets that benefit are the even-money ones. Moving your money to red or black is the single biggest cost saving available in roulette.
French roulette and betting systems
La Partage halves the expected loss of any system played on even-money bets, but it does not stop the system from busting. A Martingale strategy still meets the same long losing runs; a zero simply costs half the bet instead of all of it. The edge is lower, the shape of the risk is the same.
Where to find it
French roulette with La Partage is one of the best odds casino games on even-money bets, but it is not on offer everywhere, and online roulette cannot legally be offered to people in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. For the single zero game in general, see our European roulette guide, and for the law, our online roulette Australia guide.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the La Partage rule?
La Partage means 'the sharing'. When the ball lands on zero, a player with an even-money bet (red, black, odd, even, 1 to 18 or 19 to 36) gets half the stake back instead of losing it all. Evolution describes it for its French Roulette game as an even-money bet that lands on zero losing only half the stake.
What is the house edge in French roulette?
With La Partage, the even-money bets carry a 1.35% edge, half the normal 2.70%. Every other bet on a single zero wheel stays at 2.70%. Without La Partage, French roulette costs exactly the same as European roulette.
What is En Prison in roulette?
En Prison ('in prison') is a variation where, instead of returning half of an even-money bet when zero lands, the table holds the whole bet for the next spin. If that spin wins, you get your stake back without winnings. Check the rules at the table, because versions differ on what happens after a second zero.
Does Crown Melbourne's French roulette have La Partage?
Not under the VGCCC-approved rules in force from 10 April 2026. They set out French terms, croupier roles and racetrack bets for French Roulette, but the general zero rule still applies: any bet that includes 0 wins and all other bets lose.
Is French roulette better than European roulette?
Only when La Partage or En Prison applies, and only for even-money bets. Then those bets cost half as much: $13.51 per $1,000 bet against $27.03. On the same wheel without those rules the two games are identical in cost.
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Official pages we relied on. If anything here has changed, tell us via the contact page and we fix it.
- Evolution: Live roulette games (French Roulette, La Partage)
- VGCCC: Casino games and rules
- New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement: N.J.A.C. 13:69F Rules of the games
- Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission: Roulette Rules (effective 18 November 2015)
- ACMA: Protect yourself from illegal gambling operators