Key facts
- A money wheel (big wheel, big six or wheel of fortune) is a large upright wheel divided into segments. You bet on a symbol and win if the pointer stops on it.
- On the standard 52 segment layout in the Tasmanian and Victorian rules, every bet has the same house edge: 7.69%, in our calculation.
- Victoria approved a fifth pay table in April 2026 that pays 10, 20 and 45 to 1 instead of 11, 23 and 47 to 1. On those symbols the edge jumps to 15.38%, 19.23% and 11.54%.
- Queensland's 50 segment wheel is cheaper on its common symbols: a 4.00% edge on the 1, 5 and 11 to 1 bets, rising to 10.00% on the 44 to 1 symbols.
- Money wheels are legal in person at Australian casinos. Online wheel games, including Evolution's Dream Catcher, cannot legally be offered to people in Australia.
How the money wheel game works
The money wheel is a tall vertical wheel, divided into equal segments separated by pegs or pins. Each segment shows a symbol. You place chips on the matching symbol on the betting layout, the dealer spins the wheel, and when it stops the pointer at the top shows the winner. If it is your symbol, you are paid the odds for that symbol. Everything else loses.
Regulators use different names for it: "Big Wheel" in the Tasmanian and Victorian rules and "wheel of fortune" in the Queensland Casino Gaming Rule. You will also see it called a big six wheel. The game is the same. The difference is in how many segments each symbol gets, and that is the whole story of its price.
The 52 segment big six wheel
The Tasmanian Gaming Commission's Big Wheel rules and Victoria's approved Big Wheel rules (Option 1) use the same 52 segment layout:
| Segments on the wheel | Chance per spin | Pays | Fair price would be | House edge (our calculation) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 46.15% | 1 to 1 | 1.17 to 1 | 7.69% |
| 12 | 23.08% | 3 to 1 | 3.33 to 1 | 7.69% |
| 8 | 15.38% | 5 to 1 | 5.5 to 1 | 7.69% |
| 4 | 7.69% | 11 to 1 | 12 to 1 | 7.69% |
| 2 | 3.85% | 23 to 1 | 25 to 1 | 7.69% |
| 1 (two symbols) | 1.92% each | 47 to 1 | 51 to 1 | 7.69% |
Notice the pattern. Each payout returns 48 units across the wheel for every 52 bet, so whichever symbol you choose, you get back 48/52, or 92.3 cents in the dollar on average. The long shots are not worse value, just more volatile. The Tasmanian rules even say a change of theme may only change the artwork, not the number of compartments per payout.
Victoria's Options 2, 3 and 4 rearrange the wheel with more or fewer symbols, but every symbol in them still pays at the same 48 in 52 rate, so the edge stays at 7.69% in our calculation.
Victoria's Option 5: a pricier wheel
On 24 April 2026 the VGCCC approved an additional Big Wheel payout table, "Option 5". The wheel is the same 52 segments; three payouts are lower.
| Segments | Option 1 pays | Option 5 pays | Option 5 house edge (our calculation) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 1 to 1 | 1 to 1 | 7.69% |
| 12 | 3 to 1 | 3 to 1 | 7.69% |
| 8 | 5 to 1 | 5 to 1 | 7.69% |
| 4 | 11 to 1 | 10 to 1 | 15.38% |
| 2 | 23 to 1 | 20 to 1 | 19.23% |
| 1 | 47 to 1 | 45 to 1 | 11.54% |
On an Option 5 table, a bet on the 2 segment symbol at 20 to 1 costs about $19 per $100 bet on average, two and a half times the standard wheel. If you play the wheel, check the sign: the three cheapest bets are unchanged, the others are not.
Pundit tip: on any big wheel, count the segments for your symbol and multiply by the payout plus one. If the answer is below the total number of segments, that gap is the house edge.
Queensland's 50 segment wheel of fortune
The Queensland Casino Gaming Rule sets out a 50 space wheel with eight symbols, and an alternative 52 space wheel that needs the chief executive's approval and pays like the Tasmanian one. The 50 space version is the better deal on its main bets:
| Sections | Chance per spin | Pays | House edge (our calculation) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 48% | 1 to 1 | 4.00% |
| 8 (two symbols) | 16% each | 5 to 1 | 4.00% |
| 4 | 8% | 11 to 1 | 4.00% |
| 2 (two symbols) | 4% each | 22 to 1 | 8.00% |
| 1 (two symbols) | 2% each | 44 to 1 | 10.00% |
Here the long shots really are worse value, two to two and a half times the cost of the even-money bet. Queensland also spells out the peg rule: if the indicator comes to rest on a peg between two symbols, "the symbol that last passed the indicator is the winning symbol", and every table must display a notice saying so.
What a session on the wheel costs
The edge on the wheel is high, so even a modest session adds up. At $10 a spin, 40 spins is $400 bet:
| Wheel and bet | Expected loss on $400 (our calculation) |
|---|---|
| Queensland 50 space, 1 to 1 symbol | $16 |
| 52 segment standard, any symbol | $31 |
| Victoria Option 5, 20 to 1 symbol | $77 |
For comparison, $400 on baccarat banker costs about $4.23 on average. The house edge page explains these numbers and best odds casino games shows how far down the ranking the wheel sits.
Online money wheels and game shows
Online, the money wheel has turned into the live game show. Evolution's Dream Catcher uses a 54 segment wheel: 52 numbered segments (1, 2, 5, 10, 20 or 40, each paying that many to 1) plus a 2x and a 7x multiplier segment that trigger a respin with multiplied payouts. Two multiplier segments in 54 means one spin in 27 lands on a multiplier, in our calculation. Evolution's page does not say how many segments each number has, so the edge cannot be worked out from it. Our live casino game shows page covers Dream Catcher, Crazy Time and MONOPOLY Live in detail.
Online wheel games are casino-style games that cannot legally be offered to people in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. It is not an offence to play, but ACMA blocks illegal sites and you have no local protection. The physical big wheel, with its posted segment counts, is the version where you can actually check the maths. For another game decided purely by a spinning result, compare sic bo, and if you are betting more than you meant to, the gambling help page can help.
Our partner sites
Terms checked 8 to 9 October 2026We earn a commission if you join through these links; it pays for the site and does not change the facts we show. Listed in no particular order. Every detail comes from the casino's own terms, except ACMA notes, which come from ACMA's blocked list. These are offshore casinos without an Australian licence, so BetStop and Australian dispute services do not cover them: read whether online pokies are legal in Australia and our affiliate disclosure.Commission links. Offshore sites with no Australian licence or BetStop cover: is it legal?
LuckyOnes
Partner · termsTerms checked 9 Oct 2026- Withdrawals
- AUD 6,000 a day
- Max bet (bonus)
- AUD 8
- Min deposit
- AUD 30
- Names no licence or operating company in its terms or footer
- luckyones.com, luckyones1.com and luckyones7.com are on ACMA's blocked list (8 Oct 2026)Main domain on ACMA's blocked list
Wild Tokyo
Partner · termsTerms checked 8 Oct 2026- Withdrawals (entry)
- AUD 800 a day
- Max bet (bonus)
- AUD 8
- Monthly cap (entry)
- AUD 13,000
- States a Curacao eGaming licence (no number shown)
18+ Offers and terms change often; the casino's own terms always apply. Never gamble money you need. Free help: Gambling Help 1800 858 858, 24/7.
Frequently asked questions
How does the money wheel game work?
A dealer spins a large vertical wheel divided into equal segments, each showing a symbol or number. You bet on a symbol before the spin, and if the pointer stops on that symbol you are paid the odds shown for it. There are no other decisions.
What are the odds on a big six wheel?
On the 52 segment layout in the Tasmanian and Victorian rules, the 1 to 1 symbol covers 24 segments (46.15%), the 3 to 1 symbol 12 (23.08%), and so on down to two single segments at 47 to 1 (1.92% each). Every bet has a 7.69% house edge in our calculation.
Which money wheel bet is best?
On the standard 52 segment wheel, none: they all cost 7.69%. On the Queensland 50 segment wheel, the 1, 5 and 11 to 1 symbols are cheapest at 4.00%. On Victoria's Option 5 pay table, stick to the 1, 3 and 5 to 1 symbols.
What happens if the wheel stops on a peg?
Under the Queensland rule, the symbol that last passed the indicator wins, and tables must post a notice saying so. Elsewhere, check the notice or rules at the table before you bet.
Is the wheel of fortune casino game a good bet?
Not compared with most table games. Its cheapest bets, at 4% to 7.69%, cost several times more than baccarat banker (1.06%) or the craps win line (1.41%). Its appeal is simplicity, not value.
Related reading
Casino games Casino war Casino war is the childhood card game with a house edge bolted on. There is one decision in the whole game, and getting it right cuts your cost by more than a third. Read more 
Casino games Caribbean stud Caribbean stud poker pays up to 250 to 1 on a royal flush in Queensland, yet that barely moves the maths. We solved every hand against every dealer upcard: here is the cost and the raises that matter. Read more 
Casino games Baccarat strategy Baccarat strategy is short: bet banker, skip the tie and most side bets, and control how many hands you play. Here is the house edge on every bet we could find in an Australian rule book, worked out exactly. Read more 
Casino games Casino holdem Casino holdem gives you one decision after the flop: call twice your ante or fold. Call far more often than feels natural and the game costs just over 2% of your ante. Rules, maths and hard hands inside. Read more 
Casino games Dragon Tiger Dragon tiger is baccarat cut down to one card per side. The whole price of the main bet sits in one rule: what happens to your bet when the two cards tie. Here are the rules and the numbers. Read more 
Casino games Ultimate texas holdem Ultimate texas holdem lets you bet big early or small late, and that choice is the game. We solved it exactly: 2.19% house edge on the ante with perfect play, and the preflop chart matters most. Read more Sources
Official pages we relied on. If anything here has changed, tell us via the contact page and we fix it.