Single-zero roulette
Single-zero roulette is any roulette game played on a wheel with 37 pockets: the numbers 1 to 36 plus one green zero. European and French roulette both use it, and the single zero gives a house edge of 2.70% on standard bets, roughly half the 5.26% of a double-zero American wheel.
By the Best Casino Apps UK team. Last checked .
Key takeaways
- A single-zero wheel has 37 pockets: 1–36 and one green 0.
- Every standard bet carries a 2.70% house edge, against 5.26% with a double zero.
- European and French roulette both use it; French tables may add la partage or en prison.
- Multiplier games built on the same wheel change the payouts, so check their RTP separately.
- Pockets
- 37 (0–36)
- Also called
- European roulette wheel
- House edge
- 2.70% on standard bets
- Straight-up payout
- 35 to 1
- Chance of one number
- 1 in 37
What a single-zero roulette wheel looks like
The wheel holds 18 red numbers, 18 black numbers and a single green zero. The numbers aren’t in counting order. Going clockwise from zero they run 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, with red and black alternating. That arrangement matters for the racetrack bets described below.
American roulette adds a second green pocket, the double zero, making 38 in all. Payouts stay the same, so that extra pocket is pure extra edge for the casino. In a UK app the two are easy to tell apart: look for a 00 box at the top of the betting grid. Our American roulette apps page explains why it costs about twice as much to play.
Single-zero roulette payouts and odds
Every standard bet on a 37-pocket wheel pays as if there were 36 pockets. That small shortfall is the whole house edge: 1 in 37, or 2.70%, whichever bet you choose.
| Bet | Numbers covered | Pays | Chance of winning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 | 35 to 1 | 2.7% (1 in 37) |
| Split | 2 | 17 to 1 | 5.4% |
| Street | 3 | 11 to 1 | 8.1% |
| Corner | 4 | 8 to 1 | 10.8% |
| Six line | 6 | 5 to 1 | 16.2% |
| Dozen or column | 12 | 2 to 1 | 32.4% |
| Red/black, odd/even, 1–18/19–36 | 18 | 1 to 1 | 48.6% |
A worked example: £2 on number 17 returns £72 (£70 winnings plus the £2 stake) if it lands. Spread £1 across all 37 pockets and you get back £36, losing £1 every spin. That lost £1 in £37 is the edge in miniature.
Racetrack bets on a single-zero wheel
Because the numbers sit in a fixed order, many apps add an oval ‘racetrack’ that lets you bet on sections of the wheel with one tap. On a phone it usually opens from a button beside the grid or appears when you rotate to landscape.
- Voisins du zéro (neighbours of zero): 17 numbers from 22 to 25 around zero, placed with 9 chips.
- Tiers du cylindre (third of the wheel): 12 numbers opposite zero, placed with 6 chips.
- Orphelins (orphans): the remaining 8 numbers, placed with 5 chips.
- Jeu zéro (zero game): 7 numbers closest to zero, placed with 4 chips.
- Neighbours: a chosen number plus the two either side of it on the wheel, 5 chips.
These are bundles of ordinary splits, streets and straight bets, so the edge is still 2.70%. They simply save taps.
Single-zero roulette versions you’ll find in UK apps
European roulette is the plain version: a 37-pocket wheel, standard payouts, no zero rule. French roulette uses the same wheel with French labels on the felt and often la partage or en prison, which halve the edge on even-money bets to around 1.35–1.39%. Live roulette streams a real wheel from a studio with a live dealer, while RNG roulette uses software to pick the pocket.
Multiplier games such as Lightning Roulette also spin a single-zero wheel but reduce the base payout on straight-up numbers to fund random multipliers. That changes the maths, so the 2.70% figure no longer applies across the board. The rules screen of each game lists its own RTP, and that number is the one to trust. Our European roulette apps page compares how the standard versions look on a phone.
Playing single-zero roulette on a phone
In portrait, most RNG tables put the wheel or a results strip at the top and turn the betting grid sideways so zero sits at the top and 36 at the bottom. You pick a chip value from the rack along the bottom, tap the boxes you want, then tap Spin. In landscape the grid returns to its traditional horizontal shape and the racetrack has more room. Live tables add a betting timer; once it reaches zero, bets close for that spin.
UK rules say every non-slot round must take at least five seconds and you must start each one yourself, so there’s no autoplay, though a Repeat or Rebet button can place the previous layout again. Live streams use noticeably more data than RNG tables, which our casino app data usage page measures in general terms.
Is single-zero roulette in an app fair?
In a UKGC-licensed app, RNG roulette uses a tested random number generator whose results should match the probabilities of a real 37-pocket wheel, and live wheels are filmed in studios that follow the Commission’s standards. Fair doesn’t mean favourable: the edge still applies to every spin. Our page on whether casino apps are rigged explains how testing works.
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Frequently asked questions
What is single-zero roulette?
Single-zero roulette is roulette played on a wheel with 37 pockets, numbered 1 to 36 plus one green zero. It is the wheel used for European and French roulette. Because winning bets pay as though there were only 36 pockets, the casino keeps an edge of 2.70% on standard bets. That compares with 5.26% on an American wheel with an extra double zero. Our roulette apps page shows where single-zero tables sit in UK casino app lobbies.
Is single-zero roulette the same as European roulette?
Mostly yes. European roulette is the most common single-zero game, and the two names are often used interchangeably. French roulette also uses a single-zero wheel but adds French table labels and, often, la partage or en prison on even-money bets, lowering the edge on those bets to roughly 1.35–1.39%. If you see a 00 box on the grid, it isn’t single-zero. The French roulette apps page explains the differences on a phone screen.
What are the odds of hitting one number in single-zero roulette?
The chance of a single number landing is 1 in 37, or about 2.7%, on every spin. A straight-up bet pays 35 to 1, so a £1 bet returns £36 including your stake when it wins. Past results don’t change the next spin: a number that hasn’t appeared for 100 spins is no more likely to land next. Results strips in apps show recent numbers for interest only. Our house edge entry explains why payouts fall just short of true odds.
Why do casino apps offer American roulette if single-zero is cheaper?
Apps offer American roulette because some players like its look or the five-number bet, not because it’s better value. Its extra double-zero pocket raises the edge on most bets to 5.26%, and the five-number bet (0, 00, 1, 2, 3) to about 7.89%. For the same stakes, an American table costs roughly twice as much on average as a single-zero one. The American roulette apps page sets out the layout and its odds.
Does Lightning Roulette use a single-zero wheel?
Yes, Lightning Roulette spins a 37-pocket single-zero wheel, but its payouts are not the standard ones. Straight-up numbers pay less than 35 to 1 in normal rounds so that randomly chosen numbers can carry large multipliers. As a result, the 2.70% edge of standard European roulette doesn’t automatically apply. Open the game’s help screen to see the RTP it publishes for each bet type. Our Lightning Roulette app page explains the round structure and timer.
Can I play single-zero roulette for free in a UK app?
Only after verifying your age. Since 2019, UK-licensed casinos must confirm you are 18 or over before letting you play any free-to-play version of their games, and many apps don’t offer roulette demos at all. Where a free version exists, its results must reflect the same odds as the real-money game. Our demo mode entry explains how free play works in licensed apps and why you might be asked for documents before you can use it.