How to Play Roulette Online: Rules, Bets and What the Zero Actually Does

Last updated: 14/09/2026

Roulette is one decision: where do you think the ball is going to land? To play roulette online, you put chips on a number, a colour or a group of numbers, the wheel spins, and anything covering the winning number gets paid at fixed odds. Anything else, including the green zero, loses.

The rules are the same online as in a casino. What varies is the wheel you play on and how quickly the table runs, and both are worth understanding before you bet.

How do you play roulette online?

You play roulette online by choosing a live or digital table, selecting a chip value and placing your bets on the table layout before betting closes. The wheel is spun, the ball settles in one numbered pocket, and every bet covering that number is paid at its fixed odds.

Step by step:

1. Pick a UK-licensed casino and verify your account. Our guide to choosing a UK betting site covers the licence check.
2. Choose a table. If you're choosing between European and American roulette, check the zeros first (more on that below).
3. Pick a chip value within the table's limits.
4. Place your chips on the layout.
5. Wait for betting to close and the wheel to spin.
6. Winning bets are paid automatically, and losing chips are cleared from the table.

What are the rules of roulette?

The rules of roulette are simple: the wheel has numbered pockets, each number is red or black except the green zero, and you bet on where the ball will stop. Online roulette rules are the same as a casino's, with the dealer or the software closing bets before each spin.

A European wheel has 37 pockets: the numbers 1 to 36, split evenly between red and black, plus a single zero. An American wheel adds a double zero, for 38 pockets. The numbers aren't in order around the wheel. Red and black alternate, and the layout on the table is a separate grid of the same numbers.

What happens when the ball lands on zero?

When the ball lands on zero, every bet that doesn't cover zero loses, including the even-money bets on red, black, odd, even, high and low. That single pocket is where the house edge comes from. The payouts are set as if the wheel had 36 numbers, but it has 37.

On tables played with French rules, la partage softens this for even-money bets: when the ball lands on zero, you get half of an even-money stake back instead of losing all of it.

What bets can you make in roulette?

Roulette betting rules split bets into two groups: inside bets on specific numbers, and outside bets on larger groups of numbers. The fewer numbers a bet covers, the more it pays.

Inside bets

Inside bets go on the number grid itself: a single number, or a small group of neighbouring numbers. A £1 straight up bet on 17 returns £36 if the ball lands on 17, which is £35 in winnings plus your stake back.

Outside bets

Outside bets sit around the edge of the layout and cover 12 or 18 numbers at a time. A £1 bet on red returns £2 if the ball lands on a red number, and loses on any black number or on zero.

Outside bets win more often and pay less. Neither changes the house edge, which is the same on almost every bet at a given table.

Which roulette wheel should you choose?

The roulette wheel with fewer zeros has the lower house edge. A European wheel has one zero and a house edge of 2.70%, and an American wheel adds a double zero, which takes it to 5.26% on almost every bet, according to Wizard of Odds.

The payouts are identical on both wheels, so the extra pocket on an American wheel is pure cost to the player.

How is online roulette different from a casino table?

Online roulette comes as live dealer tables, streamed from a studio with a real wheel and ball, and digital tables, where software generates each result. The rules and the standard payouts are the same. What changes is the pace, the stakes and the variations built on top.

• Live tables use a real croupier and wheel, streamed as it happens.
• Digital tables let you spin at your own pace, as soon as your bets are down.
• Low-stake tables such as 10p Roulette and 20p Roulette are named for their minimum bet, which is 10p and 20p.
• Multiplier variants such as Lightning Roulette add random multipliers to some numbers, and change the standard payouts to fund them, so check the rules panel before you play.

Pace is the difference that matters most for your budget. A digital table can spin as fast as you can place bets, which means far more spins in an hour than a busy casino table would ever deal. The same stake per spin adds up much faster.

Is there a roulette strategy that works?

No roulette strategy removes the house edge. The wheel has no memory of the last spin, so past results don't make any number more or less likely.

The Martingale is the obvious example. You double your stake after every loss, so a losing run makes stakes climb fast, often into the table limit before a win comes along.

What should you know before you play roulette for money?

Before you play roulette for money, make sure the casino holds a Gambling Commission licence, and decide what you're prepared to spend. If you do play online roulette for money, decide what you're happy to spend before the first spin, and don't use the next spin to chase what happened on the last one.

• Age and ID checks come first. In Great Britain you must be 18 or over, and licensed casinos have to verify your age and identity before you can play, free versions included.
• Set limits before the first spin. Spending and loss limits are in your account settings at Midnite.
• Use the reminders. Reality Check reminders cover casino and live casino games at Midnite, and pop up at the interval you choose.
• Take a break if you need one. A Cool Off pauses your account for anywhere from one day to 30.

If gambling stops feeling like entertainment, GAMSTOP lets you exclude from every UK-licensed site at once, and the National Gambling Helpline is free and confidential on 0808 8020 133.

Where can you play roulette online at Midnite?

Midnite's roulette lobby has a mix of live dealer tables and RNG table games. It includes low-stake tables such as 10p Roulette and 20p Roulette, variants like 100 to 1 Roulette and Red Door Roulette, and multiplier games including Lightning Roulette and Fireball Roulette.

Each game has a rules panel showing the wheel type and the payouts, which is worth checking before your first spin. You'll find the rest of the live tables in the Midnite live casino.

FAQs

Is roulette 100% luck?

Yes. The result of every spin is down to chance. The only decisions that make a difference are choosing a table with a lower house edge and deciding how much to spend, and neither changes what happens on the next spin.

How do you bet on roulette for beginners?

Learn the difference between inside and outside bets, check how many zeros the wheel has, and start with a small chip value. Decide on a spending limit before your first spin.

What is the best strategy for online roulette?

There isn't one that beats the house edge. The useful choices are practical ones: know how many zeros the wheel has, understand what each bet pays, and set limits before you start.

Can you play roulette for real money online?

Yes. In the UK you can play roulette for real money at online casinos licensed by the Gambling Commission, as long as you're 18 or over and have verified your identity. Check the licence before you sign up.

Before the next spin

Check the zeros, learn what each bet pays, and set your limits before you start.

Only use money you can afford to lose. You'll find every tool we offer on our Responsible Play pages. Midnite is licensed by the Great Britain Gambling Commission. 18+, please gamble responsibly.

About the author

Johanna Barsi is Live Casino Manager at Midnite, where she leads the development and performance of the live casino offering. She has spent 20 years in the live casino industry, beginning her career in land-based casinos before moving into online gaming 10 years ago. Since then, she has held roles across the iGaming industry, including at BetVictor and Evoke, building extensive experience across live casino operations, product strategy and player experience. Here she writes on roulette: how the wheel and the bets work, what separates a live table from an RNG one, and where the house edge actually comes from.

Connect with Johanna on LinkedIn.