Which Roulette Variant is Best?

🔍 What Makes a Good Roulette Game?

A good roulette game must do the basics well, while being unique enough to stand out from the compeition. Games that combine solid foundational gameplay with fun and interesting features often make it to the top of our recommended lists.

Some of the asepcts our experts consider when reviewing roulette games include:

• Betting Options – One of the main appeals of roulette is its variety of betting options, so a good roulette game must have a selection of different bet types to choose from. Some games look to simplify the gameplay by removing most of the betting options, but we feel like this weakens the experience.
• RTP Rate – The higher the RTP rate of the game, the better it is for the player. Good roulette games will have better payout rates that give you a better chance of extending the life of your deposit and keep you playing for longer.
• Betting Limits – The best roulette games have wide betting ranges that make the game accessible for players of all bankroll sizes. Our favourite games have low minimum bet limits for beginners as well as high maximum limits to appeal to high rollers.
• Table Design – To be considered among the best options, a roulette game has to be appealing to look at. The top online roulette games offer 3D graphics with detailed designs or fun and unique themes, such as Christmas, Sports, or Celebrity that make them stand out.

⭐ Popular Roulette Variants

During our research, our experts highlighted a selection of 10 games that were most commonly found at real money online casinos. Given the popularity of these games, we’ve explored their features and provided our expert opinion in the list below:

🎯 European Roulette – 3.5/5

Arguably the most popular roulette game available at real money casinos, European Roulette is an appealing option due to its low house edge, accessible betting limits, and varied betting options. The game only has one “0” space, giving it an RTP rate of 97.3%.

During testing, we found that many games use European Roulette as their base upon which they build their own variant. It’s a malleable game which is easy to change, with many providers offering European Roulette games with various themes and designs. While it’s considered the classic iteration of roulette for a reason, some players may find the game to be boring compared to some of the more exciting option.

Having played the game extensively, we believe that European Roulette games are the best option for a classic European casino experience.

When playing European Roulette, we recommend picking games from well-known providers such as Pragmatic Play or NetEnt, as they offer excellent designs and smooth gameplay.

Pros:

• Easy to learn and play
• Low house edge
• Accessible betting limits

Cons:

• No bonus features

American Roulette – 1/5

American Roulette is most commonly found in brick and mortar casinos, but has a large online presence. This game features two “0” spaces, which decreases the RTP rate from 97.3% to 94.7%.

Based on this fact alone, we do not recommend that you play American Roulette games. There is no advantage that comes with playing this variant over European Roulette. The primary difference in these games is their design, as we found that a number of American Roulette games lean into the national aspect by creating fun American-style themes.

While the drop in RTP may not seem like much, it was noticeable to our team during testing. The payouts of inside bets aren’t adjusted to account for the extra space, so you’re getting the same payout you’d receive on a European Roulette table, despite the odds getting worse. Playing even money bets wasn’t much fun either, as it felt like the frequency of hitting one of the zeros was noticeable higher.

If your casino only offers American Roulette games, we recommend that you find somewhere else to play!

Pros:

• Fun designs and themes
• Reasonable betting limits
• Widely available

Cons:

• Lower-than-average RTP rate of 94.7%.

French Roulette – 4.5/5

One of the best options we reviewed when conducting our research, French Roulette offers the best RTP rate of any roulette game at 98.65%. The RTP is increased by the introdction of the “La Partage” rule; if your even money bet loses, you only lose half of your bet. For example, if you bet $10 on red, but the ball lands in a black space, you’ll only lose $5 rather than the full $10.

This makes it a great option for players who want extend their gameplay sessions for as long as possible. However, the increased RTP rate only applies to even money bets, so we recommend that you stick to red/black, odd/even, or high/low bets if you want to make your money go further.

We also found that the game has accessible betting limits, making it ideal for players working with a smaller bankroll. During testing, our experts noted that you could often play for $1 a spin, and if you stick to even money bets, your actual risk is only $0.50.

The only downside of French Roulette games is that they can be harder to find than its European or American counterparts, but their favourable rules make them worth searching for!

Pros:

• Highest roulette RTP rate – 98.65%
• Player-friendly rules
• Accessible limits for low-budget players.

Cons:

• Limited options at online casinos.

🔥 Mega Fire Blaze Roulette – 4/5

Based on the popular slot series, Mega Fire Blaze Roulette stands out from its competitors by featuring its popular Mega Blaze bonus game. The respins bonus feature gives you the chance to win one of four jackpot prizes worth up to a maximum of 2,000x your bet, as well as a variety of other instant win prizes.

Once you’ve placed your bets, up to 5 numbers are randomly selected to be “Blaze” numbers which can trigger the game’s bonus round. To unlock the bonus, you must make a straight-up bet on a Blaze number, and the ball must land in that number – if you make any other bet, you will not receive access to the bonus, even if the ball lands on a Blaze number. Given this fact, we only recommend playing Mega Blaze Roulette if you like to make straight-up bets.

During testing, we found that it was quite hard to trigger the bonus game, even when covering a large percentage of the board. Even when the Fire Blast feature turns 10 spots into Blaze numbers, it can still be difficult to unlock the bonus, which can be frustrating.

To account for the bonus potential, the payouts of straight-up bets have been redcued from 35/1 to 29/1, so bear this in mind before placing your bet. That being said, the RTP rate of the game is at the same level as a standard European Roulette game, which is a positive.

Pros:

• Good RTP rate of 97.3%.
• Fun bonus game
• Potential to win 2,000x your bet.

Cons:

• Can be hard to trigger the bonus round
• Straight-up bets have lower payouts than other games

⚡ Lightning Roulette – 4/5

Lightning Roulette is a variant of the game that uses multipliers to increase the payouts of straight-up bets. After all bets have been placed, between 1-5 numbers receive Lightning Boosts, adding a multiplier between 50x and 500x your bet. However, due to this boost, the standard payout of straight-up bets has been reduced to 29/1.

We really liked playing Lightning Roulette as it manages to add in bonus features and increased payouts without complicating the gameplay. Anyone who’s played roulette before will quickly learn the rules and how the multipliers work. It’s based on the classic European Roulette games and offers a similar RTP rate; the straight up bets have a payout rate of 97.1%, while all other bets have the standard 97.3% RTP rates.

Similar to Mega Fire Blaze, Lightning Roulette is best for players who prefer to play straight up bets, as they’re the only ones that benefit from the Lightning Boost.

Pros:

• The game is easy to pick up and play.
• You can win up to 500x your bet.
• The game design looks fantastic.

Cons:

• The payouts of straight-up bets have been lowered to 29/1.

👑 VIP Roulette – 3/5

While most roulette games make themselves accessible for players of all bankroll levels, VIP Roulette games are exclusively marketed towards high rollers. These games have higher minimum and maximum betting limits, typically ranging from $50 up to maximums of $10,000 or higher.

We found that VIP Roulette games are typically available as live dealer tables and use the standard European Roulette ruleset. These games are appealing to players that have the money to play, as they offer a level of exclusivity that other games don’t have. They’re also some of the best designed games on the market, taking place in luxurious studios or, in the case of animated games, offering full 3D animations.

Playing VIP Roulette games can quickly get expensive, so we recommend that you stick to responsible gambling best practices and only play with money that you can afford to lose.

Pros:

• Fantastic designs and themes.
• Good RTP rates.
• Feeling of exclusivity.

Cons:

• High betting limits will price out the average player.

💵 Low Stakes Roulette – 3/5

On the other side of the coin, Low Stakes Roulette games offer a cheap and cheerful experience that’s accessible for players with small bankrolls. These games often let you play from as little as $0.10 per spin, making it easy for you to have an extended gameplay session, even with a $10 bankroll.

When picking a Low Stakes Roulette table, we recommend reading the rules before you play to understand the betting limits. Some games will market themselves as $0.10 tables, but will require your bets to total $1 or more before you can actually spin the wheel.

Low Stakes Roulette games typically use the European Roulette ruleset and offer the same RTP rate of 97.3%. However, we’ve found that these games often have basic, low-res designs, which some players may find off-putting. After having to look at these no-frills designs for hours on end, we grew to appreciate the level of effort that goes into the design of standard roulette games!

Pros:

• Accessible for lowest-budget players
• Easy to play
• 97.3% RTP rate.

Cons:

• Basic and unappealing designs.

💯 100/1 Roulette – 3.5/5

One of the most unique games we found during our reserach was 100/1 roulette, which uses an enhanced wheel with 100 numbered spaces and 5 “shape” spaces which act as the game’s zeros. Having so many numbers to choose from opens up the potential betting options and increases your potential payouts. We really like that you get new betting groups like “15 numbers” and “20 numbers,” which give you more options when choosing your strategy.

For example, in this game, straight up bets pay out at 100/1 rather than 35/1, giving you a singificant better return. However, the chances of you hitting your number are much lower, so consider the trade off before making your bet.

The unique wheel layout affects the RTP rate of the game. Depending on the bet you choose, the RTP can be as low as 92.86% or as high as 96.19%. If you want to get the best return possible, we recommend sticking to straight up bets, as they hit the 96.19% RTP rate.

Pros:

• Variety of new betting options.
• Can get up to 100x your bet
• Can be played from $1 per spin.

Cons:

• RTP rate can be as low as 92.86% for some bets.

🔥 9 Masks of Fire Roulette – 4/5

Another roulette game based on a popular slot, 9 Masks of Fire has a unique design and a multiplier bonus feature. We really like the game’s theme and design; the animations of the wheel and multipliers spinning look great, and the backing track adds a lot of atmosphere to the game.

Once you’ve made your bets, the game will add a multiplier to 1-5 symbols chosen at random. These multipliers can range from 50 to 500x, giving you a great return on your straight-up bet. However, the return of standard single-number bets have been reduced to 29/1, so it’s important to consider the trade off before placing your wager. All multiplier bonuses only apply to single-number bets, so we recommend sticking to these options when you play.

During testing, we were impressed with the game’s RTP rate, which is in line with that of the standard European Roulette game. The game was easy to learn, and offers accessible betting limits that cater to both high rollers and low-budget players.

Pros:

• Well-executed theme and design.
• Chance to win 500x your bet.
• Reasonable betting limits for players of all bankroll levels.

Cons:

• Unboosted single-number bets only payout at 29/1.

👾 Space Invaders Roulette – 4/5

Space Invaders Roulette is based on the popular 80s video game of the same name and features an alien-busting multiplier bonus round. After placing your bets, aliens come down and attack the roulette board; if they’re shot down, they give a mulitplier on the square they landed on ranging from 50x to 250x. These multipliers can be doubled if the UFO at the top of the screen is also shut down. You can expect to find between 1-5 aliens each round.

We really like the way that the game integrates its theme in to the bonus mechanic, and it’s a lot of fun to watch the aliens get shot each round. That being said, it would have been more fun if we could do it ourselves!

Another aspect that we like is that the multilpiers affect a variety of inside bets, including straight-up bets, split bets, and corner bets. This means that you have more boosted betting options available to you and you’re not limited to just placing single-number bets.

The game is built on the European Roulette rule set, which means that standard bets have an RTP rate of 97.3%. However, multiplier bets, such as split or corner bets have an RTP of 94.74%, so bear this in mind before deciding how to play.

Pros:

• The multipliers affect straight-up, split, and corner bets.
• You can win 500x your bet.
• The game has a fun theme and great animations.

Cons:

• The RTP rate can be as low as 94.74%

📊 Roulette Variant Comparison Table

🏁 Our Expert Opinion

French Roulette got the best overall score from our experts, but in reality, the best roulette variant is the one the best suits your playing style. For example, if you’re a conservative player who wants to make their deposit last as long as possible, French Roulette will be your best option thanks to its high RTP rate. Alternatively, you like to play for big wins, games such as Mega Fire Blaze or Lightning Roulette will better suit your preferences.

To find the best online casinos offering our recommended roulette games, check out our expert reviews today!