Especially these days, there are a lot of issues separating the French and the Americans – Middle East foreign policy, the placement of tactical nuclear missiles on European soil, and of course, whether or not to include the additional “00” slot on the roulette wheel. While the 00 might not seem like a big deal on a wheel that already has 37 slots, it makes a great deal of difference in how the game is played.

Tradition

Roulette is the oldest of the classic casino games, dating back approximately 300 years. It also always has been very popular, at least in Europe, and specifically France, where it was first developed. Conversely, in the United States, polls of gamblers show roulette is not one of the most popular games. This could be because the addition of the 00 slot roughly doubles the house advantage from 2.63 percent to 5.26 percent.

The modern roulette wheel has been around since roughly the late 18th century. All those tables contained only 37 slots, the numbers one to 36 and the “0” slot. The wheel paid off odds of 35 to one for hitting a “straight up” bet, a single wager placed on a single number only. The house edge in this game for even-money bets (with a surrender option that allows players to get their money back if they win on a turn after a losing even-money bet) is only 1.35 percent. For “split bets” (where a player divides the bet between two numbers), there is a 17-to-one payoff and the house edge grows to 2.7 percent, the same as for all multiple line bets.

Coming to America

Those house odds did not seem good enough to New Orleans casino owners looking to import gambling games to the United States. When the tables started spinning there, an extra slot, the 00, had been added. That just about doubled the house edge for a straight up bet and, conversely, might be responsible for the failure of roulette to become the extremely popular activity it is in Europe.

With the 00 in play, the house edge for an even-money bet with the surrender option grows to 2.63 percent. The largest house edge in American-style roulette is 7.29 percent for a “five-number line bet.”

Internet Roulette

Back in the days when finding a European-style roulette wheel meant a three-month sea voyage, players could be excused for settling for the lower odds and payouts from the American tables. That is not true today in the age of the internet. There now are hundreds of online casinos offering multiple versions or roulette in each.

Guess what? All the gaming experts strongly advise players to avoid the American versions. With electronic spinning of the wheel and ball, this is not totally due to the basic odds of 37 slots versus 38 slots.

As with all things internet it also has to do with software. There are a very limited number of software manufacturers who produce online games and each offers special bets and features the others do not. Also most online casinos use the software from this select group.