How We Review Online Roulette Sites NZ
You can find the best roulette sites chosen by our team of online casino NZ experts on this page. Every casino is put through our thorough review process. We never just randomly select a site. Instead, we have a strict multi-step review process that covers every aspect of the online casino experience, including:
Roulette Game Selection
Needless to say, when recommending the best NZ online casino sites players can visit, it is crucial those casinos provide a broad selection of online roulette games. We highlight online casinos with a variety of traditional roulette games alongside more exotic variations. Flexibility is essential, as well as providing a casino game portfolio from reputable software providers.
Roulette Game Types
All online roulette game variants start with the same base game, the spinning wheel and ball drop. From that starting point, there is a split into three forms of the game, American, European, and French. From those main forms, the best software providers have created different variations with unique features and gameplay.
American roulette games have a higher house edge and a low buy-in limit. This could be important if you're playing on a tight budget. On the other hand, European roulette has a better house edge, which could explain why it tends to be the more popular form among online players. If you have the bankroll for a higher buy-in, French roulette is worth checking out for its betting perks (such as en prison and la partage).
Top Rated Roulette Games in New Zealand
From the main roulette forms (American, European, and French), many different variants add unique elements to the gameplay. These versions provide more excitement or betting advantages, making them popular with gamblers:
- Mini Roulette: A popular type of roulette game online, mini roulette adds a twist by using a smaller wheel. While traditional roulette has 37 (European) or 38 (American) pockets on the wheel, mini roulette has just 13. Therefore, the gameplay is much faster and adds something different for players. However, the increased 7.89% house edge means it is a risky game to play.
- Multi-Wheel Roulette: As the name suggests, multi-wheel allows you to simultaneously play on up to eight wheels. It uses European roulette game rules, and you only make a single bet across all wheels. So, while your chances of winning can rise with the additional number of wheels, your bet will also increase.
- Progressive Roulette: Like more common progressive pokies, a game of progressive roulette features a jackpot that accumulates over a network. Every time someone bets and spins on any casino where the game is present, a portion of the wager goes to the growing jackpot. Prizes can reach massive amounts before the jackpot hits.
- Double Ball Roulette: Featuring two balls, double ball roulette is a variant that gives players two chances of winning. While this boosts your odds, both balls must land for you to win a bet successfully. In terms of available bets, double ball roulette offers the same inside and outside betting options as standard versions.
- 3D Roulette: This online roulette game simply makes a graphical change to a standard virtual game. In particular, instead of a 2D top-down view of the roulette wheel, the game will render the wheel in 3D, providing a little more immersion and fun to the gameplay.
What Are the Odds on Roulette Games?
In European roulette, there are 37 numbers on the wheel, including the green zero pocket, while in American roulette, there are 38 slots, including two green zero pockets. So, if you place a straight-up bet in European roulette, you have a 1 in 37 chance of success, while in American roulette, the odds are 1 in 38.
Roulette Bets and Payouts
- Betting on one number pays 35 to 1. This is called a 'straight up' bet.
- Betting on two numbers pays 17 to 1. This is a 'split' bet.
- Bet on three numbers for 11 to 1, which is called a 'street'.
- A four-number bet pays 8 to 1. This is a 'corner bet'.
- A five-number bet pays 6 to 1. The only example includes 0-00-1-2-3.
- Six-number bets, called a 'line', pay 5 to 1. Example: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- Picking 12 numbers or a dozen (the first, second, or third dozen of numbers) pays 2 to 1.
- Any 12 numbers in a row, aka a column bet, pays 2 to 1.
- Betting on 18 numbers (1 to 18 or 19 to 36) pays even money.
- Betting on red or black pays even money.
- Betting on odd or even bets pays even.
Roulette Odds: Why House Edge Matters
American roulette has a higher house edge than European roulette at 5.26%, while in European, it's only 2.7%, but why does this matter? What exactly is the house edge, and how can it help you decide which online roulette games to play?
House edge is a percentage number that shows how much a casino makes in profit from a game on average. The odds of roulette players winning is affected by the house edge. It's like the return to player percentage (RTP) each pokie game has. The RTP in American Roulette is 94.8% while in the European variant, it's 97.3%.
We will use European roulette as an example to further explain house edge but the same principles apply to American and French roulette. As online casinos pay out 35 to 1 for straight-up bets, the European roulette game’s house edge is 2.7%.
In simpler terms, the casino always has an advantage. Yes, you can win and make a profit but the casino is more likely to come out better off. Even so, roulette, especially the European game, is popular because it has one of the lowest house edges in the casino industry.
What's more, it is possible to beat the house edge when playing a roulette game and make a profit. It is also vital to know when to walk away with your winnings.
Rules of Roulette
The main goal across all variations at both brick and mortar and online roulette sites NZ is for the bettor playing roulette to predict the wheel’s outcome and bet on specific numbers and/or events. For example, you may choose to bet on red/black colours and odd/even numbers. You can also bet on specific numbers, or on different number groupings. Once bets are taken, the dealer (also known as a croupier) spins the wheel. If the roulette ball lands on a number you chose, you win the bet.
While the basic rules of roulette are similar, there are some differences between the two main versions of the roulette game. These being European roulette, which is the current version of the original game invented in the 17th century France, and American Roulette, which is a bit of a faster-paced version of the game. As the name suggests, American roulette was invented in America in the 19th century. Most notably, American Roulette has two zero-numbered pockets (marked with 0 and 00) compared to European roulette’s single zero pocket (marked with 0).
Beside the wheel differences, there are also a few specific rules that differ between the two variations of roulette. In European roulette players can call bets (announce bets to the dealer) as opposed to laying chips down on the table. There is also the En Prison rule which allows you to bet on the next spin, in case you placed an even bet and the ball landed in the zero pocket. At an American roulette table, if the roulette ball lands in a zero pocket, outside bets will lose. Also in the American variation of the game, you can place a five-number bet (a.k.a. line bet) on numbers 1, 2, 3, 0 and 00.
Roulette Terms
You probably noticed by now that although roulette seems to be a simple game, there are a lot of professional terms you will need to know to master the game and enjoy it to the fullest. Some terms come from the French origins of the game, while others intuitively follow positions on the roulette grid. Our casino experts have put together a list of the main roulette terms, so you can ease your way into playing and follow what’s going on at the roulette table.
- American Roulette: a later version of the game that was created in the 19th century in America. It features 38 bet pockets, including two zero-pockets.
- All-In: an event when a roulette player wagers all of his/her stake on one bet.
- Action: the total sum of money a roulette player will wager over a period. Usually used by the casino for tracking player compensation and loyalty bonuses.
- Black Bet: an even-money bet on the colour black.
- Bottom Track: the sloped, inner part of the roulette wheel that remains static during spins.
- Back Track: the outer edge of the roulette wheel where the ball is spun. Also known as ball-track.
- Block Bet: a bet on a block of numbers on the roulette table grid.
- En Prison: a rule in French Roulette, and some European roulette variations. In case a player bets on an even number, they are allowed to bet again if the ball landed in the zero pocket.
- Croupier: the French formal term for a roulette dealer.
- Call Bets: bets that are placed by notifying the dealer verbally, without placing chips on the roulette grid.
- Corner Bet: a single bet connecting the corner of four adjoining numbers on the roulette betting grid.
- Column Bet: a single bet placed on one of the three columns and covering almost a third of the roulette wheel.
- Dozens Bet: a bet placed on one of three available 12-number sequences: 1-12, 13-24 or 25-36
- Double Zero: an additional pocket on an American Roulette wheel marked ‘00’.
- European roulette: the original version of roulette, invented in France in the 17th century. It features 36 numbers plus a single zero pocket, which means that the house edge is lower than in American Roulette.
- Even Bet: a 1:1 bet that pays even money, such as red/black, odd/even, high/low, etc.
- French Roulette: a variant of European roulette, with a few specific rules and a table layout that differs slightly (bets marked in French on the grid).
- Five Number Bet: an American Roulette bet on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3.
- Green Pockets: the 0 (and 00 in American Roulette) pockets that are coloured green.
- High Bet: a bet on the higher numbers on the grid: 19-36
- House Edge: the mathematical advantage built into the game, which the casino has over the player in the long term. The house edge for a single number bet on a European single-zero wheel is 2.70%. For an American roulette double-zero wheel, the house edge is 5.26% for a single number bet.
- Inside Bet: a wager placed on a number, covering either a specific number or group of numbers. These are considered high-risk/high-reward bets as they have lower odds and higher payouts.
- Line Bet: a wager covering one of six numbers in a row (i.e. line) on the roulette betting grid.
- Low Bet: a bet on the lower numbers on the grid: 1-18
- Outside Bet: a bet placed on a non-numbered event. These bets are considered low risk as they cover a large area of the roulette wheel and therefore have higher odds and lower payouts.
- Pocket: the black, red and green numbered crevices on the roulette wheel where the ball lands after the wheel stops spinning.
- Red Bet: an even-money bet on the red colour on the roulette wheel.
- Six-Line Bet: an inside bet that covers two adjacent rows of numbers on the roulette grid (covering six numbers in total).
- Split Bet: an inside bet that covers two adjacent numbers on the roulette grid.
- Straight Up Bet: an inside bet made on a single number.
- Street Bet: an inside bet placed on a row of three numbers on the roulette betting layout.
- Square Bet: an inside bet made on one of four numbers (also known as a corner bet).
The roulette tables are where it all happens at the casino. The bets are placed, the wheel is spun and you can sometimes hear a pin dropping while all the players are waiting in suspense to see if they won or lost. Well perhaps it isn’t possible to actually hear a pin drop on a busy casino floor with thousands of gamblers, but you get the idea.
In upscale casinos you will find rectangular roulette tables made of leather and polished wood, whereas more casual gambling halls provide cheaper, synthetic upholstery tables. To this day, many tables still have drink and ashtray holders (reminder of the times smoking was still allowed in casinos).
The roulette wheel itself will sit on a separate structure to prevent players from moving the table and trying to affect the outcome by moving the wheel (knowingly or not).
The tables look very similar at first, but the European wheel and the American one have a different design and the bet grids of the two have a few differences as well. The first, most obvious clue that will tell the difference right away is the single zero pocket on a European roulette wheel vs two zero-pockets on the American version. Look more closely, and you will also notice that the numbers are also ordered very differently.
European Roulette
The European roulette wheel has a total of 37 pockets. This includes a single zero pocket, which decreases the house edge significantly. The zero pocket is green (marked 0) and the other 36 numbers are divided by colour with half being red and the other half black. The clockwise sequence of numbers is as follows: 26, 3, 35, 12, 28, 7, 29, 18, 22, 9, 31, 14, 20, 1, 33, 16, 24, 5, 10, 23, 8, 30, 11, 36, 13, 27, 6, 34, 17, 25, 2, 21, 4, 19, 15, and 32.
American Roulette
An American roulette wheel has 38 pockets. It features two green zero pockets (marked at 0 and 00) which considerably increase the house edge, and reduce players' chances to win in the long run. The American roulette wheel has its numbers divided equally to black and red. The clockwise sequence of an American roulette wheel is as follows: 0, 2, 14, 35, 23, 4, 16, 33, 21, 6, 18, 31, 19, 8, 12, 29, 25, 10, 27, 00, 1, 13, 36, 24, 3, 15, 34, 22, 5, 17, 32, 20, 7, 11, 30, 26, 9 and 28.
The Roulette Table
The roulette table is pretty similar across game variations, with the difference being again that the American version has one more field for the double zero pocket. All roulette table grids show clearly the inside bets and outside bets, and number colours on the grid correspond to their colours on the wheel.
Roulette Wheel Layout Logic
At first look, the number sequence on all roulette wheels looks very confusing and makes no sense. Although the number sequence on the wheel is different between roulette variations and appears random to the untrained eye, there is sound logic behind the position of numbers on the wheel. Following are a few reasons behind the sequence:
- Confusing the player: The sequence is built in a way that makes it difficult for players to see the relation between numbers, follow patterns and make calculated bets. This is especially true for beginners.
- Red and black alternate: Two adjacent pockets should always have different colours.
- Low and high separation: Low (1-18) and high (19-36) numbers should alternate as much as possible and not be positioned next to each other.
- Even and odd distribution: Even and odd numbers should be distributed across the wheel.
As you can see, there is a lot of clever thinking that went into the number sequence on the roulette wheel. So, although they can be confusing (on purpose), the number positions on a roulette wheel are all but random.
How To Play Roulette Online NZ
Roulette is one of the most iconic table games in the world. For many players, it is the most remembered and beloved hallmark of the casino. The version closest to today’s roulette game was invented at the turn of the 17th century by Frenchmen Blaise Pascal.
Originally becoming popular in French social circles, the game of roulette is named after the French term little wheel. Roulette consists of a table with a betting grid, wheel and ball. Players place their bets on the grid before the wheel is spun. The aim is to try to predict accurately the number of the pocket that the ball will land in once the wheel stops spinning.
Although roulette was made famous in brick and mortar casinos, nowadays many play it online from their computer or mobile device at a mobile casino. Online casinos in New Zealand are 100% legal and regulated by the relevant gambling commission. This means that you can safely and securely learn, practise and play roulette at a licensed NZ online casino.
Playing Roulette Online
There are many advantages to playing roulette at an online casino. You can play from wherever you are, at any time and with no need to book an expensive trip to the casino.
Playing online lets you learn the game at your own time, focus and build your roulette strategy. You can even claim at our recommended casino bonuses page that will give you more money to bet with.
And without taking time off work and booking expensive travel and accommodation – you will have a lot more time and money to spend at the roulette table from the minute you decide to start playing.
When playing at the best online casino of your choice, you can either play roulette games on your own, or use the live casino to play roulette with a live dealer. Many NZ gamblers start with the standard roulette tables to learn and build their roulette strategy. Then, they join the thrilling experience of live dealer roulette.