American vs. European Roulette: Single Zero & Double Zero, Sterling UK Casinos
Easily the most telling between US casinos like Las Vegas and Sterling UK casinos is the game of roulette. A big difference between the two versions has to do with the 0 (zero), which provides the house advantage in roulette.
On the outset, the roulette wheel is made up of pockets numbered 1 through 36, alternating in color between red and black.
European Roulette has wheel numbers 1 through 36 plus a green-colored pocket numbered 0; thus, 37 pockets in all on the roulette wheel. The game is also known as Single Zero Roulette.
American Roulette has numbers 1 through 36 plus a green zero pocket, plus a second green pocket numbered 00; thus, 38 pockets on the roulette wheel. It is also known as Double Zero Roulette.
No doubt the 00 pocket was added to further increase the roulette house edge. In European roulette, any single number has a 1/37 probability of winning and 36/37 probability of losing, yielding a house edge of 2.70%. In American roulette, a single number has a 1/38 chance of winning and 37/38 chance of losing, coming up to a far higher house edge of 5.26%.
The two versions have other, smaller differences in physical play, such as in the use of chips. European roulette makes use of standard casino chips, which have differing values as bets and may confound casino beginners at the bustling roulette table. American roulette is more simplistic by using so-called 'non-value' casino chips. That is, all chips belonging to a player have the same value, which is determined at the time of purchase.
A European roulette table is typically larger than an American roulette table. In European roulette, the croupier uses a long tool, the rake, to clear out the chips and then distribute the winnings. In American roulette, the croupier collects chips and distributes winnings by hand.
French by origin, European roulette is the choice in London UK casinos as well as US and online casinos that offer gambling in UK Sterling, Pounds, Euros. Although US roulette is generally double-zero, the single-zero version is also an American import played in Las Vegas hotel casinos or Indian casinos.