Guide to playing American roulette: How American roulette works and strategies to enhance your gameplay

What are the American Roulette rules?

American Roulette features a wheel numbered 1 through 36, plus a single zero and a double zero, giving 38 possible outcomes. Participants place their markers on a table layout indicating chosen numbers, colors, or sections. Each marker will usually be associated with an amount of Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins that you’ve chosen to play.

Once all selections are in, the dealer or computer spins the wheel one way and sends a small ball the other way around the rim. The ball eventually drops into one of the numbered pockets, revealing the result. If you’ve correctly guessed where the ball will land at the end of the round, you’ll receive a win relevant to the selection you’ve made. Selections with a smaller probability of success offer greater risk but also deliver higher win multipliers.

Pros and cons of playing American Roulette at sweepstakes casinos

Pros and cons

• No purchase is required to play
• Legal in most US states
• Use SC winnings to redeem prizes
• Easy rules to learn for beginners

• Higher house edge than European Roulette

How does the American Roulette table layout work?

There are a lot of different options for every spin of the roulette wheel, with different numbers and sections to choose from. You’ll also receive different American Roulette odds depending on your chosen selections. For example, a single number offers the lowest probability of success (1 in 38) but has the highest win multiplier (36x). In contrast, picking odd or even offers the highest probability of success (18 in 38), but has the lowest win multiplier (2x).

The table below outlines the different American Roulette plays you can make. It also provides insight into how this affects your chance of success and any potential win multipliers.

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How to play American Roulette: A step-by-step guide

Playing free American Roulette online at sweepstakes casinos is surprisingly straightforward. It’s even easier if you already know how the wheel works and the types of selections you can make, as covered in the previous section. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to get you started with American Roulette games:

1. Log in to your sweepstakes casino account.
2. Navigate through the games lobby to find American Roulette.
3. Select the currency you’d like to use (Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins).
4. Make different selections on the American Roulette table.
5. You can change the amount of GC or SC you’d like to use for each selection.
6. Watch as the dealer or computer spins the roulette wheel.
7. Wait to see which pocket of the wheel the ball lands in.
8. If the ball lands in a section or number you’ve selected, you’ll receive a win.

Where are the best casinos to learn the American Roulette rules

There’s no shortage of legal sweepstakes casinos in the US that offer American Roulette games. These free-to-play sites are a great way to learn how to play American Roulette without any risk. That said, some sites definitely stand out more than others. Here are my top five picks:

RealPrize - Play live Roulette games

RealPrize: Pros & Cons

• Over 500 games
• Slots from top developers
• Table games and live dealers
• Inclusive rewards program

• No mobile app for Android

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When I created my first account with RealPrize, I received a generous sign-up bonus of 100,000 Gold Coins and 2 free Sweeps Coins. Plus, there is an additional daily login bonus offering 10,000 Gold Coins and 1 free Sweeps Coin every day. This should give you more than enough to explore a collection of over 700 social casino games. I’d recommend starting with the live casino games, where you’ll find an impressive collection of roulette games. These titles feature real human dealers and interactive live chats where you can speak to both the dealer and other players. Additionally, the RealPrize Casino offers an innovative VIP program, providing access to exclusive promotions and games.

Stake.us - Play with an exclusive sign-up bonus

Stake.us: Pros & Cons

• Modern social casino
• Legit and trustworthy
• Excellent game selection
• Cool promo offers

• No Stake.us app for Android

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When I joined Stake.us with the exclusive promo code STFSOCIAL, I received a huge welcome package. This bonus includes 560,000 Gold Coins, 56 free Stake Cash, and a 5% rakeback on losses, which is great for kickstarting an American Roulette gaming session. At this casino, I also found an impressive selection of roulette games, in both virtual and live formats. These games are supplied by reputable game studios like Live88, ICONIC21, Evolution, and Pragmatic Play.

But if you feel like mixing things up, Stake.us also has an impressive collection of over 1,400 social casino games, offering plenty of variety. Within this collection, I found an impressive range of sweepstakes slots, from megaways to cascading reels, classics, and even jackpot games.

McLuck - Play an exclusive American Roulette game

McLuck: Pros & Cons

• Slots from top providers
• Progressive jackpots available
• Loyalty Club with exclusive rewards
• Mobile apps for Android and iOS

• No video table games

New users at McLuck get 7,500 Gold Coins and 2.5 free Sweeps Coins, which I found went a surprisingly long way at this site. The main highlight at this casino is an exclusive American Roulette game developed by ICONIC 21. It is built with a live dealer, helping to provide that authentic casino experience. There’s also a minimum spin of just 1 Gold Coin, helping to make this game super accessible to all McLuck players.

Additionally, McLuck has a downloadable mobile app for both iOS and Android, so if you’d rather play American Roulette on the go, they’ve got you covered. The site also offers 24/7 support via email, live chat, and telephone, with helpful and friendly support agents.

Jackpota - Impressive variety of Roulette games

Jackpota.com: Pros & Cons

• More than 700 casino games
• Full mobile optimization
• 24/7 customer services
• Daily Jackpota.com login bonus
• Great loyalty club

• No mobile app

Visit Jackpota

Jackpota also features a sign-up bonus of 7,500 Gold Coins and 2.5 free Sweeps Coins, as it is a sister site of both McLuck and MegaBonanza. This casino is home to one of the best live roulette game collections I’ve seen. Some of the most popular options include American Roulette 3D by EvoPlay and Roulette American by Vivo Gaming. But you’ll also find an impressive variety of European Roulette games if you’d rather drop the double-zero. These European games include Lite Roulette, Royal Roulette, Auto Roulette, and more.

MegaBonanza - Top-rated for promotions

Megabonanza: Pros & Cons

• 800+ games from 15+ providers
• Easy-to-use website
• Email and phone customer support
• Hefty Refer a Friend offer
• Daily login offers

• Few payment methods.

I was impressed by the variety and generosity of the promotions offered at MegaBonanza, which sets you up nicely to enjoy the live roulette games this site has to offer. You’ll start with a sign-up bonus of 7,500 Gold Coins and 2.5 free Sweeps Coins. But there’s also a daily login bonus to claim every 24 hours, which starts at 1,500 GC and 0.2 SC, but increases with each consecutive day you log in. There’s also a referral bonus of 130,000 GC and 65 SC, plus a mail-in request bonus of 4 free SC. You can even find regular leaderboard tournaments, many of which you can compete in while playing the casino’s live roulette games.

American Vs European roulette: How do the two differ?

If you’ve seen my recent How to Play European Roulette guide, you’ll recognize a lot of similarities between the two game modes. Both use a spinning wheel and involve predicting where the ball will land, but there’s one key difference: the number of zero pockets. American Roulette has both a single and a double zero, while European Roulette only has one.

When comparing European Roulette Vs American, this extra zero changes more than just the look of the wheel; it affects your odds. American Roulette has an average RTP (Return to Player) of 94.76%, thanks to the two zero pockets. Whereas European Roulette, with just one zero, has a higher RTP of 97.30%. So while the gameplay feels similar, the version you choose can make a noticeable difference in how long your Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins last.

Final verdict on this American Roulette guide

American Roulette can be played legally at sweepstakes casino sites across the US. The game features a 38-number wheel, which offers slightly worse odds than its popular European Roulette alternative. Despite this, American Roulette is still a fan favorite, with plenty of virtual tables and live dealer games to explore. There’s also a wide range of selections that you can make on the table, offering varying levels of risk and reward. Want to put this guide to use? Then visit any of the sweepstakes casinos listed in the promotional banners on this page to get started.

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How to play American Roulette FAQs