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European vs French roulette: which is the better bet?
The wheels are identical — 37 numbers and a single zero. But on even-money bets, the French La Partage and En Prison rules tilt the maths in the player's favour. Here's where the difference is real, and where it isn't.
European vs French — at a glance
The headline numbers. The maths behind them comes next.
| Property | European | French |
|---|---|---|
| Wheel | 37 numbers, one 0 | 37 numbers, one 0 |
| RTP (inside bets) | 97.3% | 97.3% |
| La Partage / En Prison | — | ✓ |
| RTP (even-money bets) | 97.3% | 98.65% |
| House edge (even money) | 2.7% | 1.35% |
European roulette is the most widely available variant of all — in both land-based and online casinos — and it’s the basis for most rule-specific spin-offs. French roulette, meanwhile, is often called the more rewarding game, and there’s some truth to that. Here’s exactly where the line is drawn.
How the odds of winning differ
European and French roulette use exactly the same wheels: 37 numbers in both cases, including a single zero. So the chance of any one number landing is 1/37 — 2.7% — and for most bets French roulette is mathematically identical to European: a long-run RTP of 97.3% at a 2.7% house edge.
The decisive difference shows up in just one place — on even-money bets (red/black, odd/even, low/high). This is where the La Partage and En Prison rules come into play, typical of “French” tables and extremely rare on European ones.
How La Partage and En Prison work
On a European wheel, an even-money bet wins 48.6% of the time; the opposite outcome accounts for the same share, and the remaining 2.7% is the zero, which means a loss. On a French wheel, a zero on this kind of bet doesn’t automatically mean you lose — one of two rules kicks in.
La Partage: half back
Here zero is neither a win nor a loss, so the stake is split between the casino and the player. La Partage returns half the stake immediately, and on average a zero costs the player half as much.
En Prison: a second chance
Again zero counts as neither a win nor a loss, but the stake isn’t returned — it’s “imprisoned” until the next spin, as though it had been placed again on the same terms. If the bet then wins, no winnings are paid, but the full stake comes back — so at least the player loses nothing. A second loss (including another zero) means the money is gone for good.
The takeaway: how this affects RTP
Both rules apply only to even-money bets, but they halve the loss on a zero. As a result, French roulette’s RTP on those bets reaches 98.65%1 — on that measure it beats its European counterpart. On every other bet there’s no difference: choosing between European and French only matters when you’re playing the “outside” at 1:1.
Footnotes
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98.65% is the RTP for even-money bets only, with La Partage or En Prison active. For straight-up bets, splits and other inside bets, French roulette’s RTP stays the same as European — 97.3%. ↩