Single-zero roulette (one green zero) costs you about half as much per hour as double-zero roulette (0 and 00) at the same stake and speed: the house edge is 2.70% vs 5.26%. Converting that into money, your expected loss per hour is simply: average stake per spin × spins per hour × house edge. So if you average £10 per spin at 60 spins/hour, single-zero costs about £16.20/hour (10 × 60 × 0.027) while double-zero costs about £31.56/hour (10 × 60 × 0.0526). That’s the core difference: not “better odds” in the abstract, but a measurable burn rate you can budget.
The conversion that matters: from percentage to £/hour
House edge is a long-run average. Turning it into £/hour makes it actionable because it connects the game’s math to your actual habits (stake sizing and pace).
Use this process:
- Estimate spins per hour (sph)
– Live dealer: often 35–55 sph (depends on chat, decision time, and dealer cadence)
– RNG/auto roulette: often 150–500+ sph (depends on autoplay speed and interface)
- Find your average stake per spin (A)
Add up all chips you place per spin. If you bet £5 on red and £1 on a number, A = £6. If you cover 10 numbers at £1 each, A = £10.
- Apply the game’s house edge (h)
– Single-zero: h = 0.027
– Double-zero: h = 0.0526
- Compute expected loss per hour (ELH)
ELH = A × sph × h
This is not what you will lose in a given hour; it’s the long-run average cost of playing at that intensity.
Quick £/hour comparisons (realistic speeds and stakes)
Below are expected losses using typical speeds. These examples illustrate why speed is as important as the wheel type.
Example A: Live roulette pace (45 spins/hour)
- Average stake £5/spin
– Single-zero: 5 × 45 × 0.027 = £6.08/hour
– Double-zero: 5 × 45 × 0.0526 = £11.84/hour
- Average stake £20/spin
– Single-zero: 20 × 45 × 0.027 = £24.30/hour
– Double-zero: 20 × 45 × 0.0526 = £47.34/hour
Example B: Faster RNG pace (200 spins/hour)
- Average stake £2/spin
– Single-zero: 2 × 200 × 0.027 = £10.80/hour
– Double-zero: 2 × 200 × 0.0526 = £21.04/hour
- Average stake £10/spin
– Single-zero: 10 × 200 × 0.027 = £54.00/hour
– Double-zero: 10 × 200 × 0.0526 = £105.20/hour
Key insight: doubling speed doubles expected loss, and switching from double-zero to single-zero roughly halves expected loss—so the two levers compound.
Why the edges differ: the “extra zero” effect on payouts
Roulette payouts are based on odds that assume only the numbers you can win on. When the wheel adds an extra losing pocket (00), payouts don’t increase to compensate, so the casino’s share rises.
- European/French (single-zero): 37 pockets (0–36). A straight-up number pays 35:1, but true odds are 36:1.
- American (double-zero): 38 pockets (0–36, 00). Straight-up still pays 35:1, but true odds are 37:1.
That gap shows up everywhere on the table:
- Even-money bets (red/black, odd/even, high/low) pay 1:1 but lose on zero (and 00 if present).
- Dozens and columns pay 2:1 but lose on green.
The important nuance: bet choice barely changes the house edge within a given wheel type (ignoring special rules). The wheel’s zero structure is doing most of the work.
French rules: when single-zero gets even cheaper per hour
Some single-zero games apply rules that reduce the cost of even-money bets when the ball lands on zero:
- La Partage: on even-money bets, you lose only half your stake if zero hits.
- En Prison: your even-money bet is “imprisoned” for the next spin; you either recover it (if you win next spin) or lose it (if you lose next spin). Over time, this also reduces the edge similarly for those bets.
For even-money wagers under La Partage, the house edge becomes about 1.35% (half of 2.70%). Converted into £/hour, that’s a material change.
Example: £10/spin on red, 60 spins/hour
- Single-zero, standard rules: 10 × 60 × 0.027 = £16.20/hour
- Single-zero with La Partage on red: 10 × 60 × 0.0135 = £8.10/hour
This is one of the few situations where bet type and table rules materially alter the burn rate. In practice, you need to verify whether those rules are active for the specific table; this page https://rouletteuk.co.uk/roulette-game/french-roulette/ categorizes French roulette variants in a way that helps distinguish rule sets like La Partage and En Prison from standard single-zero tables, which matters directly for £/hour calculations.
Don’t ignore variance: two games can cost the same but feel different
Expected loss tells you the long-run cost, not the ride. Two players can both “spend” £20/hour in expectation and experience very different short-term swings depending on bet volatility.
Practical volatility cues:
- Even-money bets (red/black): lower variance per £ staked; more frequent small wins/losses.
- Straight-up numbers: much higher variance; long losing streaks are common, punctuated by occasional large hits.
Why this matters for £/hour:
- If you respond to swings by increasing stakes (a common human reaction), your average stake per spin rises, and expected loss per hour rises with it.
- The more volatile the bet, the more likely bankroll pressure changes your behaviour (shortening sessions, chasing, or overbetting), which changes the math via A and spins/hour.
A disciplined way to keep the £/hour estimate honest is to compute A using a session-weighted average:
- Track total staked across the session (sum of all chips placed each spin).
- Divide by number of spins.
This captures the real average stake, including any “tilt” increases.
How to control £/hour without changing your “fun level”
If the goal is to manage cost while still playing, you can adjust one of three variables: wheel edge, average stake, or speed.
1) Choose the lower edge when available
- Single-zero instead of double-zero roughly halves expected loss at the same pace and stake.
- If La Partage/En Prison is offered and you mostly play even-money bets, the reduction can be roughly another half.
2) Set an “average stake cap” rather than a max bet
Max bet limits don’t stop gradual escalation. A better control is:
- Decide your target ELH (say £15/hour).
- Rearrange ELH = A × sph × h to solve for A: A = ELH / (sph × h).
Example: Target £15/hour, 50 spins/hour
- Single-zero: A = 15 / (50 × 0.027) = £11.11 average stake/spin
- Double-zero: A = 15 / (50 × 0.0526) = £5.70 average stake/spin
This shows, in pounds, how wheel type constrains what “normal stakes” can be for the same cost.
3) Slow the game down deliberately
Because speed is linear:
- Taking a 10-second pause between spins in RNG can cut spins/hour dramatically.
- In live games, avoiding side bets and pre-planning your layout reduces rushed overbetting, but if you actually want to reduce cost, you can do the opposite: play fewer decisions per hour.
The practical takeaway is simple: once you translate house edge into £/hour, single-zero (especially with French even-money rules) is measurably cheaper at any given stake and pace, and the biggest hidden driver is often not the wheel but how quickly and how heavily you’re actually betting.