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Roulette is one of the most exciting games to play in brick-and-mortar casinos, so naturally, it is a popular game at Australian online casinos. One of the biggest advantages of playing roulette online is that you can find variations of the game that you don’t see in person.
Today, we will give you a rundown of the different forms of roulette games you can find at online casinos in Australia. We will also give you some of the best Australian online casinos where you can play roulette.
The Big Three – The Top Forms of Roulette at Online Casinos
Before discussing roulette variants, it is crucial to understand that there are three primary forms of roulette offered at online casinos. Most games will fall under the categories of European Roulette, American Roulette, or French Roulette. Let’s take a quick look at the differences between the three.
European Roulette
This is the most common form of the game at online casinos. The game board has 36 numbered pockets for red and green numbers and a single green pocket for zero. The RTP for European Roulette is 97.3%.
American Roulette
This game is almost identical to European Roulette but has an extra green pocket for 00. This extra pocket drops the RTP to 94.7%.
American Roulette’s game board layout differs from European Roulette but does not impact odds or strategy.
French Roulette
This game is similar to European Roulette but has special rules on even money bets. If the game is using the En Prison rule, if you make an even money bet and the ball lands on 0, you get a second chance on your wager. If successful, you get your original stake back.
If the game uses La Partage rules, you get half of your stake back. When you play even money bets in French Roulette, the RTP for those bets bumps up to 98.65%. Bets on everything else have the same RTP as European Roulette.
French Roulette is the least common variation of rules in online casinos. Often, you will see European or American only.
Not All Games Will Be Marked Appropriately
Before playing any version of roulette, double-check the rules to know which form of roulette is being played. Often, the game will be listed as European, American, or French. However, some casinos list the games simply as Roulette or offer a themed option, such as Dragon Roulette.
You can usually tell which option you’re playing by looking at the game board. A board with a single zero will typically be European Roulette, and a 00 will be American. You can also check the RTP. If it is 97.3%, it’s European. For American, the RTP is 94.7%, while French will be listed as 98.65%.
Differences Between RNG & Live Dealer Roulette Games
There are two ways to play roulette games online. The first is through standard random number generated (RNG) casino table games. The other is through a live casino. There are a few key differences between the two.
For RNG games, all action is controlled by you and the computer automatically. Once you place your bet, you choose when to spin the wheel. Once you click spin, everything else is handled automatically by the computer.
Once the spin is complete, the computer completes the payouts automatically, and you can opt to spin again. Some roulette games will let you choose the speed of play or turn off wheel animations to where you get an instant result for your spin.
When you play Live Dealer Roulette, the pace of play will be much slower. For starters, there is a short delay between spins to allow players to place their bets. Next, you must wait for the croupier to start the spin process.
RNG games have preprogrammed animations for spins, whereas a live casino does everything in real time. The average game of roulette in a live casino could take up to two minutes from start to finish. Many RNG games take 30 seconds or less.
Best Online Roulette Variants to Play
One advantage of playing roulette at online casinos in Australia is that you have ample variety. There are many different variants of roulette available 24/7. Let’s look at the main roulette variants you will find online.
Please note that we are focusing on roulette variants with unique features or betting options.
Mini Roulette
As the title implies, this is a smaller version of roulette using a 13-number wheel. This offers fewer betting options, with a max win of 11:1 on a Straight-Up bet.
The game board is similar to a European Roulette setup, featuring a single zero. However, the payouts of the game are lower.
Playtech has the best version of Mini Roulette with an RTP of 96.15%. Spribe offers a 12-number version of the game with a 97% RTP.
Please note that some casinos will categorise Mini Roulette as either a casual game or an arcade game, so look under those categories or search directly for the game.
Multi-Wheel Roulette
This game is a standard version of European Roulette but uses multiple wheels. Depending on the casino, you can play up to eight wheels at a time.
The rules for this game are the same as traditional European Roulette. The only difference is that your bet is equal to the number of tables you play. For example, if you bet Black for $1 for five tables, your total bet is $5.
This game is great fun, as you can win on multiple wheels for the same bet. The downside is that you can blow through your bankroll quicker as each spin is multiplied by the number of wheels played.
Double Ball Roulette
This game is exclusive to Evolution Gaming and features a two-ball roulette system. The game is based on European Roulette, and two balls are launched for each spin.
For outside bets, both balls must hit in order to win the bet. For inside bets, only one ball needs to hit. The payouts on most inside bets are doubled if both balls hit.
The board also features a golden racetrack used for Jackpot bets. If you place a Jackpot bet and both balls land on the number selected, you will get 1,300 to 1 on your bet.
This game is based on European Roulette and has a standard 97.3% RTP.
Lighting Roulette
This popular European Roulette variant from Evolution Gaming features Lucky Numbers and Lucky Payouts.
During each spin, from one to five Lucky Numbers will be selected to receive a multiplier from 50x up to 500x.
The RTP for this game is listed at 97.3%, which sounds normal. However, this includes the multipliers.
Straight bets in this game pay 29:1 instead of 35:1, which lowers the non-multiplier RTP to 81.08%. If you’re playing this game to try and hit massive multipliers, that’s great. Otherwise, you may want to skip this option.
XXXtreme Lightning Roulette
This is the sequel to Evolution’s popular Lightning Roulette. It comes with the same Lucky Numbers and Lucky Payouts as the original but with additional bonus features.
After the initial Lucky Numbers are selected, a dramatic Chain Lighting effect will make up to nine additional Chain Lighting Numbers.
Better still, a Double Strike can occur, potentially increasing multipliers up to 2,000x.
This game should only be played for the multiplier wins. Don’t play it as a straight roulette game. The reason is that the Straight-up bet in this game only pays 24:1, significantly lower than standard roulette games.
Cocktail Roulette
This is a popular form of European Roulette at online casinos offering Atmosfera live casino games. The prominent feature of this game is the Blitz Round.
Once betting concludes, three to five numbers are assigned to receive bonuses. The bonuses are Bonus Multiplier and Shaker Sector.
Numbers that receive a Bonus Multiplier will receive a multiplier from 50x up to 500x.
If a ball lands on the Shaker Selector bonus, a lottery machine will draw three balls from a group of 37. These numbers can become potential winning numbers on the board.
Gravity Roulette
Gravity Roulette is another European Rolette with multipliers. This game has a space theme where you can pretend that gravity is pulling down the ball.
For this game, two to five numbers are picked to receive multipliers. Multipliers range from 50x up to 1,000x.
The RTP on this game is listed as 97.4%, which is a tad bit higher than standard roulette. This is another game to only play if you’re chasing multipliers.
PowerUP Roulette
PowerUP Roulette is Pragmatic Live’s roulette game show with multipliers. This game is different from others on the list.
During a spin, three to five PowerUp numbers are selected. If one of these numbers lands, a bonus game is launched, and multipliers are added to the game board.
If a PowerUp number is hit again during the bonus spin, the multipliers are doubled, and the game continues. PowerUp rounds can be retriggered up to four times, giving a max multiplier of 8,000x.
Please note that your initial bets during the first non-PowerUp round will play throughout all the bonus rounds.
This game is one of the more exciting game shows to play at online casinos due to the PowerUp bonus rounds and massive multipliers.
Oracle 360 Roulette
A game you’ll often see offered at live casinos, particularly Lucky Streak, is Oracle 360 Roulette. This standard European Roulette game has no additional features or betting options.
This game is popular because you can opt to scroll through different camera views in the game, allowing you to see and play the game from various angles.
Speed Roulette
Speed Roulette is a fast-paced European Roulette version played either as an RNG game or a Live Dealer game. The most prevalent version is Live Speed Roulette, with Evolution Gaming offering the best version.
A round of Live Speed Roulette takes just 25 seconds, which is half the usual time. The way the game increases the speed of play is that bets are only accepted during game spins.
Live Speed Roulette is best for people who want a lot of play and don’t like a lot of downtime.
Copycat Roulette Titles and Mechanics
You’ve likely noticed already that many roulette games have game mechanics that are similar. The multiplier feature on games like Lightning Roulette and Gravity Roulette can be found in a variety of games. Some of these titles include Lucky Roulette 500x, Mega Roulette 500x, and more.
You’ll also see a lot of different titles and themes for standard roulette games. It’s not uncommon to find games like Dragon Roulette that are simply a dragon-themed variation of European roulette. This is just a casino’s way of trying to freshen up its gaming.
While it is common to see roulette features and mechanics offered by multiple providers, this could change in the future. Aristocrat and Evolution Gaming are a pair of companies that are suing over the use of their intellectual properties.
What this could mean is that future roulette providers will have to be more creative when creating new variants, or they will have to pay royalties to use popular features.
In the meantime, you will be OK with playing roulette games with features similar to other popular games, provided they come from legitimate software providers. If you do not recognise the game developer or the casino is new, consider playing a more legitimate roulette option.
