French Roulette In Online Casinos

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French Roulette is well-liked among online casino gamblers but isn't popular among online casino operators. Consequently, many leading online casinos don't offer French Roulette within their range of games, whereas American Roulette and European Roulette can be found in all
Availability of French Roulette
It is fair to say that there are limited offerings by casino operators when it comes to French roulette.
Even online casino operators that offer French Roulette typically offer it as just one game. In contrast, they offer many more variants of American and European Roulette. Understanding average returns and house edges is necessary to explain this.
House Edge in Different Roulette Variants
Roulette players recognize that these three variations of roulette have different house edges. The house edge is the percentage of every bet that the casino can expect to retain over time. The larger the house edge, the greater the advantage for the online casino.
- **American Roulette:** House edge of 5.26%
- **European Roulette:** House edge of 2.70%
- **French Roulette:** House edge of just 1.35% on even money wagers and 2.70% on other bets
House Edge Implications for Casino Operators
The argument is that online casino operators believe a house edge of just 1.35% is too low to cover their costs, so they don't offer French Roulette as widely.
French Roulette Comparison with Other Casino Games
House Edge in Video Poker and Blackjack
This argument encounters an obstacle because online casinos offer several variations of video poker and blackjack, where the house edge is significantly less than 1%. So, why is there an issue with French Roulette?
Nature of Roulette vs. Blackjack
- Roulette: A Game of Luck
Roulette is purely a game of luck. Anyone betting on an even-money French Roulette bet can expect a typical return of 98.65% (100% less the house edge for the bet) over time. In the long run, the online casino will never make more than $1.35 for each $100 gambled on every even-money wager in French Roulette.
- Blackjack: A Game of Skill and Luck
Blackjack, on the other hand, involves both skill and luck. Suppose a specific blackjack variant has a house edge of 0.5%. If a player bets with flawless skill, then due to the chance factor, they will get a typical return of 99.5% over time.
The important consideration is that only a small percentage of players bet with perfect skill. As a player's skill level decreases, so does their average return over time. Poor blackjack players can end up with a return of significantly less than 90%. An average return from a video poker game is reported separately as about 97%.
Profitability Considerations for Online Casinos
- Earnings from Imperfect Player Skill
Therefore, although the house edge of blackjack and video poker games is significantly less than 1% under perfect play conditions, online casinos earn more on these games due to imperfect player skill.
- Lower Profitability of French Roulette
French Roulette isn't popular with online casino operators because, despite its lower house edge compared to blackjack, the advantage over players is not as profitable for the casino.