Online Roulette for Real Money in Canada

Roulette has been a casino favourite for hundreds of years. You can now enjoy it online in multiple formats. The regular US and European wheels sit alongside games with jackpot side bets and mini wheels that work perfectly on smartphone casino apps. You can even bet on the outcome of the spin of a real wheel via live dealer online roulette games.

This page covers all the online roulette options for Canadian players. You will find information on the games available, the best bonuses for roulette fans, betting strategies, and more, below.

Best online roulette casinos in Canada

Roulette fans in Canada can pick from the biggest and best casino brands. You will find software-based, live dealer, and mobile roulette games on offer at the casinos below.

Popular types of roulette wheels

Casinos come up with different names for their software-based roulette games. You will find ‘Roulette Pro’, ‘Lightning Roulette’ or ‘High-Stakes Roulette’ as examples. The most important factor to consider when choosing a roulette game is the number of green segments containing zeroes on the wheel.

There are two key types of roulette wheel:

• The European wheel: This has a single green zero, in addition to the 36 red and black numbered segments.
• The US wheel: This one has two green segments. One is a single zero and the other one is a double zero.

The number of zeroes on the wheel makes a huge difference to your chances of winning over the long run. Single zero wheels have a house edge of 2.7%, adding the extra zero increases this to 5.26%. This means you should always choose the European wheel when there is the option.

There is an increasing move at larger live casinos to have wheels with a third ‘triple zero’. This variation is not yet available online and should be avoided whenever possible.

Some casinos offer ‘French Roulette’. This has the best odds of any roulette game. The European wheel is used, with the difference created by a unique rule: any time the ball lands in the single green zero segment, you get half of your stake back on any 50/50 bets. The actual house edge depends on how you split your bets between the red/black and other 50/50 bets, and the inside bets like single numbers and splits. If you only play outside bets, then the house edge is 1.35%, which is very low compared to other roulette games.

Online roulette game variations

Casinos give their roulette software enticing names and colourful graphics. When you start to play, you will find most are simply variations of the US and European wheels. They vary in stakes, with the smallest (for example, Small Stakes Roulette) allowing bets for just $0.10 with bets of many $100’s at the other end of the scale.

If you enjoy outside bets, look out for the French Roulette variations that offer a better house edge. There are ‘Advanced Roulette’ options that have racetrack betting in addition to the standard betting grid.

Alternative options include Mini-Roulette. This PlayTech game has numbers one through 12, plus a zero. The smaller wheel works with your smartphone/iPhone screen. You can also find jackpot roulette games, for example, the ‘Age of the Gods Roulette’. This has a side bet that allows you to spin a mini slot for big wins. Other jackpot variations include ‘Dragon Roulette’ that has a progressive jackpot prize.

Some casinos let you spin more than one wheel at a time. This reduces your variance, or simply adds more excitement to your spins.

Live dealer roulette games

Games against live dealers took over from software-based games as the go-to online roulette option for many players. In this format, you are betting on the outcome of a real wheel spun while you watch at a remote location. Live dealer games have a social side. You can chat with other players, and with the dealers, in real time via a text window. Dealers can reply verbally.

Betting takes place on an overlay of the real betting grid. You drag and drop your chips or repeat your favourite betting pattern. You can see the hot and cold numbers on display.

Keep in mind that these games are timed. Unlike the software-based roulette games, where you click a button to spin, the wheel will spin without you if you do not complete betting in time.

Bigger casinos have their own casino studios. Others use studios that supply games to multiple casino brands. You can also play blackjack, casino poker variations and Wheel of Fortune-style games at live dealer casinos.

Roulette options include auto-roulette. This is a real roulette wheel, with no croupier. It will spin automatically at set time intervals. A notable twist on the standard roulette game is immersive roulette. This game is available at casinos linked to Evolution Gaming’s live studios. It features 3D special effects and slow-motion replays of the ball landing.

How to play real money roulette online

Before you can place your chips on the felt of a virtual roulette table, you need to choose a casino, deposit, and pick the best game. You will find casino reviews, bonus guides and even an overview of casinos with no deposit bonuses here at PlayCanada.com. With all the biggest international brands legal in Canada, the choice of roulette games is excellent.

The games are explained in detail below. Here is a summary of the different factors to consider when you choose a casino to play roulette:

• Mobile devices/desktops: Bigger casino brands have native apps for iPhones and Android smartphones. You will find roulette games on apps have been optimized for smaller screens, allowing you to drag and drop chips and start the spin with a tap of your thumb. Desktop users have a bigger choice of games via the browser window of your PC/laptop.
• Demo games: You will be able to check out free online roulette games at some casinos. This lets you experiment with betting strategies, compare the interfaces, and find the game you enjoy the best before you play for real money. Note that live dealer games are not available in demo mode, though you are welcome to watch them from the virtual rail.
• Bonuses: The first question to ask is whether you can clear a bonus playing roulette at all. Many casinos ‘weight’ bonus offers, making them difficult to clear on anything except slots. Bonuses include no deposit deals, matched bonuses, and loyalty reward schemes.
• Deposit methods: Canadian banks will often block credit card payments. You will find a range of secure deposit methods available in Canada. Roulette fans can use iDebit, Interac, eCheques or InstaDebit.

Comparing casino bonuses for roulette players

Roulette fans can take advantage of some big bonus offers at online casinos. You need to keep in mind that the wagering/playthrough requirement is higher when you ‘clear’ your bonus on the roulette tables.

When you compare casino bonuses, the most important factor is the playthrough requirement. This shows how many times you need to bet your bonus before it moves to your cash account, allowing you to withdraw your profits. There is a wide range of playthrough requirements, with 25x your bonus typical.

Now you need to add ‘weightings’.

Casinos count 100% of bets on slots, Keno, and scratch cards towards clearing your bonus. When it comes to table games like roulette, there is a wide range of weightings. Some casinos count roulette bets at 5%, others up to 35%. This means a lot more betting to clear the same bonus at some casinos.

You will not be able to cover large parts of the betting grid to clear your bonus faster. A common mistake is for players to bet red and black, even adding a small extra bet on zero, to get through their playthrough quickly. All casinos will easily detect this, label it ‘bonus abuse’ and remove your bonus.

Live dealer games are often (though not always) excluded for bonuses. Finally, make sure you understand how long a bonus will last for. If you have a big playthrough plus a short time frame, you might not be able to complete your wagering in time.

Different types of casino bonuses for roulette players

Welcome bonuses are short-lived. Within a month (or two max) your bonus will be completed. It is the ongoing bonuses, rewards, and promotions that will make the biggest difference to your roulette bankroll over the long run.

Here are the different types of bonus deals for roulette players at Canadian online casinos:

• No deposit bonuses: You can get small bonuses simply for registering at some online casinos. These allow you to check out the roulette games, app interface, and the other games on offer, without risking any of your own money.
• Matched welcome bonuses: Your first deposit will be matched at 100% or more by every casino. You then clear this bonus by playing it through a set number of times. Make sure you consider what weighting for your playthrough is given to roulette.
• Free chips/spins: Look out for promotions where casinos give you bonus chips (or refund losses) to get you to try different parts of their platform. Examples include free chips to play mobile casino games or incentives to try out the live dealer table games. You will find free slot spins are a popular casino promotion.
• Loyalty rewards: A big factor in the benefits you receive as a long-term player is the quality of the comps system. A typical scheme involves tiers, which you climb based on the value and volume of your play. You unlock bonuses, cash back, and other rewards as you climb the levels.
• Standing and one-off promotions: Make sure your casino has a lot of promotions before you sign up. Leader board contests, free slot tournament entries, reload bonuses, double points for playing roulette on specific days, and seasonal/holiday-type promotions can all be enjoyed.

Best online roulette strategies

Roulette is the focus of many betting systems. The best known of these is the Martingale system, which involves doubling your bet after every loss. Betting systems can make your roulette sessions entertaining – what they cannot do is beat the mathematical house edge over time. Live casinos welcome anyone using a roulette system with open arms. Compare this to the speed by which they eject suspected card counters from their games.

Most betting strategies are variations of ‘bet more if you lose, then revert to your base stake when you win’. While it is hard to get a run of odd numbers or red numbers, they do happen and eventually wipe out anyone using these systems.

What betting strategies can do is to reduce the volatility/swings. Most players stick to their lucky numbers, with a mix of outside bets and some extra chips on spots that feel lucky.

The most important strategy for roulette (and all casino games) is to play within your bankroll. By splitting your overall bankroll into pieces, and being disciplined enough not to chase losses, you can enjoy the games more often. The split will depend on how easily you can replenish your bankroll, with 1/10^th per session being a solid starting point. Remember, bonuses and promotions can help your money last a lot longer.

Types of roulette bets explained

Bets on the standard rectangular roulette betting grid are split between inside bets and outside bets. Inside bets are for individual numbers or groups of two or more numbers. Outside bets include red/black, odd/even or 12’s. When you cover more than one outcome with a chip, the value is split. Roulette odds paid on a single number are 35-1. With a single zero you have a one in 36 chance of hitting, with two zero segments this increases to one in 37. Outside bets are either two-to-one (12’s) or one-to-one (odd/even).

Here are the most popular bets:

• Number: Bet on a single number
• Split: Place your chip between two numbers
• Corner: Cover four numbers with a single chip
• Street: You are betting on three numbers across the grid
• Black/red: Which coloured segment will the ball land in
• Odd/even: Another popular 50/50 slot
• High/low: Bet one-18 or 19-36
• Dozens: Bet one-12, 13-24 or 25-36
• Columns: There are three columns of 12 numbers on the grid

There are also bets that include the zero. You can bet on three segments, for example zero, one, and two. On the US wheel, you can also bet on both zeros, one, two and three — this is known as a ‘basket’ bet.

Advanced roulette games give you the option to bet on the racetrack betting layout. This mimics the wheel, in an oval shape. You can bet on specific numbers, numbers and their neighbours, or splits of the wheel with names derived from the French.

• Voisins du zero: This translates to ‘neighbours of zero’, where 17 numbers are covered in total
• Tiers du cylindre: This is the opposite side of the wheel to the bet above, covering 12 numbers
• Orphelins: There are eight numbers that are not included in the two bets above. These are known as the ‘orphans’ and come under this bet
• Neighbours: Here you choose a number, and bet on that and the two numbers on either side of it on the wheel

Online roulette in Canada: wrapping up

Canadians get to pick from the best-known international casino brands. Each casino offers multiple roulette games, ranging from simple wheels to games with 3D graphics, advanced betting, and special effects.

With so much choice, you can make sure you keep the house edge to a minimum. Picking the European (French, if available) wheel is a solid starting point. By taking full advantage of bonuses, loyalty rewards, and casino promotions, you can enjoy a lot more roulette sessions for your money.