A Comparative Analysis of Online Roulette vs Live Roulette: Which Game is Better?

An Overview of Roulette

Roulette is a great casino game to play because it’s quick, easy to understand and can have decent payouts. It uses a wheel that has numbered pockets. The dealer spins this wheel and drops a ball onto it.

When playing roulette, you’re betting on which of the numbered pockets the ball lands in. There are two main variants of the game:

• European: In European roulette, the wheel has 37 pockets (1-36 plus 0)
• American: In American roulette, the wheel has 38 pockets (1-36, plus 0 and 00)

Generally speaking, it’s better to play European roulette. This is because it has one less pocket than the American version. Therefore, you have a slightly better chance of winning when playing European roulette games.

Just about every online casino has roulette games you can play both for real money and for free. These games can be grouped into two main categories:

• Online or digital
• Live or live dealer

Online roulette games are completely digital. Live ones, on the other hand, are actual, real-life games you get to play through your computer or mobile device. There are online and live versions of both European and American roulette.

Online Roulette Games

Nearly all roulette casinos offer online versions of the game. These games are programmed to work just like real-life roulette, except that everything’s digital. The whole game is computer-generated.

Everything about online roulette, from the betting interface to the spinning of the wheel, is designed to capture the real-life roulette experience. An online roulette game is a digital recreation that attempts to match physical roulette as much as possible.

You may also see online games being referred to as automated. This is because they don’t need someone to oversee them. Online roulette games are single-player, so it’s down to you how long each betting phase lasts.

With online roulette, you’re able to spend as much time as you want deciding what to bet. This is great for when you’re trying out different betting strategies or just want to sample the various betting options the game offers.

You could, for example, decide to try the Martingale Strategy and see how it works. This is a popular strategy where you double your bet after every loss.

Roulette offers many betting options, from the straight-up bet on a single number to bets that cover multiple numbers, including a dozen at a time. With online roulette, you have time to think about what bet to go for.

A key advantage of online roulette games is that you can play them for free. Most casinos require you to have an account in order to play free versions of their games.

Free games work in the same way as paid ones. The only difference is that with free games, or demo versions, it’s not real money that’s being used; instead, it’s virtual credit.

You can play free games as many times as you like because virtual credit never runs out. It can reach 0, but when this happens, simply reload the game and the balance will be restored.

Playing for free is great for beginners who want to learn the ropes without risking their money. It’s also ideal for players who want to practise betting strategies and see how the different bet types work.

There’s one other way of playing roulette for free, and that’s with casino bonuses. Pretty much every online casino has bonuses that players – both new and existing – can claim.

Bonuses are limited, so unlike virtual credit, you can’t keep playing forever. However, the advantage of bonuses is that if you win, it’s real money you win.

You could claim a bonus and earn $50 in bonus money, spend this on roulette and end up making a profit if you’re lucky. However, there’s also the chance you could lose and win nothing.

Even if you don’t win anything, you haven’t lost overall because you were spending free money the casino gave to you.

Live Roulette Games

Live roulette games are real-life games that involve a dealer (also known as a croupier) and physical pieces of equipment. These games are filmed live in a TV studio or even in a land-based casino.

They run just like a real-life game of roulette in a brick-and-mortar casino would. The only difference is that the players aren’t gathered around the gaming table. Instead, they’re watching the action from elsewhere and are taking part remotely.

Many roulette players prefer live games to online ones because they’re more sociable and engaging. While playing live roulette, you can usually communicate with not only the dealer but also the other players through a public chat room.

What’s also appealing about live games of roulette is that they’re very fast-paced. Betting phases last a fixed amount of time, and this is usually quite short so that other players aren’t slowed down.

There’s also the fact that live versions of roulette give players a glimpse of the real-life gambling experience. Even though you’re still playing a screen-based game, it’s as if you’re actually there with the dealer themselves.

The main downside to playing live roulette is that the minimum bet size can be quite high. The reason for this is simple: live games cost a lot more to run than online ones because they have various overheads.

For example, the dealer and film crew have to be paid. There’s also the cost of the equipment to cover and the electricity to power everything and keep the game running.

Another point to make is that you can’t play live dealer games for free. You should only play live games once you know what the rules are and you feel confident about playing the game.

If you want to play live versions of roulette but want some practice, you’ll have to play an online game first.

Many live roulette games are different from standard roulette because they have new features and rule changes. While you can’t play these for free, you can familiarise yourself with them by reading the paytable.

Every online casino game has a paytable, where the rules, features and payouts are explained in full detail. By reading the paytable, you’ll know what the game involves and will be better prepared when you come to play it.

If you’re keen to play a live roulette game and there’s no online equivalent with the same features you can play for free, be sure to read the paytable.

Online Roulette Vs Live Roulette

In this section, we’ll have a close look at online roulette vs live roulette. We’ll compare the two versions of roulette and weigh up their pros and cons.

First, we’ll look at accessibility. By this, we mean how much of the player base could realistically play a game. Of the two versions of roulette, online games are by far the most accessible.

Online roulette has cheaper minimum bet sizes and can be played for free. Live dealer roulette, on the other hand, has bigger minimum bet amounts and can’t be played for free.

It’s also worth pointing out that live versions of roulette can also have higher maximum bet sizes. This means you can win a lot more money from playing live roulette than you can from online versions of the game.

The higher bet sizes should suit high rollers who have a large bankroll and are prepared to spend big. Even though high rollers are the minority, it’s good that live versions of roulette can accommodate their spending habits.

Both versions are widely available at online casinos. However, online versions are more common, as there are plenty of casino sites that have online roulette games but no live ones.

As for the actual gaming experience, it’s safe to say that live roulette has the edge. It’s a much more sociable way to gamble online, plus it can be thrilling thanks to its fast-paced nature.

There’s nothing quite like sitting at your computer and taking part in a real-life game with other people. While you’re technically not in direct competition with anyone else, it can feel like you’re competing against the other players.

Finally, there’s the fact that live roulette games have variants that aren’t available as online, digital-only games. XXXtreme Lightning Roulette from the provider Evolution Gaming is a prime example.

In each round, there can be up to 10 Lightning numbers with multipliers of 50x to 500x. What’s more is that Double Strikes can increase these multiplier values to between 600x and 2,000x.

Place a straight-up bet on a number and if that number wins and gets chosen to be a Lightning number, you’ll win a multiplied payout. The game still offers all the traditional roulette betting options.

This is just one example of a live roulette game that offers something new. Join any casino site, and you should find some other live versions of roulette that have extra features.

Both online and live roulette games are fun and exciting to play. They’re luck-based games where you can’t affect the outcome in any way. All you can do is place your bet and hope for a good outcome.

When it comes to comparing the two, online roulette is the most accessible. It’s more readily available at casino sites, it can be played for free, and it has quite low minimum bet sizes.

While live dealer games aren’t as common, can’t be played for free and have higher minimum bet sizes, they’re a lot more enjoyable. This is because they’re real-life games that involve other people and are fast-paced.

Ultimately, it’s down to you to decide which of the two versions of roulette is better. Both of them have their pros and cons, and overall, each of them is well worth playing.

Joining Online Casinos to Play Roulette

If you want to play roulette games at an online casino, there’s a wealth of choices available. The good news is that you don’t have to look far, as we have loads of great options listed on our site.

Look through our casino reviews and you’ll soon enough find one that has plenty of roulette games. Sign up, claim the welcome bonus, and start playing roulette.

Before claiming the welcome bonus, or any other special offer for that matter, make sure you read through the terms and conditions. These are the rules that explain how to claim the bonus and how you can spend it.

You should do this because if you go against the terms and conditions in any way, the casino can remove the bonus from your account. This can happen even if you didn’t realise you were doing anything wrong.

If you’re new to roulette or want some practice, find some online roulette games at the casino you’ve joined and play them for free.

When you feel confident and want to play for real money, we suggest trying online roulette games first. Stick with low bet sizes first and increase them if you want to and if your budget allows it.

After building up some experience, switch to playing live dealer roulette games. If the game you choose has any new features or rule changes, make sure you check the paytable to see how these work.

Once you’ve tried both versions, you might find that you prefer one over the other. Or you might end up liking them both equally. Whatever roulette games you play, you’re sure to have a fun, entertaining experience.

If you’re going to play online or live roulette for real money, remember to be sensible about it. Here are a few tips to help you gamble online in moderation:

• Come up with a budget and stick to it
• Limit the time you spend at online casinos
• Take advantage of a casino’s responsible gambling tools and resources
• Don’t gamble if it’s affecting your life in any way
• Only spend money that you can afford to lose

Every online casino should have a page on responsible gambling. Here you’ll find information on what the site does to promote sensible gambling habits.

There should also be links to a few gambling addiction charities such as Gamblers Anonymous. Don’t be afraid to reach out to one of these if you have a problem.

So long as you’re sensible about things, you shouldn’t have any problems playing online and live dealer roulette. Keep things in check and you’ll have lots of fun playing these games, whether you win or lose.

Play Roulette Games Today

We’ve looked at automated vs. live dealer roulette and shown you how the two versions of roulette compare. Now that you’ve seen for yourself what these roulette types are like, it’s time for you to play them yourself.

Play the two versions of roulette for real money and have fun seeing these games in action. Just remember that the odds are always against you, so don’t expect to get lucky and treat any wins as a bonus.