Roulette Wheel Numbers: Single-Zero, Double-Zero and Triple-Zero Differences

A roulette wheel has the numbers 1 to 36 plus one, two or three zeros: 37 pockets on a single-zero wheel, 38 on a double-zero wheel and 39 on a triple-zero wheel. Payouts stay the same on all three (35:1 on a single number), so each extra zero is a pocket where every number bet loses, and the house edge on a straight-up bet rises from 2.70% to 5.26% to 7.69%. Every live roulette table whose rules we read at Loto-Québec and PlayNow on October 19, 2026 used a single-zero wheel. The double-zero wheel we confirmed in Canada was BetMGM’s live American Roulette in Ontario, with 38 slots.

How many numbers does each wheel have?

• Single zero (often called European or French): 1 to 36 and 0, so 37 pockets. PlayNow’s rules for Live Roulette, Live Auto Roulette and Live Lightning Auto Roulette describe a European wheel with 1 to 36 and a single zero.
• Double zero (often called American): 1 to 36, 0 and 00, so 38 pockets. BetMGM Ontario’s help page for live American Roulette describes 38 slots including 0 and 00, and the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s rules of play for Lightning Roulette Double Zero describe a 38-pocket wheel.
• Triple zero: 1 to 36, 0, 00 and 000, so 39 pockets. Colorado’s gaming rules define a roulette wheel with 38 or 39 compartments, using 0, 00 and/or 000, and the Washington State Gambling Commission approved Interblock’s electronic “Roulette 000” for tribal casinos in January 2025.

How does each extra zero change the odds?

The payouts are set as if there were 36 numbers. A straight-up bet pays 35:1, so it returns 36 units when it wins. The zeros are the difference between that and the true odds:

Even-money bets show the same effect. Red covers 18 numbers, so it wins 18 times in 37 on a single-zero wheel (48.65%), 18 in 38 on a double-zero wheel (47.37%) and 18 in 39 on a triple-zero wheel (46.15%).

In money terms: for every $100 staked, the expected cost is about $2.70 on a single-zero wheel, $5.26 on a double-zero wheel and $7.69 on a triple-zero wheel paying the same odds.

Why do the zeros exist at all?

Without them, roulette would be a fair game: on a wheel of just 1 to 36, a straight-up bet paying 35:1 would return exactly what it costs on average. The zeros are the casino’s margin. They also show up more often than people expect. On a single-zero wheel, zero comes up once every 37 spins on average; on a double-zero wheel, one of the two zeros comes up once every 19 spins; with three zeros, once every 13.

What does the extra zero cost over a session?

Take sixty spins at $10 on red, $600 staked in total. The expected cost is about $16.20 on a single-zero wheel, $31.58 on a double-zero wheel and $46.15 on a triple-zero wheel with the same payouts. The same session, the same bets, and nearly three times the cost on the third wheel.

Are there bets that only exist on a double-zero wheel?

Yes. BetMGM’s American Roulette in Ontario offers a five-number bet on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3, paying 6:1. It wins on 5 of 38 pockets and returns 7 units when it does, so its average return is 35/38, about 92.11%, and its house edge is about 7.89%. That is the most expensive standard bet on that wheel.

Which wheels did we find at Canadian live tables?

• Loto-Québec (lotoquebec.com): all eight live tables we read rules for use a single zero, including Lightning, Immersive, Red Door, Gold Vault and Instant Roulette.
• PlayNow.com (BCLC): all four live roulette tables use a single zero.
• BetMGM (Ontario): live American Roulette, double zero, 38 slots.
• BetRivers (Ontario): its public lobby lists American Roulette from a $0.20 minimum and American Roulette Live Table from $0.40, but the wheel type is in the table rules, which open after login.

We did not find a live triple-zero table at any casino we checked. The full list of tables is in our roulette rules and wheel variants overview.

Does a single-zero wheel ever cost even less?

On even-money bets, yes, if the table uses La Partage. Half of an even-money stake comes back when zero appears, which halves the edge on those bets to 1.35%. Loto-Québec’s French Roulette and PlayNow’s Live French Roulette list 98.65% on even-money bets and 97.30% on everything else. Our explainer on European versus American roulette puts the two main wheels side by side.

How can you tell which wheel you are playing?

Count the zeros on the layout before your first bet. A single zero at the top of the number grid means a 37-pocket wheel; 0 and 00 side by side mean 38; three zero boxes mean 39. Then open the rules panel and look for the return figure: 97.30% on a straight-up bet means a single-zero wheel with standard payouts. A table’s name is not enough on its own: “American” usually signals two zeros, but only the layout and the rules confirm it.

What we could not confirm

• The wheels at BetRivers’ American Roulette tables: rules open after login.
• Whether any Canadian online casino offers a triple-zero table: we found none in the rules and lobbies we read.

Check before you play

Count the zeros, read the straight-up return in the rules, and check whether La Partage applies. If a table has two or three zeros and you want the lowest cost per bet, look for a single-zero table with the same limits instead.