Online Roulette
You can’t discuss online roulette without also discussing online casinos and online gambling in general, so this page has much to say about all three subjects. Internet gambling has become one of the biggest businesses in the world, and no matter which governments try to curtail it, the activity continues to grow. Online gambling, including online roulette, is here to stay.
Online Roulette Games vs. Live Roulette Games
Most online roulette games are powered by software. The most popular online casino software packages include Microgaming, Playtech, and Cryptologic, and the roulette options for all three packages are similar. Playing roulette online is similar to playing a slot machine with a payout percentage that’s set by the rules of roulette rather than some arbitrary number.
One of the aspects of live roulette games that many people enjoy is the ambience. You get to sit at a table with other gamblers, and you can compare how well you’re doing with them. The mere act of placing the chips on the table to indicate your bets has a certain old-world charm to it. And live roulette is a leisurely game, played relatively slowly, with lots of time for reflections on the nature of luck and life.
Live dealer casinos offer some of the same amenities of live roulette games via webcam software. The idea hasn’t really taken off yet, but some Internet casino players love playing roulette via webcam with live dealers. Other players would just as soon take a chance with their betting system via the roulette simulations available at the other, more popular online casinos.
Online Casinos: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Playing roulette online for real money requires dealing with online casinos. Surprisingly, most online casinos run an honest operation. They are in the casino business, after all, and casinos are immensely profitable even when run honestly. The house edge takes care of that, and there’s no need to worry about electronic roulette programs’ random number generators being rigged in favor of the player. The game and the odds are already rigged in the casino’s favor, in a sense, because the payouts are always paid off at odds less than the true odds.
But online casino gambling isn’t legal in all jurisdictions. If you live in an area where online gambling is illegal, you might be better off leaving the Internet roulette games alone and sticking to the occasional trip to the local casino. If you don’t live near a land-based casino, there are probably several within a short drive, and if not, you can always vacation in Vegas or Reno. There’s plenty of legal roulette to be found in either of those locations.
Players should also be aware that some online casinos are rogue operations. That doesn’t mean that their roulette games are rigged though. It just means that you might have trouble withdrawing your winnings and funds from the site when you’re ready. A lot of times, Internet casinos will leave your withdrawal in your account in hopes that you’ll get tired of waiting and fritter the money away playing more slots or roulette. They have lots of delay tactics to use in these cases. Some casinos have just gone out of business overnight without paying off their players. These rogue operations are the exception, not the rule, but the intelligent online roulette player will be aware of them, and she’ll use caution when deciding where to play.
How Does Online Roulette Work?
If you’re new to online gambling or Internet roulette, then you might wonder how online roulette works exactly. It’s not a hard game to play. You’ll be presented with an animated roulette table and roulette wheel, and you’ll decide how many chips to buy in for, just like you would in an online casino. You’ll use your cursor and your mouse to place your bets on the table. The software program’s random number generator will simulate the same odds you’ll find playing at a brick and mortar casino.
You can use roulette betting systems to try to win money from the casinos, but you’re not any more likely to see success with some kind of silly betting progression at a website than you will at a brick and mortar casino. The only way to get a positive expectation at an online casino using some kind of betting strategy is to take advantage of a casino’s signup bonus to place some bets with money that isn’t yours, and then pocketing your winnings. But online casinos are wise to this trick, and they have restrictions as to how much gambling you have to do before you can withdraw money won using your signup bonus. They also have restrictions as to which games count toward those wagering requirements, and you can rest assured that roulette, with its close-to-even money bets, is on the restricted list. And almost every casino on the Web has a rule about bonus abuse, so it’s not likely that you’ll be able to make much of a profit using a combination of roulette and online casino bonuses.
Who Should Play Online Roulette?
People who love roulette and can’t make it to a live casino should give the online version of the game a look. If you like it, then play, but don’t risk money you can’t afford to lose. Some theorists think that gambling online can be more addictive than playing in a live casino, so keep that in mind if you have impulse control problems.
People who want to test roulette systems can use the Internet game to see if their systems really work. I can advise you that the math on none of these systems works, but most people want to try it for themselves. If that’s you, then do so at a casino on the Internet if you want to.
People who have a gambling problem should avoid online gambling activities like roulette. People who can’t afford to lose money playing a game should stay away too. And people who live in a jurisdiction where online gambling is illegal should also avoid the game. Finally, if you’re not at least 18 years old, or better yet, 21, you shouldn’t be gambling at all, online or not.