We first started collecting data related to Las Vegas non-blackjack table games in 2014. At that time, we found three different styles of roulette dealt in the market. Most Las Vegas roulette tables were double zero. There were a handful of higher limit single zero roulette and European Roulette tables on the Strip.
Single zero and European Roulette are similar. Each wheel has one zero. European Roulette has a few extra bets on it, and even money bets like red and black only lose half when zero is called. This rule is called la partage. It is also found at Atlantic City double zero tables.
In 2014, there was $1 double zero roulette available at Club Fortune, El Cortez, Jerry’s Nugget, Jokers Wild and South Point. It was $3 at Gold Coast and $4 at Casino Royale.
Several Las Vegas Strip casinos offered 00 roulette for $5, including Bally’s, Caesars Palace, Excalibur, Riviera, SLS Las Vegas and Stratosphere. All downtown Las Vegas casinos had a $5 or lower minimum for the game.
The next few years saw little change in roulette minimums. Casino Royale dropped to $3. Most Strip properties held at $5 and $10. Downtown casinos stayed at $5 or less.
Vegas Advantage Newsletter
We are able to publish content like this because we cover every table game in Las Vegas. Our latest Las Vegas Table Game Survey includes all live table games and electronic ones from over 70 casinos. You can support Vegas Advantage by becoming a member for as low as $3 per month. This gives you early access to new articles and survey data.
Triple zero roulette is introduced in Las Vegas in 2016
At the end of 2016, Venetian and Palazzo introduced triple zero roulette to the world. This increased the house edge from 5.26% at double zero roulette to 7.69% at triple zero roulette. The minimum bet was $10 at both games, yet some players voluntarily sat at triple zero wheels over double zero ones.
We found two tables of triple zero roulette at Venetian and one at Palazzo in December 2016. By our January 2019 survey, Venetian had four triple zero tables. Palazzo had two. The triple zero tables had a $10 minimum bet. The double zero games had a $20 minimum bet. These were the first $20 table games we had ever seen in Las Vegas.
In that same 2019 survey, we discovered triple zero roulette had appeared at other casinos. Four Queens, Binion’s, Caesars Palace, Circus Circus, Cosmopolitan, Excalibur, Golden Nugget, Harrah’s, Linq, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Park MGM, Planet Hollywood, Westgate and Wynn had all introduced the game to their players. Westgate remains the only casino not on the Strip or in the downtown market to offer triple zero roulette.
These casinos combined to host 25 triple zero roulette tables on our 2019 survey. That number went up to 60 in our 2020 survey, 67 in 2021 and 83 in 2022.
Triple zero roulette found its way into a few other casino markets. We found the game at Ohio and Maryland casinos during a May 2021 trip.
Types of roulette available by Las Vegas market segment
Low limit single zero roulette in Las Vegas
There were a couple of moves by casinos to attract action by offering single zero roulette at lower limits. Cromwell started this in 2017. It offered single zero roulette for $25 until 2020.
The game remained on the Cromwell floor after Las Vegas casinos reopened in June 2020. However, we do not believe that it was ever active during that time before becoming a double zero roulette table in 2021.
In 2019, Plaza launched single zero roulette. It is the only single zero roulette table that we have ever seen in downtown Las Vegas.
The minimum for it started at $10, but has since increased to $15. It can go up to $25 on busy nights. Plaza’s double zero roulette is usually $10.
Pandemic caused inflation at Las Vegas roulette
Before the pandemic closure, most Las Vegas Strip casinos moved roulette to a $10 minimum bet. There were some exceptions, like Casino Royale had $5 double zero roulette, and some MGM properties offered $5 triple zero roulette.
Today, The Strat has the only $5 roulette game on the Strip. It is triple zero. Most other Strip triple zero games start at $10 or $15. Double zero games generally require $15 or $25, though there are a couple of $10 games left at independent Strip casinos.
All downtown Las Vegas roulette games, except at Golden Nugget and The D, started at $5 or less before the pandemic. El Cortez was $1. Today, El Cortez and Downtown Grand offer $5 double zero tables. Golden Nugget has $5 triple zero roulette. All other roulette tables in downtown Las Vegas are now at least $10.
The locals market has seen some inflation, too. This has mostly to do with smaller casinos with table games never reopening or going to slots-only in June 2020. This ended most of the roulette games under $5. However, you can still find $1 double zero roulette at Club Fortune, $2 at Pass and Railroad Pass, and $3 at Gold Coast. The Club Fortune roulette minimum bet goes to $2 for outside bets.
Video and stadium roulette
There has been an explosion in video and stadium roulette games in Las Vegas. These games may be all video, have a live wheel but no dealer, or be a part of stadium gaming with a live dealer. These games can start as low as $0.50.
Most electronic versions of roulette in Las Vegas are double zero. However, there are a few video triple zero roulette machines in the market. These are all included in our Las Vegas Table Game Survey.
We also found a few heads up roulette machines that short payouts on straights and splits. These machines can be as bad as playing six-zero roulette, even though the wheel is single zero. We covered this in an article on our US Casino Advantage site. Always make sure to read the payouts on an electronic version of the game.
See also: How Las Vegas Craps Has Changed Since 2014
