When we first started documenting Las Vegas table games over a decade ago, most Strip casinos and several downtown ones dealt a live big wheel game, sometimes called the wheel of fortune, money wheel, or big 6. Today, only two casinos have that game.
In 2016, Venetian rolled out triple zero roulette. It stayed at only Venetian and Palazzo for more than a year. In 2018, we counted three tables between those two casinos and none anywhere else. By late 2018, triple zero roulette started to spread to other Las Vegas Strip casinos.
In January 2019, we counted 25 triple zero roulette tables in Las Vegas. There were 19 on the Strip, with four downtown and two at casinos near the Strip. The number of Las Vegas triple zero roulette tables about doubled over 2019, before going up about 10% per year until now.
In our 2018 Las Vegas Table Game Survey, we counted 19 big wheel games in the market. Four casinos had multiple installations of the game. That number has dropped every year since. Our last survey in the fall only included two big wheel tables. These were found at Golden Nugget and Wynn.
Update April 18, 2023: We found a new big wheel at Caesars Palace. It has $10 to $100 limits.
Here is a chart of the changes over the last five years:
The big wheel house edge varies by casino
Big wheels are different from one casino to the next. That makes the house edge difficult to determine. The Wizard of Odds notes that the house edge for Las Vegas big wheels ranged from 11% up to 24%.
The house edge on video big wheel tends to be about half that of the live game. This includes the stadium version. Some of the attract screens boast this fact in the virtual dealer’s voice.
Triple zero roulette house edge
The house edge for all triple zero roulette bets is 7.69%. That is lower than most live big wheel games and higher than standard bets for all other common Las Vegas table games.
Why I think triple zero roulette killed big wheel
Big wheel tables were typically placed near entrances or in party pits. The game was often dealt by a young woman wearing a bikini or other revealing attire. These types of pits are a thing of the past on the Las Vegas Strip, where most big wheel was available five years ago.
The minimum bet for big wheel was often much lower than any other game on the casino floor. It could be played for a few dollars. big wheel tables do not have seats. These were meant for players passing by to make a few bets before moving to a different game.
The house edge for triple zero roulette is about half that of big wheel. The minimum bet for triple zero roulette is at least double big wheel. These tables have seats and are intended to keep players at them for long periods of time. For these reasons, triple zero roulette tables make more money for a casino than a big wheel one does.
Triple zero roulette gave casinos a way to make an obvious carnival game more mainstream. Each has a wheel, no skill, and a massive house edge.
You can still play big wheel at many Las Vegas casinos on electronic devices
While live big wheel has all but disappeared from Las Vegas, there are many electronic versions of the game. These are sometimes big 6 versions. Golden Nugget and Wynn, the only two Las Vegas casinos with live big wheel, also have an electronic heads-up version of it. More than 30 other casinos have either multiplayer video versions of the game on a stadium device.
The minimum bet is usually $1 for electronic big wheel and big 6. Our Las Vegas Electronic Table Game Guide has all the details.
