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Published on 30 May 2025
10 min read

Glamorous, glitzy, stunning – all words that describe the great game of roulette. But how do you know how roulette works?
Despite its elite reputation as an incredibly popular casino game, it is easy to play. If you’re a beginner, read on to learn the basics of how roulette is played.
As a beginner, you can play for free at trusted sweepstakes sites. These are completely legit, and fair to play at, giving you a taste of the real thing.
For those who need a refresher on how to play roulette, I’ll quickly cover the basics.
Roulette is a game of chance played with a numbered wheel, a single ball, and plenty of exciting ways to bet on the outcome.
The dealer spins the ball, and it will eventually land in a numbered pocket. That number is the winning number, and all bets covering that number are winners.
How does roulette betting work? The game table features all the possible outcomes, including the numbers and all bet types.
Half of the numbers are colored red; the other half are colored black. So, besides betting on a single number, you can also place more general wagers, such as the color of the winning number.
This fast-paced game is easy to play, and waiting for the ball to drop is utterly thrilling.
Let’s break down how roulette works. Game rounds are blisteringly quick, but your participation is very simple.
Remember, when playing at a land-based casino, you’ll need to physically move the chips yourself, but you can ask the dealer to help you place them correctly.
When playing online, you’ll place bets by using touchscreen controls or a mouse to move virtual chips into position.
How roulette betting works is fairly simple. There are numerous bets you can place to cover numbers in exciting and strategic ways. In fact, you don’t even need to bet on any one specific number.
Roulette betting features two bet types: Inside and outside bets. Inside bets refer to any wager placed directly on the numbered table. For example, betting on the number 12.
However, outside bets are wagers with stronger odds covering more numbers at once. For example, betting on all the red numbers in a single even wager.

Inside Bets:
Outside Bets:
Racetrack bets:
This is a rarely mentioned way to play roulette. You can place bets on what is affectionately called “the racetrack”.
It is a bet using the order of numbers on the roulette wheel rather than the table.
Without getting into too much detail, you cover a series of numbers found within “sectors”, or you can cover one number plus a specific number of numbers beside it.
For example, you could bet “8 numbers” on 15. That would mean betting on 15 plus eight numbers as they appear on either side of 15 on the wheel.
“Orphelins” is an example of a racetrack sector you can bet on. It covers a series of numbers at either end of the wheel.

You’ve likely noticed a slight difference in the odds between European and American roulette.
That’s because American roulette utilizes the extra zero, which nudges the house edge in favor of the casino. 2.7% for European roulette and 5.26% for American roulette.
While the payout ratios remain the same, the odds of hitting that outcome are slightly less likely playing European roulette than American.
Now, roulette is still a game of chance. No matter how roulette is played, there is no guaranteed method to success.
Roulette is played for fun, and the sheer randomness of the wheel spin is a major part of the excitement.
However, a few popular roulette strategies may increase your chances of success.
You can play more than one type of roulette game. There are three distinct fundamental variations of roulette.
Online variants, such as those offering multipliers or unique rules, are still based on these variations.
Do you want to try all three variations of roulette? You can play free roulette games at Gamesville, which includes American, French, and European tables.
You don’t need to sign up, drop any deposits, or download anything to play free roulette at Gamesville.
Playing for free is incredible fun, and you don’t need to risk any real money. You’ll still feel the thrill of the randomness, and many top sweepstakes casinos still provide ways to win real prizes.
Recap that roulette is easy to learn, fun to play, and worth trying even for beginners. Invite players to explore the game for free.
Don’t let all the big numbers and excitement intimidate you, roulette is so easy to learn and so much fun to play.
You can play for real money at online and land-based casinos or simply play for free at Sweepstakes casinos.
But if you just want to play for free without any fuss, Gamesville boasts all three roulette variations.