Roulette

Roulette is a game played in casinos. A roulette wheel is divided into 37 or 38 small sections, which are numbered from 00 to 36 on American wheels and from 0 to 36 on European wheels. The sections are colored alternately red and black, except for the 00 and 0, which are either white or green. The wheel is contained in a wooden dish and is spun by an employee of the casino called a croupier.

The croupier also rolls a small white ball in the opposite direction on the spinning wheel. The ball finally rests on one of the numbers and determines the winning bettors. Bets may be made by any number of players, who place chips on a layout corresponding to the numbers and colors on the wheel. The layout is so arranged that bets may be placed on individual numbers, including 0 and 00, or on categories of numbers, with the odds varying according to the size of the category. The odds against a player who bets a single number are 37 to 1 when both 0 and 00 are on the wheel, and the house pays 35 to 1.