- Edge = (true odds − payout) ÷ (true odds + 1).
- Hold (15–25% of buy-ins) is much higher than edge because winnings get re-bet.
- Rakeback lowers the effective edge directly.
- Cost = edge × total wagered; systems cannot change it.
House edge is the percentage of every bet the casino expects to keep in the long run. In roulette it is baked into the payout table and it is the same for almost every bet on a given wheel, which makes roulette the cleanest game in the building for understanding the concept. This guide derives the numbers, then turns them into Canadian dollars.
Deriving 2.70%
Bet CA$1 on each of the 37 numbers of a European wheel: CA$37 out. Exactly one number wins and pays 35:1, so you get back CA$35 profit plus your CA$1 stake = CA$36. Net: −CA$1 on CA$37 wagered = −2.70%. Do the same on the American wheel: CA$38 out, CA$36 back, −CA$2 / CA$38 = −5.26%.
The formula for any bet: edge = (true odds − payout) ÷ (true odds + 1). For a European dozen, true odds are 25:12 = 2.083, payout 2: (2.083 − 2) ÷ 3.083 = 2.70%.
Edge vs RTP vs hold
- House edge: expected casino profit per unit wagered. 2.70%.
- RTP (return to player): 100% minus edge. 97.30%. Slot machines advertise RTP; tables quote edge. Same thing.
- Hold: the share of the money players bring that the casino keeps. Because players re-bet winnings many times, hold is far higher than edge — a table with a 2.70% edge typically holds 15–25% of buy-ins. This is why "only 2.7%" feels nothing like 2.7% by the end of the night.
Every wheel in one table
| Variant | Edge | RTP | Cost per hour (CA$10 × 40 spins) |
|---|---|---|---|
| French, even-money (La Partage) | 1.35% | 98.65% | CA$5.40 |
| European / French inside bets | 2.70% | 97.30% | CA$10.80 |
| Double Ball, outside bets | 2.70% | 97.30% | CA$10.80 |
| Lightning, straight-up | 2.99% | 97.10% | CA$11.96 |
| Double Ball, inside bets | 3.92% | 96.08% | CA$15.68 |
| American | 5.26% | 94.74% | CA$21.04 |
| American basket bet | 7.89% | 92.11% | CA$31.56 |
| Mini roulette | 7.69% | 92.31% | CA$30.76 |
Scaling it up
A player in Calgary who spins European roulette for four hours every Saturday at CA$10 a spin wagers roughly CA$1,600 a week. Expected cost: CA$43 a week, CA$187 a month, CA$2,246 a year. The same habit on an American wheel: CA$4,376 a year. On a French table betting red/black: CA$1,123 a year. With 20% rakeback on the European table: CA$1,797. These are averages — any single year will land well above or below — but the ordering never changes.
What moves the number and what doesn't
Moves it: wheel choice, La Partage/En Prison, rakeback, bet size, spins per hour. Doesn't: bet type (on a given wheel), betting systems, hot numbers, time of day, dealer, "due" colours. Use the odds calculator to see the edge for any bet and the rakeback calculator to see how far rakeback lowers it.
Try it yourself
Every number in this guide can be checked on the site: spin the European and American demos side by side, run bets through the odds calculator, or test any system in the strategy simulator.
