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By iGaming Compliance Analyst · Published 20 August 2026 · Last reviewed 20 August 2026
French Roulette is the variant of roulette with the lowest theoretical house edge available to ordinary players at most online casinos. The reason is structural: it uses the single-zero European wheel and adds either the La Partage or En Prison rule on even-money bets, which halves the long-run loss expected from those bets. At Loki Casino, French Roulette is offered through SoftSwiss-aggregated table-game studios; this page sets out the rules, the math, and the practical caveats for playing it.
French Roulette rules and the La Partage / En Prison advantage
The wheel and the layout match European Roulette: 37 pockets numbered 0 to 36, single zero, the same inside and outside bet types. What changes is the treatment of even-money bets — Red/Black, Odd/Even, Low (1–18)/High (19–36) — when the ball lands on zero.
La Partage (literally “the sharing”) returns half of any even-money stake to the player when the ball lands on zero. A £20 bet on Red with a zero result returns £10 instead of losing the full stake.
En Prison is functionally equivalent on long-run expectation but mechanically different: the even-money stake is “imprisoned” for the next spin instead of half-refunded. If the next spin wins the original bet, the player retrieves the full stake (no profit); if it loses, the stake is forfeited. Most live and digital French tables use La Partage because it resolves on the same spin.
Either rule applies only to even-money bets. Inside bets (straights, splits, streets, corners, lines), columns and dozens lose in full on a zero — there is no La Partage rebate on those.
House-edge comparison across roulette variants
The house edge follows directly from the wheel layout and rule set. The two figures that matter on a 37-pocket French wheel are the standard 2.70% edge (which applies to all non–even-money bets) and the halved 1.35% edge that La Partage produces on even-money bets.
| Variant | Wheel | House edge — even-money bets | House edge — other bets |
|---|---|---|---|
| French Roulette (La Partage) | Single zero (37 pockets) | 1.35% | 2.70% |
| European Roulette | Single zero (37 pockets) | 2.70% | 2.70% |
| American Roulette | Double zero (38 pockets) | 5.26% | 5.26% (7.89% on five-number bet) |
The practical takeaway is the gap between French (1.35% on even-money) and American (5.26%): nearly four percentage points of expected loss per unit staked. Over a session of meaningful volume that gap dominates everything else about table selection. If a casino offers French Roulette, even-money strategies — the ones built on betting Red/Black, Odd/Even or Low/High — should be playing French rather than European or American by default.
French Roulette in Loki Casino’s lobby
Loki Casino’s roulette section sits inside the wider catalogue of over 6,700 titles aggregated by SoftSwiss. French Roulette tables are available in two forms: random-number-generator (RNG) versions where the wheel is software-simulated, and live-dealer versions streamed from third-party studios where a human croupier spins a physical wheel.
To find them efficiently in the lobby:
- Use the Table Games or Live Casino filter, then narrow by Roulette.
- Look explicitly for “French” in the title. A title that just says “Roulette” without a country prefix is usually European; American variants typically carry “American” or “Double Zero” in the name.
- Open the game info panel and confirm: 37 pockets and an explicit La Partage or En Prison rule. If both are absent, the table is European, not French, regardless of cosmetic styling.
Bet limits depend on the studio. RNG French tables usually offer a wider band (often £0.10 to £500+ per spin) than live tables, which tend to start higher and cap higher (often £1 to £5,000 per spin) because of the streamed-dealer cost structure. The exact figures shown in your account depend on currency, market settings and any active limits from your VIP tier.
Playing French Roulette under Loki Casino bonus terms
Two operator-level constraints are worth noting before staking. First, table games — including French Roulette — typically contribute 10% or less toward bonus wagering at SoftSwiss-aggregated casinos, where slots contribute 100%. A bonus play-through that looks favourable for slots will be slow and uneconomic on roulette. Second, bonus terms usually impose a per-spin maximum (commonly £2 or €2 equivalent) while a bonus or bonus winnings are still being wagered. Exceeding the cap can void the bonus and any related winnings.
French Roulette’s low house edge is real, but it interacts badly with bonus mechanics designed to be cleared on slots. For pure even-money play, depositing without claiming a bonus is the cleanest configuration — no contribution cap, no max-bet rule, and the full benefit of the 1.35% La Partage edge.
For the wider games catalogue see the Loki Casino games overview; for live table providers see live casino at Loki Casino; for bonus wagering mechanics see wagering requirements.
What is the house edge on French Roulette at Loki Casino?
The mathematical edge is 1.35% on even-money bets (Red/Black, Odd/Even, Low/High) thanks to the La Partage rule, and 2.70% on all other bet types. The figures are determined by the single-zero wheel plus the La Partage halving and do not vary between operators.
What is La Partage?
La Partage is a French Roulette rule that returns half of an even-money stake when the ball lands on zero. A £20 Red bet on a zero result returns £10. It applies only to even-money bets — inside bets, columns and dozens lose in full on a zero.
Does Loki Casino offer live French Roulette or only RNG tables?
Both. Random-number-generator French Roulette is available from multiple table-game studios, and live-dealer French Roulette is streamed via third-party live studios. To confirm a table is French (not European), open the game info panel and verify the wheel has 37 pockets and an explicit La Partage or En Prison rule.
Can I clear a Loki Casino bonus by playing French Roulette?
In most cases no — table games including French Roulette typically contribute 10% or less to bonus wagering, while slots contribute 100%. Bonus terms also usually impose a max-bet cap (commonly £2 or €2) which limits stake sizing while a bonus is active. For pure French Roulette play, deposits without a bonus avoid the contribution and max-bet constraints.
Is French Roulette safer than American Roulette?
In terms of expected loss per unit staked, yes — substantially. The house edge on even-money bets at French Roulette is 1.35%; at American Roulette it is 5.26%. Over a session of meaningful volume the gap of nearly four percentage points dominates almost every other table-selection variable.