If there’s one game that really symbolizes the whole casino experience, that game has to be roulette. The iconic image of the whirling wheel with its dancing, tumbling ball encapsulates all the excitement and glamor of the gambling temples of Atlantic City and Las Vegas. And, thanks to New Jersey roulette sites, you can experience the thrill of the wheel of fortune whenever you want, on your computer or mobile device.
Online gambling has been legal in the Garden State since 2013, as long as you play on sites which are licensed and affiliated with the state’s bricks-and-mortar casinos. Those are the only roulette sites our team review and recommend, so you’ll know you’ll be betting with regulated, trusted operators.
Playing roulette online
One reason why roulette is so appealing is that it’s easy to get into. Quite simply, it all comes down to betting on which pocket the ball will fall into when the wheel comes to a halt. There are multiple ways you can bet, depending on whether you want to take a bigger risk with the promise of a greater reward, or play it a bit safer for smaller profits.
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Bet
Predict which pocket you think the ball will land in. Place your roulette chips to make your wager. Each chip is marked with its value and can be placed on numbered spots, lines, boxes or junctions of the table. You can also bet on pocket colour, whether the number is odd or even, or numbers with a certain range.
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Spin
Hit spin to set the wheel in motion. If you’re playing a live dealer roulette game, there won’t be a spin button – the pace of the game will be set by the croupier. You’ll have to place your bets before they announce that betting is closed.
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Result
The wheel will come to a halt and the ball will fall into a pocket. A virtual marker will be placed on the table, indicating the winning number. Winning bets will be paid out, automatically added to your existing balance.
You’ll get the largest return in online roulette if you wager on a single number. This is known as a straight-up bet, and has the lowest probability of coming up, so comes with the highest payout. This is an example of an inside bet – ie, one that’s placed on the inner section of the roulette table. Other inside bets include split bets, where you place wagers on adjacent numbers, and corner bets, which encompass four numbers.
You can also opt for a broader outside bet, on the outer part of the table. Popular outside bets include placing a wager on whether a black or a red number will come up, or whether an even or odd number will come up.
Different ways to spin and win
The best roulette sites offer more than just one version of the game. Here are some popular variations to look out for:
- European roulette, a classic version featuring a wheel with 37 numbered pockets, including a single 0 slot
- American roulette, which has 38 numbered pockets, including 0 and 00 slots, giving the casino a greater house edge
- 3-wheel roulette, which as the name suggests is played with three wheels, meaning every bet is actually three bets, providing three chances to win
French roulette, which uses the European wheel, and has the added perk of “La Partage”, a rule which means you’ll get back half of your even-money bet if the balls lands on 0
Alongside roulette, slots and blackjack complete the top 3 most popular casinos games at both land-based and online sites in NJ.
Is there a way to win?
Online roulette, just like roulette in a bricks-and-mortar casino, is a game of chance. Whether you win or not is down to fate, so there’s no strategy that’s guaranteed to minimise losses and boost winnings. At the same time, however, players using roulette sites may choose to follow some time-honored playing systems, including:
- The Martingale, a system involving even-money bets (like black/red and even/odd), where you double your wager after every loss, ensuring you’ll recoup your losses when a winning number eventually comes up
- The Paroli, which reverses the Martingale with the player doubling the wager after every win for a maximum three consecutive wins, thus ensuring you’ll only be gambling with profits (rather than your own starting funds) when doubling your wager
- The D’Alembert, which works like the Martingale but proceeds more cautiously – instead of doubling the bet after each loss, you only add an extra unit,and then decrease by one unit after a win
Of course, such systems do have flaws. For example, an extended losing streak may mean you run out of funds before recouping your losses using the Martingale system. There’s also the inconvenient fact that so-called even-money bets aren’t technically even at all. That’s due to the 0 and 00 pockets, which subtly skew the odds in the casino’s favor. Because of these pockets, betting on a colour, or an odd/even number, gives you slightly less than a 50/50 chance of success. And this takes us neatly on to…
Roulette by the numbers
The house edge in online roulette differs depending on which version of the game you select at New Jersey roulette sites. With European roulette, the casino’s advantage is calculated as 2.70%. This leaps up to 5.26% with American roulette, thanks to the presence of the additional 00 pocket. That’s why it’s always a better bet (literally) to avoid American roulette.
The payouts on popular bets in online roulette are:
- Straight-up bet on a single number: 35/1
- Split bet on two adjacent numbers: 17/1
- Street bet on a row of three numbers: 11/1
- Corner bet on a “square” of four numbers: 8/1
- Six line bet on two consecutive rows: 5/1
- Top line bet on 0,00,1,2,3: 6/1
- Odd/even bet: 1/1
- Black/red bet: 1/1
- High/low bet, on the number ranges of 1-18 and 19-36: 1/1
- Columns bet on one of the three columns of the table: 2/1
- Dozens bet on 1-12,13-14 or 25-36: 2/1
Play roulette on the go
You don’t have to stay glued to your desktop computer to enjoy New Jersey roulette sites. They’re fully optimized for use on smartphones and tablets, meaning you can play anywhere you like, as long as there’s an Internet connection. Mobile apps are also available to download, and these may offer an even quicker and smoother service.
Best roulette software developers
Online roulette games are created for casino sites by specialist software development companies. Their teams are responsible for crafting every aspect of the game, with their coders, designers and developers coming up with cutting-edge casino-like experiences. Gamesys, Evolution and NetEnt are among the big players in the industry, creating games for a host of different online gaming brands.
Play roulette for fun, no strings attached
Want to try out roulette sites without putting your money on the line? That’s no problem, as free demos are widely available on the sites. These allow you to explore different roulette games and get a feel for the gameplay, at no risk to your wallet. Then, once you’re comfortable with the game, you can go ahead and start playing for real money rewards.
Play with a real croupier
If you’re after a truly authentic casino experience, live roulette is for you. Offered by many New Jersey roulette sites, these games feature real croupiers spinning real roulette wheels live on webcam. You can even chat with the croupiers using the special interface. In other words, it’s exactly like roulette in a casino, except you can play whenever you feel like it, without having to trek to the gambling temples of Atlantic City.
Live dealer games are almost always reserved for real money players, and higher maximum stake limits mean these games won’t suit players of all budgets.
The latest roulette casinos
The skyrocketing popularity of online casinos in New Jersey means there are lots of roulette sites to choose from. Some of these have been around for years and are firm, established favorites. But it’s worth keeping an eye out for new kids on the block – the freshly minted sites which take bold new approaches in terms of how they’re designed and what kind of themes they have. Not to mention, potentially offering very generous bonus incentives for new players.
Your questions, answered
Not at all. The law only stipulates that you have to be within the state lines to gamble online in the Garden State. Geolocation software or location tracking is used by New Jersey roulette sites to verify you’re in the state before you can place bets.
No, live roulette games involve human croupiers spinning actual roulette wheels, just as they would in an Atlantic City casino. Unlike conventional online casino games, no random number generator software is required.
New Jersey roulette sites are highly competitive and pull out all the stops to attract new players. That means there are plenty of online bonuses on offer. A prominent example is the no deposit bonus, where your account is credited with an amount as soon as you sign up, without any money required from you. You can also take advantage of the match deposit bonus, where the casino will match your first deposit up to a certain percentage – often 100%.
The terms and conditions matter, though, so it’s a good idea to make time to read through them before signing up. Most bonuses will come with playthrough, or wagering requirements, meaning you’ll have to wager a set number of times before you can take any money made from the bonus. A weighting system is usually in place, where different casino games contribute varying percentages towards the wagering requirements, so check what these are.
Absolutely. Have a look through Compare.bet’s carefully curated list of the best roulette sites, and sign up to any number you like. By creating accounts with multiple sites, you’ll be able to access a wider selection of roulette variations and other casino games. On top of that, you can also make use of the different bonus incentives offered by the various sites.
