About Electronic Roulette

Electronic roulette is one of the casino games that is no longer exclusive to these leisure establishments, which are distributed throughout the country and number more than fifty. This type of roulette, which combines the advantages of online roulette and French roulette in land-based casinos, has become an essential element in gambling halls all over Spain.

Although we are still a casino blog focused on online gambling, especially on the regulated gambling offer that casino has, i.e. roulette, blackjack and slots; the truth is that the rise of the electronic roulette phenomenon has surprised a country that for more than a decade only associated the game of roulette with internet gambling or face-to-face gambling exclusively in casinos. 

We will explain some of its characteristics and give our opinion on the future of electronic roulette and how it has been possible to develop an industry in which Spain is a world power thanks to having good manufacturers and favourable legislation that makes it possible to install and control its presence at a regional level.

The emergence of online roulette

As we can see in casino films or read in novels in which gambling plays a prominent role, the game of roulette has always been associated with exclusive land-based casinos. Cities such as Las Vegas or Monte Carlo would not be the same without the incomparable setting that roulette has built in their casinos.

In any case, the European roulette or American roulette that we can find in any casino is characterised by its difficulty of access and therefore of enjoyment.

In addition, in online roulette we are given information at all times that we do not have in live casinos, for example in this table we find information about the coverage of the table; or what is the same: the percentage of numbers that we have covered in our bets.

A difficulty that we understand as the impossibility for any player who wants to enjoy this experience to have access to a roulette wheel with a low minimum bet price, or to have enough space to be able to place bets comfortably or not to have to pay a fee to enter the casino.

All these disadvantages that the roulette player had to deal with years ago have disappeared thanks to the emergence of online roulette. A first game that we would like to present as a precursor of electronic roulette…

Live roulette

Live roulette became the next step for online casinos to offer a much more dynamic and exciting game to their customers. It quickly became a top 10 casino game for all internet gambling operators.

The idea was to offer live streaming of a live roulette game in real time with a live dealer. The regulation of gambling allowed any Spanish casino to broadcast in real time any roulette game that complied with current legislation and operators such as casino did not hesitate to include live roulette in their online gambling offer.

Roulette on television

After the emergence of online roulette and subsequently live roulette, everything was set to further expand the reality of the roulette game and for it to appear in different media and channels. In this context, from 2012 onwards, television programmes with roulette as a real protagonist began to be broadcast.

Also in this case, casino has been a pioneer and did so with its successful television programme “Juega con el Ocho”, a live roulette programme broadcast on La Sexta and other Atresmedia channels where a presenter gave way to the roulette launch every minute and detailed the prizes that were being distributed in each spin in online roulette.

Electronic poker machines

Online roulette, live roulette and its popularity on TV shows were the clear predecessors of electronic roulette. But so are electronic poker machines. Despite being Texas Holdem and not the game of roulette, the shape and technical characteristics of electronic poker machines were a precedent for machines that began to be installed in gambling halls at the same time as electronic roulette.

Characteristics of electronic roulette

Electronic roulette is simply an analogue roulette wheel with a huge screen that acts as a table to place bets and see how players have placed their bets. But most models of electronic roulette also offer the opportunity to have individual screens; these are known as multi-station electronic roulette wheels, in which, in addition to a main screen where the roulette wheel is displayed, there are seats for the different players, who can sit comfortably and, using the fully digital screen, deposit money, place bets and see the statistics of the roulette wheel in question.

Online roulette chip values

Also some models of electronic roulette present in casinos and gambling halls we can see croupiers who do the same function as a real croupier, detailing when the betting round begins, when it ends (“no more”) or for example calling out the numbers that have come out…

In these roulettes we have not yet seen that it is possible to play without investing money. In other words, unlike online roulette, it is not possible to play roulette for free.

This kind of electronic roulette has been very successful and nowadays we can find this kind of roulette in any gambling hall and they are already a name of casino games to add to the online blackjack or poker tables. The characteristics that make electronic roulette a different game to online roulette are, for example, the following:

• You can automate plays such as re-betting the numbers you have bet on, either in single or multiple bets.
• We can deposit and cash out both with real money (by depositing and withdrawing coins or banknotes) and by using a prepaid card in which the balance is debited and deducted according to the result of the game. j
• The possibility of having a lot of information both on the main screen and on the single screen is granted. And this is perfect for players who like multiple bets such as odd/even or red/black, who like to know what numbers and colours have come up first and bet on something related to their tastes but depending on what has come up first. 
• While sitting comfortably in the seats that are integrated into the electronic roulette wheel, we can easily enjoy other leisure activities that the room has to offer; the main one would be to be able to watch sporting events on the monitors that usually populate gambling halls and casinos thanks to the irruption of sports betting.

In any case, with electronic roulette, all the European roulette tricks we have learnt can be put to the test and, although they do not guarantee winnings, they do allow us to enjoy a more sustained playing strategy.

Electronic roulette in bars?

The restaurant sector, together with the casino sector , has played a major role in the gambling sector. Bars and restaurants have for decades had permits to operate gambling in the form of slots or special slot machines. However, the trend is to reduce this offer and the fun that it generated in customers is being transferred to gaming halls and casinos. It should be noted that the range of machines on offer is different and that there are categories, with a clear distinction between machines for the hotel and catering trade and those for gaming halls.

But in any case, the possibility of seeing electronic roulette in bars is remote. Firstly, because of the legislation on this matter, which is autonomous and requires specific authorisation depending on aspects such as square metres. It should also be borne in mind that these roulette wheels take up a lot of space. However, in the near future, we are convinced that electronic roulette will conquer all the betting parlours .

About operators and manufacturers

Electronic roulette is a very important business for the gaming industry , a country with pioneering companies that lead the technological development of these machines, which not only have roulette as a protagonist but we can also find more and more electronic blackjack tables.

We would like to point out that , the operators are the entrepreneurs who have a legal gaming establishment or a casino (sometimes, in the case of the old slot machines, it could even be a hotelier) while the manufacturers are companies dedicated to the production of these machines. In any case, the collaboration between operator and manufacturer is fundamental to be able to adapt the most suitable electronic roulette to the characteristics of the premises where it is to be installed. Thus, technical characteristics, design options, finishes of the furniture containing the electronic roulette wheel, complements and accessories are key to configuring these products and turning them into responsible, quality leisure products for the customers of these establishments.