Game guide
Every game has a price
There are no good and bad games, only more and less expensive ones. The price is the house edge, and it is paid on every bet, win or lose.
Roulette Spin the wheel, bet on anything and see that every bet costs the same. Play → Slots A machine built like real ones: RTP, volatility and designed near-misses. Play → Lotteries Exact odds and a simulation of a lifetime of playing. Play → Sports betting Odds converter, accumulators and losing streaks. Play →
What does it cost to play?
The expected loss is the house edge times everything you wager. Set your own pace.
Expected loss per hour€24.00
Total wagered per year€93,600
Expected loss per year€3,744
On average the house keeps €0.040 of every euro that goes through the game.
The house edge, game by game
What the house keeps, on average, from every €100 wagered.
| Game | From every €100 wagered, the house keeps | Why |
|---|---|---|
| EuroMillions | Only 50% of sales goes to prizes | |
| La Primitiva (Spanish lotto) | 55% of sales goes to prizes | |
| Spanish National Lottery | 70% of the issue goes to prizes | |
| 3-match accumulator | The margin compounds with every leg | |
| Single sports bet (1X2) | Median margin measured in our data | |
| American roulette | Two zeros: 2 of every 38 numbers | |
| Slot machines | Depends on each machine’s RTP; here 96% | |
| European roulette | One zero: 1 of every 37 numbers | |
| Craps, pass line | 7/495, exact calculation | |
| Baccarat, banker | After the 5% commission on banker wins | |
| Blackjack, perfect basic strategy | Only with perfect basic strategy; varies with the rules |
Sources: exact calculation for roulette and craps; our odds analysis for sports betting (median margin of 6.7%); prize rules for La Primitiva, EuroMillones and Lotería Nacional. Blackjack and baccarat: typical values that depend on table rules.
Technical How each edge is calculated
- European roulette: a straight-up bet pays 35 to 1 with probability 1/37: E = 35·(1/37) − 36/37 = −1/37 ≈ −2.70%. Every bet on the table has the same expectation. American: −2/38 ≈ −5.26%.
- Craps, pass line: P(win) = 244/495, so E = 244/495 − 251/495 = −7/495 ≈ −1.41%.
- Sports bet: with overround m, each euro pays back 1/(1+m); the edge is m/(1+m). With the median margin in our data, 6.28%.
- k-leg accumulators: odds multiply and so do returns: 1 − (1/(1+m))k.
- Lotteries: edge = 1 − share of sales paid out as prizes.
- Calculator: expected loss = edge × stake × bets per hour × hours. It is an average: one person’s actual result varies widely around it, as the Lab shows.
Questions this page answers
- Does the martingale work? No.
- Can you beat roulette in the long run? No.
- What is RTP on a slot machine? RTP is the share of the money staked that a machine pays back in the long run.
- What are the odds of winning the Spanish Christmas Lottery? The Gordo comes up for 1 in 100,000 décimos.
- When does a slot machine pay out? There is no right moment.
- Are casino and betting bonuses worth it? For most people, no.