Across the U.S., searches for live roulette have increased by 60% in the last three months, indicating that there’s a growing interest in the game nationwide.
Because of this significant spike, Hard Rock Bet has analyzed more than 30.5 million roulette bets placed by over 32,000 players across April, May and June using Evolution’s Live Dealer and RNG American roulette games in Michigan and New Jersey. As a result of the analysis, we’ve put together a report that picks out the betting habits of people in America.
This report offers a unique analysis of how players bet on roulette, examining everything from their favorite numbers to their preferred online roulette strategies.
What Are North Americans Searching For?
We’ve pulled together the online casino numbers for Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and even Ontario, Canada, to see the Google search volume of different live roulette terms. By looking at these, we can pinpoint where North Americans are needing more assistance with their strategies or understanding of the game.
Firstly, Michigan’s search behavior indicates a real focus on understanding the fundamentals of the game, with 42% of its live roulette searches relating to rules. Compared to this, a much lower percentage are looking up different live roulette strategies (14%), showing that tactical considerations are a much lower priority than discovering basic information on how the game works. Finally, a third of searches (33%) relate to bets and payouts, suggesting that possible returns and different wagering options are a strong area of interest.
In New Jersey, we can see a similar pattern with search intent. Over two-fifths of live roulette searches (43%) are related to understanding the rules of the game, indicating either an increase in newer players or a general desire to grasp the basics. Again, a similar number of people were searching for strategy-related topics, with this taking up 15% of the total live roulette-related searches – indicating once more that North Americans show a lesser interest in tactics. Nearly a third (31%) of New Jersey’s live roulette searches are then about bets and payouts, which shows a slight decrease in interest for returns and wagering options.
Pennsylvania also shows a similar pattern, with a higher search rate for rules (46%), indicating a greater need to understand the basics. Looking at their slightly lower searches for strategy (14%) and bets and payouts (30%), they seem to have differing priorities, even if the differences are only minor.
Ontario, Canada, however, shows the greatest change in priorities. Though their percentage of searches related to rules is similar to the American states (41%), players there show an increased interest in strategy, with almost a fifth (18%) of their searches being related to the more tactical side of the game. Searches related to bets and payouts, however, have taken a slight hit, reducing to under a third (29%).
America’s Favorite Roulette Numbers
Now taking a wider look across the U.S., let’s see what America’s favorite roulette numbers are. By analyzing the number of times a bet has been placed with each number, we have been able to pinpoint the most frequently chosen digits and see what percentage they are of all straight bets as well.
Topping the list as the most popular number for straight up bets is 0. With 797,088 bets placed on it, it’s the most frequently selected number and took up 3.22% of all straight bets.
The least popular number in live roulette is 00. Seeing just 421,409 bets placed, it’s significantly less selected than 0, leaving its share of all straight bets at just 1.70%.
Overall patterns have been able to highlight some interesting trends in people’s betting behavior. Out of the top 10 most popular bets, only three are even numbers, suggesting that odd numbers are a more frequently preferred choice.
This can be seen clearly as traditional favorites like 7, 11, 17, and 23 rank among the most bet-on numbers after being positioned in the top five. Each of these numbers has attracted more than 715,000 bets, with 11 placing in second behind 0, making up a share of 3.07% of all straight bets.
Numbers that are also typically considered to be “unlucky,” though, seem to appear lower down in the list. With dates such as “Friday the 13th” and general superstition, 13 may be consciously avoided by many as it sits in the bottom 15.
Conversely, 0’s popularity could potentially be linked to its green color. In Irish culture, green and luck have an association, and as one of two green numbers on the roulette wheel, maybe 0 really is as fortunate as people make it out to be!
Red vs. Black: Which Bet Types Are Most Popular?
We’ve looked at Americans’ favorite roulette numbers, but does this vary with different bet types? Looking at red vs. black, odd vs. even, low vs. high, and dozens, we’ve seen that Americans’ favorite and least favorite numbers are reinforced across multiple roulette bet types.
Looking at color betting, the pattern of preferred numbers is something to be expected, with the overall popularity rankings mirroring what we see here. When placing bets on colors, 23 is the most popular red number (3rd favorite overall) and 11 is the most popular black number (2nd favorite overall). Similarly, the least popular red number is 34 (37th favorite overall), and the least popular black number is 6 (36th favorite overall).
Odd and even bets do differ slightly, however. The most popular even number was shown to be 0, and the most popular odd number was shown to be 7. Conversely, Americans’ least popular even number is 34 and least popular odd number is 31. Again, these are mostly reflected in the list of generic preferred digits, showing a continued pattern.
Americans placing low (1-18) and high (19-36) bets have also revealed clear patterns when placing bets. When selecting a low number, bettors appear to prefer 11, and when selecting a high number, bettors appear to prefer 23. Then the opposite end of the spectrum shows that bettors’ least favorite low number is 6, and bettors’ least favorite high number is 34.
Finally, looking at dozens, some familiar numbers can be seen cropping up again. Bettors placing a first dozen (1-12) seem to prefer the number 11 and often avoid the number 6. Second dozen bets (13-24) show that 17 is the most popular and 13 is the least popular, again showing potential superstition coming into play. Then third dozen bets (25-36) have lucky number 23 as the most popular, with 34 sitting as the least popular.
Across these different bet types, we see that bettors continue to favor similar numbers. Some in particular can reflect superstitions, with the numbers considered “lucky” and “unlucky” still being favored or avoided when possible.
These Are the Most Popular Roulette Strategies Based on Millions of Bets
Learning people’s favorite numbers is all well and good, but what about America’s favorite strategies? What tactics are people in the U.S. using the most?
Well, the most popular live roulette strategy is a straight up bet (wager on a single number), with 24,762,435 total bets being placed using this method. Accounting for 81.5% of categorized bets, Americans clearly like to bet on specific numbers over bets on color, or dozens.
Split bets (wager on two adjacent numbers) are then the second-most popular choice, with 2,907,558 bets placed using this strategy. However, it takes up a much smaller share of all categorized bets (9.57%) than a straight up bet, with no other bet type coming close.
Corner/square bets (wager covering four numbers) rank third, with 1,115,249 bets placed using this method. Again, there’s a steep drop-off from the popularity of others, making up just 3.67% of all categorized bets.
Just because they’re popular doesn’t mean that people place much money on them. Likely due to their 1:1 payout odds, strategies such as red vs. black, odd vs. even, and high vs. low bets have the largest average bet size ($21.10). Contrastingly, despite being the most popular bet, straight up bets see the smallest average bet size ($5-$7), potentially due to their longer payout odds of 35:1.
This pattern can be seen across all bets, with the average wager size generally decreasing as the roulette odds increase.
Live Roulette in America
Throughout the U.S., it’s evident that there are a variety of betting patterns that highlight preferred numbers and strategies. With the growing interest in live roulette across America, finding out the roulette betting habits of people in the U.S. has provided a unique insight into the online casino world as participation continues to evolve.
While American roulette is a game of chance, the data indicates that the behavior of players is anything but random. Through a combination of superstition and personal preference, specific numbers, such as the traditionally “lucky” 7 and 0, crop up frequently, with “unlucky” number 13 being much less popular.
If you’re thinking about hopping on the trend and joining others, there’s no better place to play online roulette than Hard Rock Bet. Players have the choice between American roulette, European roulette or French roulette, giving you even more variations and entertainment.
Players should always check their local laws and Hard Rock Bet eligibility requirements before playing, with online casino availability varying by state. Live roulette can only be played in legal U.S. and Canadian states. Roulette is legal to play in all American states except Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Vermont. Similarly, roulette is legal in all Canadian provinces and territories except Nunavut and Yukon, with Northwestern Territories having some limitations.
Methodology
This report analyzes more than 30.5 million casino bets placed by 32,000+ players across April, May and June 2026 using Evolution Live Dealer and RNG American roulette games available through Hard Rock Bet in Michigan and New Jersey.
The report also analyzed more than 300 roulette-related Google search queries to uncover what Americans search for most, across categories including rules, bets and payouts, strategies, and game variants. Search volumes were then grouped by category and expressed as a percentage of total roulette-related searches. The report provides a unique look at how players bet on roulette.
