There tends to be two main types of online roulette, in the form of virtual games or live dealer games. In the former, the game is a computer-generated animation and play is simple and fairly quick. In live dealer games, the play takes longer and is based on a live stream from the casino. With virtual games, you can start a game at any time as you are not dependant on the casino starting. 

When it comes to playing roulette online, you might be baffled by the amount of choice on offer. It can be hard to know where to start and knowing where to find popular online roulette games can be tricky. Of course, there is an element of personal choice, and it really depends which version of the game you like. 

If you have never played online roulette before you might be wondering if it is a game you will like. Thankfully there are several ways you can get free roulette to play online. Of course, if you do not want to play with real money, you will find plenty of games available, but that is not for everyone. When it comes to free play with real cash you basically have two ways to get some credit and try the game. 

Firstly if you are unsure about making a deposit you can try one of the casinos that offer a no deposit bonus, this means you can literally try for free; however, the amount of money they will give you will be small, typically in the range of a tenner. These are only available to new customers and typically claimed with any other offers, including our next free play tip. 

The second issue is that a low-value reward will not last long, so to entice you to sign up as a customer and spend money you can take advantage of the many welcome bonuses on offer that does require you to make a deposit in order to qualify. 

However, these bonuses are usually much more generous and can range into several hundred. There are some terms and conditions that you will need to be aware of, and these vary from casino to casino, so be sure to check them out carefully before you sign up. That said, these are genuine offers when it comes to the leading and most reputable casinos so if you were going to make a deposit to a new casino anyway, you might as well take advantage a welcome bonus offer. Once activated you will be able to try roulette games for free. 

By far and away the most popular choice, live roulette games online are about as close to the real deal as it gets. The immersive nature of these games makes you feel like you are in the casino with the dealer and the rest of the players. In reality, the dealer appears on a live stream however the play is totally real-time and emulates the fulfilling experiences of a bricks-and-mortar casino. 

The dealers are in studios and are skilled croupiers who know how to lead the game and ensure that the players really enjoy the game. They appear in smart evening wear typical of their counterparts in casinos around the world, and the performance is as polished as you would find there too. The game progresses with a virtual table which enables you to place your bets as desired and then the real casino wheel is spun by your host, the ball added and the fun begins. 

Predominately female, but not always so, your croupier will then announce the winning number. In many games, this is then added to the statistics that are displayed to help punters build their tactics giving details of the last numbers drawn and hot and cold numbers. 

Leading roulette casinos can be found all across the web, with many big names confidently taking the accolades. Stake.com William Hill, Bet365 and many more have a great selection of roulette tables on offer, both the virtual and the live dealer games being hosted by most online casinos. The different tables are worth exploring as there are many versions of roulette and again which you prefer will be down to personal choice. 

The most common versions are European, French and American roulette but there are new variants cropping up all the time. In America roulette you will find that, as well as the 1-36 black and red, numbered segments there are two green zero slots. On the European and French wheels, there is only one zero. However, there is a commonality in the bets for all the tables, with the usual inside and outside bets on offer. 

Some casinos will also offer special house bets which again might change from table to table. Newer types of roulette are cropping up all over the place, things like multi-wheel roulette which enables you to bet on up to eight wheels at the same time, double ball roulette which as the name suggests features two balls in play at the same time, and many others. It could take a while to find your favourite table, but it is well worth the time exploring the different options on offer by different casinos.