Speed & auto roulette — the tempo tax
Speed Roulette (≈25-second rounds) and Auto Roulette (no dealer, ≈35–45s) run standard European wheels: the edge stays 2.70%. What they change is throughput: 60–100+ spins/hour versus roughly 35–45 at a staffed table. Since expected cost = edge × stake × spins, the fast lane bills up to 2–3× more per hour at identical stakes — a tax measured in tempo, not odds.⚙ computed
The hourly bill, computed
| Table | Spins/hour (typical) | Expected cost/hour @ $10 even-money |
|---|---|---|
| Busy live table | ~40 | $10.81 |
| Auto roulette | ~70 | $18.92 |
| Speed roulette | ~100 | $27.03 |
| Speed, French rules | ~100 | $13.51 — tempo forgiven by la partage |
When fast is fine
If your budget is spins (“I’ll play 50 and leave”), tempo just compresses the evening — same bill, less waiting. If your budget is time (“an hour of play”), tempo is the whole bill. Decide which budget you’re on before choosing the lane — and plug your own numbers into the cost-per-hour calculator.
Related
Cost per hour, interactiveAll variantsSession length — the only leverSimulator (with 20× turbo)
Frequently asked
Do speed and auto roulette have worse odds?
No — standard European 2.70% per bet. They cost more per hour purely through 1.5–2.5× the spin rate: same price per ticket, more tickets.
How many spins per hour is roulette?
A staffed table runs ~35–45; auto wheels ~60–80; speed variants push past 100. At $10 even-money that spread moves the expected hourly bill from about $11 to $27 on a European wheel.
Is auto roulette rigged without a dealer?
Licensed auto wheels are physical wheels with mechanical launchers under the same regulation and audits — the edge already pays the house; removing the dealer removes labor cost, not fairness.