Published: 18 Apr 2025 | Updated: 27 Nov 2025
There are several key differences between French roulette, European roulette, and American roulette. However, one of the most notable is the addition of two extra rules in French Roulette that both have a significant impact on the game’s winning potential for players: La Partage and En Prison. In this blog about French Roulette, Genting Casino takes an in-depth look at the En Prison rule and how it impacts the game.
What is the En Prison Rule?
En Prison translates to the phrase ‘in prison’. The rule will only come into play when the ball lands on a zero and players have covered one of the evens bets (red/black, odd/even, high/low) but have not covered zero.
In this instance, the bet will remain, and the wheel will be given one more spin. If the player wins the bet on this spin, they will get their stake back. If they lose their bet on this spin, then the stake is lost.
As such, the ‘En Prison’ rule acts more like an insurance feature, giving players the chance to reclaim their stake, as opposed to allowing them to win anything extra.
Let’s take a look at how the En Prison rule works:
- You place £20 on red.
- The wheel spins and lands on zero. In European or American roulette, this bet would be automatically lost.
- In French roulette, you are rewarded with another spin of the wheel.
- If the ball lands on black or zero, you will lose your money.
- If it lands on red, you will receive your £20 back.
The En Prison rule is typically available in both live dealer casino roulette and RNG online French roulette games. It is always best to check with the online casino or in the paytable to see if the rule is active before you play roulette for real money.
How Does the En Prison Rule Impact the House Edge?
In a standard single-zero game of roulette, the house edge sits at around 2.7%. However, the zero on the wheel plays a big role in this. While the En Prison rule doesn’t remove the zero from the equation, it does provide players with a chance to get their cash back. As such, this can halve the standard house-edge in French roulette down to 1.35%.
This is a considerably lower house edge than what you would get in other versions of quality UK online roulette. European roulette sits at 2.7%, while American roulette is considerably higher than both, with the house edge being around 5.26%. This is so much higher due to the addition of the extra zero on the wheel.
What other special rules are available in French Roulette?
En Prison is not the only additional rule that is available in French roulette. There is one other rule related to the number zero - the La Partage rule.
Like En Prison, La Partage also significantly reduces the house edge. When this rule is active, the player automatically receives half of their stake back if the ball lands on zero. Once again, the player will have to have placed an even-money bet for this to be active.
Conclusion
French roulette is considered to be the best version of the game by many online casino players, and the En Prison rule is one of the biggest reasons for this. While it might not need to be used very often, when it is used, it can turn out to be a real game-saver, doing a brilliant job of helping reduce the house edge and further tip the game in the player’s favour.
Of course, just because the En Prison rule reduces the house edge, it does not remove it altogether, and players should continue to gamble responsibly at all times.
French Roulette FAQs
Is En Prison available in all roulette games?
No. The En Prison rule is exclusively available in French roulette and is not available in European or American roulette.
What is the house edge in French roulette?
If the En Prison or La Partage rules are not active, the house edge in French roulette is 2.7%. However, when these rules are active, the house edge is reduced to 1.35%.
Where can I play French roulette online?
French roulette is available at a wide range of top online casinos, including right here at Genting Casino.
