Lightning Roulette offers a unique twist on live European roulette. While the rules of the game remain the same, this version comes with an exciting twist, leaving players stunned with the electrifying decor, impressive visuals, fun dealers, and shocking multipliers.
In this guide, we introduce you to some of the best sites for playing this version of roulette. We take you through the rules, odds, payouts, and the best strategies. So, let’s jump in.
How to Play Lightning Roulette
Lightning Roulette offers a variation of European roulette but with an exciting twist. While the game is played on exactly the same board as European roulette, things are significantly different after the betting ends.
Step 1 – Find a Lightning Roulette Table
Head to a casino that offers Lightning Roulette, either online or in-person.
Step 2 – Place Your Bets
Secure your spot and place your Inside and Outside bets within the designated time. You can bet on specific numbers, colors (black or red), or even/odd numbers.
Step 3 – Wait For Lightning to Strike
Once all bets are in and the betting phase has ended the live dealer will pull the lightning lever and wait for lightning to strike on up to 5 numbers. Players who win a straight-up bet on one of these lucky numbers won’t receive the usual odds of 35:1.
If your number is struck, you could win a multiplier between 50x – 500x your bet. The lucky numbers are chosen using RNG software as is used for the other components of the game, ensuring fair play.
Step 4 – Watch The Ball Land on Winning Bets
The live dealer will spin the wheel as a ball is released onto it. The ball will spin until it loses its momentum and falls into 1 of the numbered pockets on the wheel.
The payout for bets on numbers with no multiplier is typically set at 30:1 or 29:1. If your bet covers one of the lucky numbers struck by lightning and that number wins, then your payout is multiplied by the randomly assigned multiplier.
Step 5 – Collect Your Winnings
The dealer will pay out winning bets and collect losing bets. You can then choose to place new bets for the next round.
Play Lightning Roulette for Free
To test out how Lightning Roulette works without risking any money, you can also try playing the game for free here. This game, courtesy of Lucky Block, allows you to play Lightning Roulette for free before you try it out with your own money.
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Live Dealer Lightning Roulette
Many casinos also offer live casino Lightning Roulette. This brings a real live casino feel to a game that uses digital technology to enhance the odds – an exciting and unique combination.
Online casinos with live dealer options are increasingly common and afford players a great experience and a way to ensure they are playing a fair game. You can read more about them and which sites offer the best live dealer games, in our full guide.
Lightning Roulette Payouts & Odds
Lightning Roulette payouts generally follow the same trend as European roulette; it has unique odds for straight bets that sit at 30:1 instead of 35:1. Additionally, if a player wins on a straight bet that happens to be a lucky number, they can win odds ranging from 50:1 to 500:1. Below, we look at the top Lightning Roulette payouts:
| Bet type | Payout |
| Straight bet (1 number) | 30 to 1 |
| Column bet (12 numbers) | 2 to 1 |
| Dozen bet (12 numbers) | 2 to 1 |
| Even/odd bets (18 numbers) | 1 to 1 |
| Red/black bets (18 numbers) | 1 to 1 |
| Low/high bets (covers 1-18 or 19-36) | 1 to 1 |
| Lucky Numbers | 50 to 1 – 500 to 1 |
Lightning Roulette Pros and Cons
Lightning Roulette offers many advantages over standard roulette, but there are also some drawbacks. Here, we look at the key considerations for deciding which variant of the popular game to play on the best roulette sites.
A chance to win higher prizes
Lightning Roulette allows huge multipliers up to 500 times your initial bet, allowing a huge return on your wagers. Bets with odds this high are difficult to find, especially on casino table games, making the Lightning Roulette live dealer experience unique for the huge payouts it offers.
More excitement
The additional action in Lightning Roulette comes from the extra randomness of where the multipliers will land. This gives another layer of uncertainty and adds to the excitement as players seek out huge prizes.
Lower odds on numbers
While the multipliers are great when they hit, you’ll be paid less than you would at standard European roulette if you miss out on one. Instead of getting paid at 35:1, you’ll usually only get 30:1 or 29:1.
Not offered by all online casinos
Lightning Roulette is a great twist on the standard game of roulette, but it’s a long way from overtaking the popularity of the original. Every online casino will have standard roulette in some form, but the lightning version isn’t always available.
Lightning Roulette Strategy
While the Lightning Roulette rules are heavily based on standard European roulette, the strategy for the game is significantly different.
Many Roulette strategies, such as the Martingale strategy, stick to bets with 1:1 payouts, such as black and red, or even and odd. Straight-up bets, on numbers, are usually discouraged by standard roulette strategies.
However, in Lightning Roulette, players will need to make straight-up bets to take advantage of the main feature of the game and try to take down a huge bonus. For this reason, when playing Lightning Roulette, you should stick to betting on numbers.
While bets on numbers are far less likely to come in than other bets at the roulette table, the chance of picking up huge multipliers means that the times you do succeed, you can win a huge return on your wager. For this reason, Lightning Roulette has a far higher variance than standard roulette. Essentially, players trade off their likelihood of winning for the chance to win a far bigger prize than is possible at roulette, or most other casino table games.
Where Did Lightning Roulette Come From?
Lightning Roulette is a relatively new type of table game and is available at many of the best live roulette casino sites. The well-renowned Evolution game studio first released it in 2018 and it quickly exploded in popularity.
People in land-based casinos now have the opportunity to play this highly popular variant after Evolution struck a deal in 2021 with Scientific Games.
Responsible Gambling
Lightning Roulette can be an addictive game to play online, so it’s important to ensure that you always remain in control.
Firstly, ensure you only stake money you can afford to lose on any online casino site. Secondly, be sure to take regular breaks to keep yourself collected.
If you suspect you or someone you know is at risk of problem gambling, you can get help from The National Council on Problem Gambling, or by visiting our dedicated responsible gambling page.
FAQs
Is Lightning Roulette online legal?
Yes. Players can easily access this game at many regulated and offshore online casinos and play for real money. Since these sites are easily accessible, players from across the globe can visit them to play roulette hassle-free.
Can you play Lightning Roulette for real money?
Yes. Many regulated and offshore casinos offer this game and allow gamblers to play for real money. For example, players visiting Wild Casino deposit real money to play with and subsequently withdraw winnings as real money too.
Where can I play Lightning Roulette online?
Players can find this game at several leading roulette casino site options. For example, all the online casinos listed in our guide offer this variation and many others, making it simple for players to enjoy a game or two.
What is the best online Lightning Roulette site?
While there are several exciting Lightning Roulette casinos, a top pick is Wild Casino. In addition to excellent gaming opportunities, players have access to various payment methods and a fun assortment of generous promotions.
How do you play Lightning Roulette?
This style of roulette works the same way as traditional European roulette. However, here players can enjoy lucky numbers that come with multipliers that range from 50x to 500x. These numbers are picked at random and make it easy for players to win big.
How many numbers are on a Lightning Roulette wheel?
The roulette wheel in this game is the same as European roulette. As a result, the wheel has 37 pockets, numbers one to 36 which are either red or black, and zero, which is a green pocket.
What is the house edge on Lightning Roulette?
The house edge on Lightning Roulette that pays out non-multipliers at 30:1 is 2.9%. This is slightly higher than European Roulette, which is 2.7%, but significantly better than American Roulette, which is 5.26%.
