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Interest in live online roulette is climbing across North America, but new research from Hard Rock Bet suggests that chance is only part of the story. Even though outcomes are entirely random, players continue to gravitate toward familiar numbers, established betting patterns, and long-held superstitions when placing wagers.
The operator’s report combines millions of betting records with online search data to examine how players interact with the game. While the game itself remains random, the findings show that player behavior often follows recognizable trends.
Live roulette searches jump 60% in three months
Google searches for live roulette rose 60% over the past three months, prompting Hard Rock Bet to analyze more than 30.5 million bets placed by over 32,000 players between April and June, using Evolution’s live dealer and RNG American roulette games available through Hard Rock Bet Online Casino in Michigan and New Jersey.
The report also reviewed more than 300 roulette-related Google search queries across Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ontario.
Most players search rules before learning strategy
Search data suggests many players seek fundamental information before exploring strategy.
For Michigan online casino players, 42% of searches focused on rules, 33% on betting options and payouts, and 14% on strategy.
New Jersey online casino players showed nearly identical figures: 43% rules, 31% bets and payouts, 15% strategy.
Pennsylvania online casino guests followed suit, with 46% focused on rules, 30% on payouts, and 14% on strategy.
Ontario stood apart: while 41% of searches still focused on rules, strategy interest climbed to 18% — the highest share among all four jurisdictions — with bets and payouts at 29%. Overall, understanding the game remains a bigger priority than mastering complex betting systems.
Zero is America’s favorite number
Looking at straight-up bets, zero came out on top, drawing 797,088 wagers, or 3.22% of all bets in that category. Number 11 ranked second, followed by 23, 7, and 17 — each topping 715,000 bets.
Double zero was the least popular number overall, with 421,409 bets (1.70%). Odd numbers dominated the top ten, with only three even numbers making the cut.
Number 13 landed among the 15 least popular numbers, which the report links to long-standing beliefs about unlucky numbers. Zero’s popularity, meanwhile, may reflect its status as one of the wheel’s two green pockets — a color often associated with luck in American roulette.
Favorite numbers hold steady across every type of bet
Players’ favorite numbers held steady across categories.
Among red numbers, 23 was most popular; among black, 11 led. The least popular red and black numbers were 34 and 6, respectively.
In odd-even betting, zero topped even-money picks while 7 led odd numbers. Among low numbers (1–18), 11 was favored; among high numbers (19–36), 23 led.
The same pattern showed up in dozens bets: 11 topped the first dozen, 17 the second, and 23 the third, while 6, 13, and 34 were least popular in their respective dozens. This consistency suggests players carry favorite numbers across formats rather than betting randomly.
Straight-up bets dominate
Straight-up bets — wagers on a single number — accounted for more than 24.7 million wagers, or 81.5% of all categorized bets. Split bets ranked second with nearly 2.9 million, followed by corner bets at over 1.1 million.
Despite their popularity, straight-up bets didn’t carry the largest average stake — that belonged to even-money wagers (red/black, odd/even, high/low), which averaged $21.10 per bet. Straight-up wagers averaged just $5 to $7, reflecting higher risk for a bigger potential 35-to-1 payout.
Generally, average bet size shrank as payout odds increased.
Lucky and unlucky numbers still sway betting choices
Despite roulette’s pure randomness, personal beliefs still shape decisions. Numbers seen as lucky, like 7 and 11, consistently ranked among favorites, while 13 lagged near the bottom — echoing a classic gambling superstition. The report attributes this to cultural beliefs, habits, and familiarity rather than superstition alone.
Hard Rock Bet frames the study as an exploration of behavior, not a hunt for winning strategies — no betting pattern changes the game’s built-in odds. Still, the findings offer insight into how players approach roulette, showing that even in a game of pure chance, many bet with their gut.
