Lightning Roulette

B. Atanasov
Boris Atanasov is an iGaming writer with over four years’ experience, creating engaging content on slots, video poker, roulette, and blackjack.
 (editor) | Updated:

The renowned developer Evolution Gaming unveiled Lightning Roulette at the ICE 2018 gaming exposition, and the variant quickly became one of the studio’s most successful releases to date. The game won the Product Innovation of the Year category at the Global Gaming Awards and later became Game of the Year at the 2018 EGR Awards.

This visually impressive release is a blend of live roulette and randomly generated elements. It provides a unique betting experience thanks to its electrifying gaming interface and stylish art-deco studio surroundings. However, Lightning Roulette offers more than a sophisticated atmosphere and visual appeal.

All the familiar features of standard live roulette tables are here, from the dealer and the wheel to the full range of inside, outside, and call bets. Yet Lightning Roulette includes a curious twist that further heightens players’ excitement. The game gives you additional opportunities to win on each spin with randomly generated lucky numbers.

Also featured are enhanced lucky payouts, with multipliers ranging from 50x to 500x. Players will benefit from the usual set of handy features found at Evolution Gaming’s live tables, including comprehensive statistics, user-friendly settings menus, and an intuitive interface. Let’s examine this electrifying live roulette variant more closely to see how it plays and what it offers in terms of features and betting options.

Live Dealer Lightning Roulette Gameplay

The Studio Environment

The Studio EnvironmentThe live action in Lightning Roulette takes place in a studio that boasts sophisticated show-style surroundings dominated by black and gold. Front and center sits the roulette wheel, which uses a special mechanism that automatically releases the ball. An oversized screen behind it virtually replicates the roulette table layout, displaying numbers 0 through 36.

Special lightning effects add an electrifying twist to the game. The live host controls the video screen by pulling a lever that randomly selects the lucky numbers and lucky payouts. The host’s presence greatly enhances the experience, making it more engaging and interactive.

The Rules and Gameplay

1Overview

Lightning Roulette is an enhanced version of European Roulette. It uses a standard single-zero wheel with 36 alternating black and red numbers and a green zero pocket. Players aim to correctly predict the number on which the ball will land. An unlimited number of players can join the action and place bets simultaneously.

2The software picks one to five lucky numbers at random

The software gives you approximately 16 seconds to place your wager. If the betting time expires, you must wait until the next round. Once the betting window closes, the game host pulls the lever, and the software randomly selects one or more lucky numbers, each with a payout multiplier attached.

3Winning straight bets covered by lucky numbers have their payouts boosted with multipliers of 50x, 100x, 200x, 300x, 400x, or 500x

The ball eventually settles in one of the 37 numbered pockets, producing the winning number. You win if your bet covers that outcome. The random lucky payout multipliers apply only to straight bets.

The lucky numbers and their corresponding multipliers are highlighted on the betting layout, ensuring players never miss them. The host then congratulates the winners, and the software applies the multiplier to their payouts.


Available Betting Options

When you join the live action in Lightning Roulette, you can choose from a wide variety of bet types that largely overlap with those in standard single-zero roulette. Some bets cover individual numbers, while others include specific number groups.

Inside Bets
Outside Bets
Call Bets
Neighbor Bets

Lightning Roulette Interface and Features

interfaceEvolution Gaming once again delivers an expertly rendered live dealer release that blends elements of game shows with the classic game of chance. The interface makes it easy to place bets and follow all the action. The software displays the usernames of all winners from the previous spin along with the amounts they pocketed, further motivating you to join them with a real-money bet.

Available bets and their corresponding payouts appear when you hover your mouse cursor over the table limits in the upper left corner. You can also pin the list of wagers to your screen so that payouts and bet limits remain visible at all times. Different chip denominations are available to suit bettors of all budgets.

Table limits vary by bet type. Some Evolution Gaming casinos allow you to wager as little as $0.20 per spin. The ceiling on even-money bets can reach $20,000 per spin, sometimes even more, depending on where you play. Let’s take a closer look at the key features of Lightning Roulette.

Settings Menu
Autoplay
Switch View
Statistics
Favourite Bets
Player Chat
Responsible Gambling

The House Edge in Lightning Roulette

House Edge in Lightning RouletteOne obvious issue with Lightning Roulette stems from the payout reduction on winning straight bets. If your chosen number hits but is not “struck” by lightning for a payout multiplier, the straight bet pays reduced odds of 29 to 1 instead of the standard 35 to 1. You receive 30 units in total, as the casino also returns your original stake.

This reduction funds the lightning-boosted payouts. Needless to say, this affects the house edge on straight bets in Lightning Roulette, increasing it from the usual 2.70% to 2.90%. All other inside and outside wagers carry the standard 2.70% casino advantage.

The question arises: how often do lucky payout multipliers appear, and can they compensate for the lower odds on straight bets? Answering these questions with absolute certainty is difficult, as one would need a very large sample size involving hundreds of thousands of trials.

We recommend looking at the statistics panel that displays the lucky numbers that have hit during the last 500 rounds of play. It also shows the multipliers attached to each lucky number. This information can give you some idea of how often the multipliers occur in the short term.

Is Lightning Roulette Fair?

Is Lightning Roulette FairMany live-casino fans find Lightning Roulette intimidating because it involves elements of random number generation. Some people question the fairness of the wheel, while others are skeptical about the randomness of the multipliers produced by the RNG software. Let’s address the wheel issue first.

Evolution Gaming’s roulette wheels undergo regular maintenance and bias checks to ensure they comply with all regulatory requirements for fairness. If any wheel shows a bias toward specific numbers, it is immediately replaced with a balanced one.

The live hosts in Lightning Roulette have no active part in the wheel spinning process.

Furthermore, Lightning Roulette plays with a sealed automatic wheel that uses air jets to propel the ball around the ball track. The presenters take no active part in spinning the wheel, making it impossible for them to manipulate the results.

Lightning Roulette is certified for fairness by eCOGRA.

Now, let’s address the fairness of the game’s random-number generator. Evolution Gaming has obtained a fairness certificate from the internationally acclaimed testing agency eCOGRA, passing the certification audit for its live casino products in 2010.

In doing so, it became the first live-dealer platform to receive the testing agency’s Certified Live Dealer Seal. Like all other live games in the Evolution suite, Lightning Roulette undergoes regular tests by the independent agency to ensure all outcomes, including lucky numbers and multipliers, are completely random and fair.

Evolution maintains a ledger with results history and retains video recordings of all gaming sessions.

The company keeps a complete history of results so that the testing agency can verify at any time whether the lucky numbers are truly random. Additionally, eCOGRA’s audit process covers other vital aspects, such as the dealers’ training, collusion controls, the security of players’ sensitive data, and staff access to sensitive areas.

Evolution carries licenses from the UK, Malta, Alderney, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and more.

On top of that, Evolution Gaming bears the seal of approval of several major licensing authorities like the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority, and the Alderney Gambling Control Commission. The company also has legal permission to offer Lightning Roulette in key local markets such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Belgium, Romania, British Columbia, and Italy.

Recommended Online Casinos with Lightning Roulette

Many online casinos rely on Evolution Gaming for their live dealer suites, so picking a site where you can play Lightning Roulette is no easy task. Most, if not all, Evolution-powered casinos offer the game, but we consider the six options below the best places to try this innovative roulette variation.

PlayOJO
Videoslots
King Billy Casino
Casino Joy
Skol Casino
888casino

Ask a Question. Get an Answer.

Have a question about this topic? Ask an expert at info@supercasinosites.com

Find the answers of questions people asked so far:

Dan Harold

I am afraid the increased house edge of Lightning Roulette is not worth the risk of playing for the high multipliers. Should I stick to regular Live Roulette versions?

Asked by: Harold | Asked on: 2023-06-01
Answered by: Dan | Answered on: 2023-06-01

It is true that because Lightning Roulette offers multipliers of up to 500x on straight-up bets, the house edge on those bets rises to 2.90%. All other wagers in Lightning Roulette retain the standard roulette house edge of 2.70%. If you prefer lower-risk play, Lightning Roulette may not be the best choice. However, the random multipliers can lead to payouts far higher than the regular straight-up win, which some players find very exciting. If you are comfortable with the additional risk, you will likely enjoy what Lightning Roulette has to offer. Conversely, if you want to keep the traditional 2.70% house edge, we suggest staying with other live roulette variants.

Dan Sarah

I saw a game called XXXtreme Lightning Roulette in Evolution’s Live Casino lobby. Are there any similarities with Lightning Roulette or is it a completely different game?

Asked by: Sarah | Asked on: 2023-06-06
Answered by: Dan | Answered on: 2023-06-07

The two Evolution roulette versions are almost identical and deliver a very similar gaming experience. Excluding straight-up bets, every other wager in both Lightning Roulette and XXXtreme Lightning Roulette has an RTP of 97.3%. For straight-up bets, the added multipliers reduce the RTP slightly to 97.1% in both games. The main difference between the two live-dealer roulette titles is volatility. XXXtreme Lightning Roulette features significantly higher volatility, something high rollers often appreciate. With multipliers reaching up to 2,000x, XXXtreme Lightning Roulette can be extremely rewarding if luck is on your side. If you prefer lower variance, you will likely stick with the original Lightning Roulette instead.

Dan Marcia

Is there a specific strategy I can use when I play Lightning Roulette?

Asked by: Marcia | Asked on: 2023-11-27
Answered by: Dan | Answered on: 2023-11-28

Lightning Roulette is played much the same way as any other European roulette variation. It uses the standard roulette betting layout with the usual inside and outside bets. The main difference is that standard bets pay slightly less, while randomly selected numbers can award massive multipliers.

Some roulette experts believe that common betting systems, such as the Martingale or Fibonacci, are not very effective in Lightning Roulette. These strategies work best with even-money bets, whereas the multiplier in Lightning Roulette is applied only to straight-up wagers on the lucky numbers. For that reason, approaches that cover individual numbers tend to perform better. You might cover one or several wheel sections, pick random numbers, bet on numbers in the same column, choose numbers of the same color, or cover all odd or even numbers. Remember that each selection must be placed as a separate straight-up bet, not as a standard outside wager. Playing this way can improve your chances of landing a straight-up bet boosted by a high multiplier.