Roulette has long garnered attention for its fast pace and potential for dramatic outcomes. Over the years, a handful of spins have stood out—either for the amounts won or the stories behind them—taking place both in traditional casinos and online studios.
In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at what typically qualifies as a significant roulette win, highlight some of the biggest wins recorded, and revisit a few sessions that became especially noteworthy. We’ll also touch on how these moments differ between land-based and online roulette games.
Read on to learn more.
What Counts as a Big Roulette Win?
A big roulette win is best understood in relation to the stake and the table’s limits. Turning £10 into £300 will feel significant to most casual players, while someone betting five‑figure sums might view a win in the tens of thousands as a meaningful milestone.
The type of bet matters as well. Even‑money bets such as red or black typically pay 1:1 if they’re successful, so a £5 stake returns £10 in total if it wins. A single‑number bet typically pays 35:1 if it’s successful, which is why stories sometimes feature very large totals from one spin. On a £1,000 straight‑up bet, the win would typically be £35,000 plus the return of the original stake.
Table limits shape what is possible. High‑limit tables allow larger stakes per spin, which naturally raises the ceiling for a single‑spin return. Rules also differ by wheel type. European and French roulette have a single zero and often include La Partage or En Prison on even‑money bets, which slightly improves the return‑to‑player rate compared with American wheels that have a double zero.
Biggest Roulette Wins Ever Recorded
A few wins stand out because of the amounts involved or the way they were achieved.
Ashley Revell became a familiar name after a 2004 trip to Las Vegas. He wagered his entire bankroll, roughly £76,000, on red for one spin and saw the ball settle in his favour. It was a single decision rather than a long session, which is why it resonated. The pay‑off doubled his money on the spot.
Another widely reported moment involves Brazilian businessman Pedro Grendene Bartelle, who is said to have won close to £2.4 million in Uruguay with a large straight‑up number bet. Given the 35:1 payout on a single number, this points to a very substantial stake and a table with high maximums. However, it is important to keep in mind that this particular win, like many very large stakes, is part of gambling lore and may not be fully verified due to privacy and limited public documentation.
There are also accounts of unnamed high rollers, both in casinos and online live‑dealer studios, placing sizable bets on inside numbers and walking away with six‑ or seven‑figure totals. Casinos do not always publicise individual outcomes, and players often prefer privacy, so many of the biggest wins we hear about are the ones that were witnessed publicly or filmed.
Who Won the Most Money on Roulette?
Asking who has won the most money on roulette can mean two things: the largest return from a single spin, or the biggest total from a sustained period of play. Single‑spin stories like Revell’s and Bartelle’s capture attention because the outcome is immediate and easy to verify. By contrast, session totals are harder to document, as casinos seldom release full records and players may not want their names attached. This means many of the largest wins that come to public attention are just a fraction of the biggest stakes placed privately or anonymously.
What is clear is that the largest sums typically come from high‑limit areas where a single decision can involve thousands of pounds. Straight‑up wins at those stakes create the biggest single‑spin headlines. Over longer sessions, totals can build through a mix of inside and outside bets, but the house edge remains in place on every spin, so extended winning streaks are the exception rather than the norm.
In practice, this means the most credible “largest win” claims are either well‑documented single spins at high stakes or historically noted sessions that drew public attention at the time.
Famous High-Stakes Roulette Sessions
High‑stakes roulette sessions draw eyes because each spin carries real weight. One of the most famous is Charles Wells at Monte Carlo in the 1890s. Reports say he “broke the bank” several times over a few days, which referred to the table’s reserve being temporarily exhausted. Whether through bold staking, streaks, or exploiting conditions of the time, his run became part of casino folklore.
Another name sometimes mentioned in the same breath is Joseph Jagger, who in the 1870s studied wheels in Monte Carlo and identified bias on a particular table. By focusing his bets, he reportedly produced sustained profits before the casino rotated wheel components. While modern equipment and regular maintenance are designed to prevent bias, Jagger’s story shows how sessions can become famous for reasons beyond the headline total.
Today, notable sessions also happen online in live‑dealer studios. Private salons and VIP tables can offer limits similar to land‑based high‑roller rooms, and some operators stream games that draw large stakes. Although many such sessions remain anonymous, they follow the same basic pattern: bigger limits create the possibility of larger returns, which is why a handful of results end up in the news.
With those stories in mind, it is natural to ask where big outcomes most often occur: on a busy casino floor or in front of a screen at home.
Big Wins at Land-Based vs Online Roulette
Big wins appear in both settings, but the experience and the rules can shape how often we hear about them. In land‑based casinos, high‑limit rooms provide the environment for large single‑spin results. The theatre of chips, the presence of other players, and the tradition of “breaking the bank” give these wins a public feel, which is why they are retold.
Online roulette offers two main formats. Live‑dealer tables stream real wheels from studios, often with VIP limits that approach those found in physical casinos. RNG roulette uses software to produce outcomes and usually has a wide range of stakes. In both cases, clear displays of table maximums and digital bet histories make it straightforward to see what was staked and what was paid.
Rules can differ by venue. Some land‑based French roulette tables offer La Partage on even‑money bets, returning half the stake when zero appears. Many online providers offer the same ruleset, while others use standard European rules without it. These small differences influence the Return To Player value over time, which may be worth noting when comparing where big wins might arise.
Whether playing online or on the casino floor, the headline wins that make history usually involve high limits and bold staking. Outcomes are never guaranteed, so if you choose to play, it is important to set clear limits, keep play within a set budget, and view roulette as entertainment rather than a way to make money.
**The information provided in this blog is intended for educational purposes and should not be construed as betting advice or a guarantee of success. Always gamble responsibly.