The Martingale System – A Simulator

Probably the oldest, certainly one of the simplest – the Martingale system is also one of the most misunderstood roulette strategies in existence. Depending on which site you visit then the martingale is either described as a huge confidence trick, a mysterious hidden secret to wealth or somewhere in between. In this page with the help of a small computer program I want to demonstrate the reality behind the Martingale system and then you can make your own mind up (the simulator is at the bottom if you want to skip straight there!).

First of all let me first say that in general I don’t believe in roulette systems, if you look at the mathematics behind most of them then they simply don’t add up. I’ve lost count of the number of systems I’ve worked through to discover that they in fact do absolutely nothing to increase your chances of winning. In fact on a purely mathematical basis I would tend to agree with the Wizard of Odds who states that all betting systems are worthless.

But are they worthless? It’s true that none actually reduce the house edge. However if you’ve ever watched a drunken punter at 3.00 AM at a Vegas casino throw his chips around the table like confetti, you’ll realise that some people could actually benefit from a more structured way of playing.

Summary of Martingale System

But back to Martingale, the concept is quite simple and fairly logical. You place a bet on an even money return like red/black or odd/even, if it wins you pocket the cash but if you lose then you double your next stake. You keep doing this until you win, therefore in theory guaranteeing a small win on every sequence you play. The problem is the real world and these important points -

Betting Limits – All Casinos place a limit on a single bet, if your required amount in martingale goes above this, then you will lose.

Infinite Bankroll Required – The amounts required can quickly get very large if you get a streak of bad luck. You need the cash to place the large bets needed otherwise you lose.

The Zero (or zeros on an American wheel) mean that it’s not a true 50/50 bet

These two facts make the Martingale a very dangerous system to play, for instance just imagine a small losing streak. The first spin you bet $5 then $10, $20, $40, $80, $160, $320 and then $640. Streaks like this are surprisingly common if you spend any amount of time watching a roulette game.  So remember if you do play Martingale then start low and you need to play at a European roulette wheel with one zero and which has a high stake limit.  Oh and don’t forget the large bank roll of course.

The Martingale System Simulator

But if you want to play around with the possibilities of  the Martingale system then try this simulator.  It allows you to input your stake, the length you want to play, your bank roll and then generates a sample session. You’ll probably notice that on long sessions you will almost certainly lose inevitably hitting one of those streaks that blow your bankroll – the simulator doesn’t count maximum stakes. You can alter the house edge by selecting the different roulette wheel.

If you cut the number of spins down to 25 or 50 you’ll see what usually happens with martingale, that you’ll generally win a series of small amounts but these will be interrupted by some huge losses. Make sure you change the wheel to a European one to see the most favorable results, frankly no-one should ever play roulette on an American roulette wheel – if that’s the only thing available play something else !

European Online Gambling Legislation

Changes Adopted by EU Members

European online gambling legislation changes have been adopted by several more EU countries. In response to a European Commission (EC) Igaming Green Paper released in March, 2011, and a public comment period that closed in July, the European Parliament and European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) convened in early September to consider the Green Paper and citizen comments.

They concluded that the present state of online gambling is not acceptable and that legislation outlining minimum standards and regulations are required EU-wide.

Within the EU membership there is a disparity of approaches to online gambling, ranging from banning the function altogether to allowing liberal markets. This disparity is creating a headache for the European Court of Justice.

Countries are uncertain exactly how Article 49 of the EU Treaty applies to online gambling legislation, thereby resulting in twenty-seven separate systems and continual infringement of the law.

The solution appears to be in establishing a minimum operating requirement that would regulate online gambling across the entire EU. Ideally, the regulations would apply EU-wide and at the minimum would protect consumers while allowing member states to proceed as far as they so desire.

The deadline for the European Parliament and EESC response to the Green Paper is October, 2011, at which time the EC can propose legislation to police online gambling EC-wide, which will not be considered before 2012.

The Green Paper highlighted the need for European online gambling legislation changes. For instance,

More than 85% of 14,823 viable internet gambling sites in Europe are being operated without any kind of license.

Although online gambling makes up less than 10% of the gaming market, this sector is expected to double by 2013.   The UK is the biggest online gambling market and includes all forms of internet gambling, encompassing legal, “black” market and “grey” activities.

The fastest growing sector of online gambling is expected to occur on the mobile betting channel.

Although the European Union approved of online gambling, not all twenty-seven member nations readily embraced it. While England was the first to make it legal to play games like roulette online, a few other countries resisted, like Italy, Germany, Greece, Estonia, Sweden, Hungary, and the Netherlands.

Most of these countries claim they banned or restricted online gambling in order to protect consumers. Nonetheless, online gambling is a real threat to the money that governments collect from local betting monopolies.

Several of these countries have recently agreed or intend to agree to the recent European online gambling legislation changes.

Greece currently finds itself in dire economic circumstances with the IMF requiring the nearly defunct country adopt certain measures to generate revenue. One of these measures mandates Greece to legalize online gambling.   The Greek government is only legalizing online gambling under pressure from international forces. As a result, OPAP, the Greek betting monopoly, must acquire government-issued licenses.

Netherlands is another country that has succumbed to European online gambling legislation changes. However, not all of its Parliament members concur, stating that the legislation still does not sufficiently protect players from addiction and corrupt operators.

Germany, a holdout for some time, recently drafted an online gambling law that is in violation of the European online gambling legislation changes.