Historically, casinos have used various methods to try and ensure fairness in their games. Cards are shuffled, wheels and balls are spun in opposite directions, and numbered balls are spun around a basket to ensure as random an outcome as possible. And a lot of physical casino games still use these same methods of generating chaos. But, that isn’t true of all games, and certainly not of online casino games.
Online games of blackjack, roulette, and craps can’t rely on the same random patterns achieved by rolling, shaking, and shuffling, so they have to rely on random number generators: computer programs that generate random results from given parameters.
Online Casino Games
Online casino games are designed to mimic the original games they are based on. But, where traditional games use dealers to shuffle cards or have players roll dice, to give random results, this isn’t an option for most online casinos. Instead, fair online casinos like Megadice use random number generators across their wide variety of games.
iGaming software manufacturers are paid large sums of money to ensure their RNGs are truly random and the results are regularly audited to ensure this is the case.
How Do RNGs Work?
Computers can’t generate random numbers. Instead, RNGs have to combine a source of entropy with one or more algorithms to create as random a number draw as possible.
Entropy
Entropy is the measure of disorder in any given system. The higher the level of entropy, the less predictable it is. In a random number generator, the higher the level of entropy, the more random the numbers generated. Nature is a good source of entropy because many elements of nature are unpredictable.
For example, RNGs can use temperature or pressure. The generator can use the 6th decimal place of the measured temperature when an RNG runs. Even an input like keyboard strokes or mouse movements could be used. A system could measure the time between keyboard presses, in milliseconds, and use this as an input. Or it could measure the distance a mouse cursor moves.
Algorithm
To ensure greater randomness, a random number generator will also apply an algorithm to this input. This is especially important when using pseudo-random number generators. Keyboard inputs might stop, but a pseudo-random number generator will store results and it will continue to use algorithms to help create random numbers.
Are They Really Random?
Although they can produce unpredictable numbers and series of numbers, random number generators cannot produce truly random numbers. If the computer is given the same input twice, it will generate the same result both times, which means the numbers generated are not truly random.
However, because the numbers cannot be accurately predicted or determined, they are considered random for the purpose of number generation. Even generators that use natural readings or phenomena may be biased towards higher or lower numbers, which means they are not as random as the flip of an even coin or the roll of a fair die.
RNGs In Slots
Random number generators aren’t just used at online casinos. Early slot machines used mechanical operation. The highest-paying symbols featured less often on reels which meant, over time, they would be less likely to land so jackpots would not be paid as often.
One of the first instances of random number generators being employed in slot machines came in 1984. Inge Telnaes patented a device that would use a random number generator to select reel stop positions. The patent stated: “It is important to make a machine that is perceived to present greater chances of payoff than it actually has.”
Games That Use Random Number Generators
In the magazine Nature, in 1890, statistician Francis Galton wrote: “As an instrument for selecting at random, I have found nothing superior to dice. When they are shaken and tossed in a basket, they hurtle so variously against one another and against the ribs of the basket-work that they tumble wildly about, and their positions at the outset afford no perceptible clue to what they will be even after a single good shake and toss.”
Dice are the ideal tool for randomness, hence their popularity in casino games like craps. Cards do not offer quite the same entropy, but dealers shuffle them repeatedly and because they are shuffled from an already non-sequential pattern, they do generate a degree of randomness that makes them fair for casino games like blackjack.
Roulette uses the spin of an evenly weighted wheel against the opposing spin of a ball in a track to generate randomness. However, when these games are played at online casinos, they don’t use physical dice or other equipment. Instead, they use random number generators to mimic the outcome.
More recently, live dealer games have become more common. Real dealers shuffle and shake the casino equipment, bringing back natural entropy. But, while these games are becoming more common, they aren’t standard yet. In short, virtually all online casino games use random number generators.
Checking Fairness
To ensure the fairness of random number generators, casino software is audited. Auditors use statistical tests, as well as evaluations of the hardware and software used to create the random numbers. Games must pass these tests to gain the appropriate license, and casinos must use accredited software to receive their own license.
Regulatory bodies require that casino software is checked before it is used. They also require that casinos and their games undergo regular checks conducted by accredited companies. If the casino or its software fails these checks, it is investigated and may have its license revoked. As such, casinos themselves typically run statistical analyses or employ third parties to do so, and they generally only use reputable software providers to ensure they offer fair gaming.
Do Casinos Control RNGs?
Casino game makers sometimes offer casinos the opportunity to slightly alter the Return To Player (RTP) ratio, the size of jackpots offered, and the volatility of games. However, they cannot have any control over the random number generator.
Conclusion
Online casinos have to ensure their games are fair to ensure they meet regulatory and licensing requirements. They do this by using reputable software providers who, in turn, use random number generators to provide unpredictable specific results from their games. While they can determine long-term returns, game makers ensure that individual game results are unbiased and that all players have the same chances of winning.
