Whether you have heard of them or not, if you have been playing online casino games for any length of time, you are aware of the hidden pieces of software that ensure fair play. These hidden pieces of software control the outcomes of most online casino games, including video slots, card games like baccarat and blackjack, and every spin of the roulette wheel.
Still, even the most technologically savvy of our players may find the idea strange. What exactly are they? And how do they work when you get right down to it? In this article, we'll lay it all out for you.
This is everything you need to know about random number generators.
Random Number Generators Explained
Occasionally, we look at the power that determines whether you get a 10 and an ace or a pair of threes in digital blackjack, and you've found it. It's an RNG.
Sophisticated software systems control the outcomes of casino games by generating a set of random numbers associated with symbols such as the icons on a slot machine, the numbers on a roulette wheel, or the cards in a digital deck used in online poker. Fairness requires that the numbers be random.
When are they considered truly random? It's simple: if they cannot be predicted with a reasonable degree of certainty, they are considered random. Most players find this to be a satisfactory explanation.
To make sure you're playing games with reliable algorithms powered by fair random number generators, we recommend that you stick to games from reputable casino game developers. Find out more about them by clicking the button below.
How Random Number Generators Work
If you really wanted to get the full picture of RNGs, you would need a background in advanced computer programming. Fortunately, this is not a level of understanding that we need to reach. We just need to know enough material to understand the basic, significant concepts that allow us to see, more or less, how RNGs work, or are supposed to work, in theory.
A special type of RNG is used by online casinos and it's called a Pseudo Random Number Generator. What makes these unique is that they don't require any input. All they need is a number (called a seed number) and a computer algorithm to determine the results.
Some random number generators can generate billions of numbers per second, which means that the results are truly unpredictable by any means we currently understand. Perhaps one day an advanced artificial intelligence will figure out a way to predict them, but that seems like a long way off!
With that said, the most astute members of this audience may have already come to the understanding that RNGs are not completely random in the absolute sense of the word. Although the numbers they produce are almost impossible to predict, they are actually governed by a seed number and a computer algorithm-both of which are, if not completely, then at least partially predictable.
Moreover, there are a limited number of choices the algorithm can make before it must return and go over the same ground - a loop in the computational equivalent of a hamster wheel. This has led to the theory that if enough time is spent playing the games and enough information is hoarded, the algorithm itself will be exposed.
Some believe that this would take far too long and prefer the brute force approach of hacking instead. Is this possible? Not for most players. But, as you'll read next, some have done it.
Cheating a Random Number Generator
What if you had the source code to an RNG and the skills to hack it? What would you do with that access?
Don't be shy. You can confess. We know you'd work it for all it's worth if it came to that, and in the casinos, that's your prerogative. After all, they started out as places of entertainment.
In such a privileged position, Ronald Harris did what he was supposed to do. He toiled for many years at the top of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. From that perch, he preened and processed access to the very algorithms that make casinos work and unwind many more of their idiosyncratic game outcome nuts. He wasn't playing a legitimate version of the house game.
His job was to find defects and fix them. But he decided to go in a different direction. He changed the source code so that it would pay out when a certain number and combination of coins were inserted into the machine.
For years, thousands of dollars had been stolen by Harris and an accomplice, only for the duo to be caught. And what, you might ask, led to their downfall? Why, it was nothing less than an attempt to pull off the same scam on Keno games! Amusingly, this particular caper - running the scam on keno games - was combined with Harris' equally amusing attempt to secure victory by using some fancy programming skills.
What he didn't include in his algorithm was the razor-sharp intuition of casino security. They caught his accomplice and got him to talk. Harris got seven years for the crime, but served only two.
Legendary author Oscar Wilde once said, "I can resist anything but temptation. Even the most self-possessed among us would probably give in to this one!
Why Understanding RNGs Matters
RNGs keep electronic casino games fair. Whether in a land-based Las Vegas casino or online, the randomness, or at least the seeming randomness, of these virtual games is maintained by this ubiquitous gaming technology.
Once you understand them, which you hopefully do by now, you’ll:
- Realize that online casinos are not being dishonest with you. If you lose to a virtual machine multiple times in a row, it's just the RNG doing its thing. No matter how strange it may seem, if you're betting at a reputable online casino, they're not doing anything shady
- basically, you can't beat slot machines and other casino games by cheating. Unless you have the seed numbers and algorithms to work with and are filled with the kind of mathematical genius that makes events like the World Series of Poker happen, your chances of beating a random number generator are somewhere between slim and none. You can greatly improve your odds by using effective strategies in Blackjack, for example, but let's face it: at the end of the day, you're at the mercy of math. The house has a slight advantage. You can turn that, more or less, into a virtually guaranteed win for the house in any given time frame you choose. This is despite the fact that Blackjack is a game that can be beaten;
Common Questions About RNGs
Q. How do I know I can trust a random number generator?
Since you do not have access to the algorithm, you must rely on outside entities to ensure fairness. This is where eCOGRA and similar outfits come in. They are considered the best there is when it comes to testing these online games for fairness.
Q. How do these third parties test random number generators?
They play the games for thousands of hands/spins and record the results, then statistically analyze them. They also review the algorithms to ensure that no cheating is built into them.
Q. Do land-based casinos also use RNGs?
Yes, they do. Ever since the introduction of electronic slot machines, RNGs have been used to determine outcomes.
Q. I feel I’ve been cheated at a casino which has a rigged RNG. Can I report it?
Some casinos use independent dispute resolution agencies such as IBAS, which handles many disputes in the United Kingdom. There are many similar organizations around the world that do the same. But some casinos you might play at in the US refuse to do this, and for those that do, you're usually looking at a situation that's resolved far from the player's window, in a way that's not really satisfying or fair. And if you end up in a dispute with a casino that won't go to independent arbitration, you can always complain to the jurisdiction that licensed the casino.