A Random Number Generator is a computer programme that generates game outcomes arbitrarily. There are different types, and the one online real money game sites use is called Pseudo-Random Number Generators, which are unique in that they don’t need external data or numbers to produce output. All they require is an algorithm and a seed number.
New seed numbers and results for these are produced every millisecond by taking the last number or two that have been produced and applying a mathematic operation to them. Addition, division, multiplication, or subtraction are used to create a new random outcome.
How Online Casinos Use RNGs
This software is used for virtual games that don’t have an offline or online dealer. For slots, for example, it assigns a value to each of the symbols on a reel. In a 5-reel game where each reel has 12 symbols, the RNG assigns a value of one to 12 for each of the 5 reels and you’ll win when the required amount of these form a winning combination.
You don’t ever have to worry about being cheated thanks to this software. Not only do operators understand that there is far more money to be made in the long-term if they play fair, but all their software also has to be tested by independent third-party companies on a regular basis.
The Steps Taken to Ensure RNG Fairness
Licensed, regulated online casinos get their software tested by trustworthy, unbiased third parties that offer a full range of consulting and testing to both brick-and-mortar and online gambling companies.
This includes game and mathematics appraisals, RNG evaluations, ongoing RNG or game payout verification, reporting betting exchange and live dealer gauging, sportsbook ratings, Poker system audits, and full security inspections.
These types of independent checks ensure that games do not get influenced by variables like how many credits are in play, the size of the possible payout, and VIP cards. They also confirm that the machines in question meet the minimum payout percentages that have been set by the area’s authorities and gaming commissions, where rules can vary.
RNGs Are Everywhere
These complex programmes more than ably do their job of ensuring that players are being treated fairly when they spin slots reels online, try to beat the dealer to 21, or bet on red or black at the roulette table.
They’re used by many systems, too, not just online casinos with NZ dollars . Your smartphone even makes use them! In April 2016, for example, the Transportation Security Administration agency in the USA started using a randomiser application at 100 different airports. All the app does is choose left or right arbitrarily by using an RNG to tell people which security line to go through.
This is really no different than the software deciding which symbols to put on which slots reel, which card to deal next in your game or which pocket the Roulette ball will land in when the round comes to an end. Except everyone would pick the latter options over an airport security line!