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The Role of RNG in Online Casinos

Kevin LentzBy Kevin Lentz Writer at Casinos.US Updated: 02/19/2024
Kevin Lentz Kevin Lentz Writer at Casinos.US See Full Bio

Kevin has been involved in the gambling industry since the ‘80s. From winning tournaments to casino management, he’s ultimately done it all. Throughout the years, he’s written for various iGaming publications on topics such as the legal landscape of online casinos and strategies behind winning. His favorite game is blackjack.

What is rng in casino gambling RNG in Online Casinos

A random number generator or RNG is at the heart of all slot machines, whether you are playing them in a land-based casino or playing an online RNG casino from the comfort of your couch.

In those online casinos, the casino random number generator will also stand in for the truly random things like the shuffle of the cards, the spin of the roulette ball, or the landing of the dice.

We are going to take a deep dive into these all-important pieces of software so we can more fully understand how they decide winners and losers on the casino floor, whether it be real or virtual.

Understanding RNG in Online Casinos

Once the first slot machines went from mechanical reels to electronic games, they required a way to pick the random stops for the reels. Enter the PRNG or Pseudo-random number generator. This software uses an initial seed number to generate an almost but not quite random number.

Since if we were to know the original seed number or numbers, we could work out the sequence of numbers our PRNG was spitting out, it can’t truly be called random. For that, we would need something from the physical world that isn’t predictable, like radiation decay. So, we use mathematical formulas to approximate true randomness.

It’s this PRNG, then, that determines things like wheel stops, roulette numbers, or card distribution in an online casino’s software. And it is this software that all state gaming agencies put to a rigorous test to ensure that it acts randomly.

The fact that this procedure is called a Chi-Square Test of Goodness of Fit is just a bonus and a fun fact to get your slot attendant to roll their eyes at you when you share it.

The Importance of RNG in Casino Games

Whether we are simulating the throw of dice or the spin of a roulette wheel, we need software that reliably replicates randomness. And, of course, we require that software be vetted by state gaming agencies or their certified partners that can demonstrably say these games are square and work just as they would in the real world.

In the case of online casino card games, the RNG “shuffles” the cards. Perhaps it’s a poker-type game with just a standard 52-card deck, or maybe it’s an 8-deck baccarat game with 416 different cards. The RNG will use its long, long string of random numbers to generate a shuffle. Now, just in the case of a standard 52-card deck, there are eight followed by 67 zeros different combinations of cards. That’s a lot of possible combinations.

Dice and Roulette are more straightforward. The RNG will choose which number the ball would have landed or what each dice would have landed on separately.

Slot machines can be a little trickier. The RNG will tell the machine what “position” to stop, but each reel may have 256 or sometimes more stops. Some of these stops are spaced so that it may appear that you came close to winning due to the use of the blank spots or low-paying symbols clustered around jackpot symbols on the electronic reel.

Another misconception is that the wheels are spinning in some way. The RNG picks the stops for the reels the second the button is pushed. The spinning reels are just a software feature to build suspense.

Best RNG Online Casinos

US-based online casinos must face rigorous software testing in each State where they are licensed by the gaming control board and their computer labs. Many top-notch operators like BetMGM or Fanduel will also have their software certified and licensed by ECOGRA or TST, which are worldwide testing labs that independently verify and authenticate gambling software for fairness.

In New Jersey alone, there are almost 30 online casino operators, all of which have been rigorously scrutinized for randomness, all of which use RNG to run nearly every game or slot on their sites.

Other gambling powerhouses like Caesars, DraftKings, Golden Nugget, and others trade on the New York Stock Exchange and generally have a license to print money with their gambling operations. The notion that a casino like Caesars, with 50 land-based casinos and four other online casinos just in the US, would tamper with an RNG and put all that at risk is almost inconceivable.

RNG Slots and Their Popularity

Slot players are much more accepting in general of RNG because most of them have been playing on RNG slots since they began gambling. RNGs control the stops on a reel but don’t set the Return To Player (RTP) or whether the game will have low or high volatility. Volatility is whether the machine pays back frequently in smaller wins for low volatility or is set for high volatility and pays back with large wins very infrequently. The number of reels determines this, as well as the placement of the winning symbols on those reels and, of course, the number of those reels.

The five hottest RNG slot games out there right now in RNG slot online casinos are:

  • Starburst which has five reels and an RTP of 96.1%
  • Book Of Dead Five reels, and an RTP of 96.21%
  • Big Bass Bonanza also has five reels and an RTP of 96.71%
  • Blood Suckers five reels but an incredible 98% payback
  • Gonzo’s Quest Megaway: Six reels and 96% RTP

RNG Roulette and Roulette Variations

The last few years have seen live dealer roulette, where an actual wheel is spun by a real dealer in a studio and then streamed, explode in popularity. Roulette Players have always been vocal about their dislike of RNG roulette.

That said, the minimums are higher on live dealer roulette. You can’t really find that many fun roulette titles that are only available when you play with an RNG. Here are five of our favorites:

  • French Roulette: designed by NetEnt and featuring La Partage rules on even money bets, which takes the house edge to only 1.35%
  • Multi-Wheel Roulette: Playtech built a roulette game that lets you simultaneously place the same bet on up to eight separate wheels.
  • Double Ball Roulette: An Evolution Gaming classic that could only be played on an RNG simulated wheel. 2 balls, one roulette wheel, double the fun.
  • Lightning Roulette: An Evolution Gaming hybrid played with their streaming live dealer service, but an RNG picks random winning numbers with random win multipliers.
  • American Roulette: The classic game played in the US with two zeros and a terrible 5.26% house edge. But it’s always a fan favorite.

RNG Blackjack and The Best Blackjack Variations

RNG in online blackjack is how the cards are randomized since we can’t do a shuffle. It’s hard to conceptualize, but once the game starts, the cards are in their position just as they would be in a blackjack game after the dealer shuffles.

The RNG isn’t randomly pulling a card when you ask for a hit or deciding which card to deal to your inside straight draw in poker. Here are some Blackjack games with the best RTPs when played with basic strategy.

  • Atlantic City Blackjack: Played with eight decks, but good rules, including late surrender. 99.65% RTP.
  • Blackjack Switch: The player is dealt two hands and can switch the top two cards if needed to improve their hand. But even money on blackjack and a dealer 22 pushes all hands. 99.92% RTP.
  • Single Deck Blackjack: Play up to three hands with this BESoft version of the casino classic. Great rules and one deck mean an RTP of 99.55%
  • Pontoon: Real Time Gaming made this internet classic over a decade ago. Sort of a hybrid of five-card Charlie meets Spanish Blackjack RTP 99.62%
  • Vegas Strip Blackjack: 4 decks in this Microgaming version. But a good rule set and fun soundtrack stand it apart. 99.7% RTP

Conclusion

The role that random number generators play in online casinos is substantial. This little luck engine lies at the heart of every piece of gambling software. While not truly random, it produces long strings of numbers indistinguishable from random using high-level mathematical functions.

While essential in online casinos, they also have a role in every brick-and-mortar slot. They are seen in many other functions in retail casinos, like automatic shufflers and drawing promotions. Gamblers worldwide increasingly depend on this random number god every time they enter a casino.

FAQs About RNG Casinos

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about Random Number Generators and Casinos.

How are RNGs tested for fairness?

All Casino software is checked and rechecked by labs that specialize in the complex mathematics and programming needed to make sure a couple of million digits are as close to random as we can get them. Most casinos will prominently post certifications from these companies.

Can I Predict When a Jackpot Will Hit Using the RNG?

Yes, but actually no. If you have the source code, seed numbers and some powerful computers, you could replicate the string of numbers. In fact, this was done by a Nevada Gaming Control Board employee who went rogue and terrorized Casino keno parlors for a few months before being caught. But that's a different thing to you being able to do it.

Can the RNG Make Slot Machines Hot or Cold?

The whole point of going to extraordinary lengths to ensure that we have random numbers is to ensure that it pulls results that mimic the real world. Can a roulette ball fall into the same number eight times? Yes. Slot machines can appear to run hot or cold, but the difference is that we will never know until after it happens.

Can Casinos' RNGs be Hacked?

Yes! Recent examples other than Ronald Harris, the Nevada Gaming Agent mentioned above, include a Russian hacker who was able to reverse engineer RNGs from a specific subset of slots and then, using video, buzz his partners with just the right time to hit the spin button to win. They traveled the world looking for these older model slots to steal from.

Another recent ethical hacker demonstrated the ability to completely own a brand of Automatic Shuffler used in almost every major land-based casino. While they didn't make it as far as reverse engineering the RNG, they were confident they could, and in the meantime, they could hack an internal camera built into the machine to read the order of the cards before they were dealt or force it to do other commands.

Does My Pick in the Bonus Rounds Matter?

Sadly no. Agonizing over what balloon to pop or square to pick in a bonus round isn't going to change anything. The RNG has already rolled the dice, and the result will show no matter your choice.
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