Inexperienced players are often concerned about fairness when joining a new online casino and this uneasiness is perfectly natural, especially when one is a first-timer. After all, they entrust casino operators with their hard-earned money and fair play is the least they deserve in return.
Sometimes several losing rounds in succession are all it takes to convince rookies they are being cheated out of their money. The subject of interest in today’s article is ‘Do online casinos really tamper with the games they offer?’ and the short answer is no, at least as long as they are licensed and properly regulated.
Continue reading as we shed more light on the subject and explain how reputable online gambling businesses preserve the integrity of their games. Also included in the article are notable examples of rigged games in the past, along with tips on how to steer clear of gambling platforms that could potentially cheat you out of your money.
Random Number Generators in Online Casino Games
All online casino games run on random number generators (RNGs) that ensure their outcomes are completely arbitrary and fair to players. They churn out long and complex number sequences without discernible patterns to produce entirely random results in games without human dealers.
The RNG is constantly at work and never ceases to produce arbitrary numbers that are transformed into different elements of the casino games within a split second.
It determines what symbols will appear on the slot reels during a given spin, the values of the cards dealt in games like baccarat and blackjack, and the numbers the ball lands on in online roulette. Two types of random number generators are commonly used in online casinos:
Theoretical Return to Player (RTP)
As random as they are, online casino games are programmed in a way that ensures the house always retains a small percentage of the overall amount of money wagered in the long term.
This percentage reflects the house edge and represents the casino’s long-term statistical advantage over gamblers. Gambling companies must turn a profit after all, or else they would quickly go out of business.
On the other side of the coin, we have the term theoretical return to player (RTP) which denotes what percentage of the total wagers a game pays back to players in the form of winnings. The RTP fluctuates dramatically across different casino games so here is an example with double-zero roulette.
These percentages reflect the long-term profits. Some players would win big over the short term, while others would experience heart-wrenching losing streaks that could drain their entire bankrolls.
Players from the second category might be left with the impression the casino has cheated them out of their money by somehow rigging the game or reducing its theoretical return. In reality, experiencing such losing streaks is not unheard of when it comes to gambling.
Anything could happen over the short term with chanced-based games like roulette or slots. Randomness and unpredictability are precisely what casino operators rely on. A truly unpredictable, and therefore, fair game will still return less money than the overall amounts wagered on it in the long run.
The Role of Independent Testing Agencies
All reputable and properly licensed gambling sites subject their portfolios to regular audits to prove their games have not been tampered with and live up to their long-term theoretical expectation.
The audits are conducted by independent testing agencies approved by the regulatory bodies that license the gambling operators.
These third-party auditors inspect the random number generators the games run on to confirm there is no bias or glitches in favor of a given casino, i.e. the results should always be randomly distributed.
Trusted operators publish the aggregate payout percentages of their entire catalogs, along with the average expected return for different gaming categories like slots, table games, and video poker.
We list some of the most highly accredited third-party testing agencies in the gambling industry below. You will have no reasons for concern if your preferred online casino carries the stamp of approval of one of these independent auditors. The odds are most certainly above board.
Still skeptical about the fairness of online casino games? Here is why you should trust the accreditation of the test houses listed above:
- These are companies with decades of experience in the field of analytics and software assessment.
- They hail from jurisdictions with strict law enforcement. Companies of such magnitude would never risk tampering with test results since doing so will lead to prosecution, conviction, monetary sanctions, and above all, loss of reputation.
- Most testing houses have been officially approved by major gambling regulators like the UKGC, AGCC, DGE, AGCO, and Spelinspektionen.
The Role of Online Gambling Regulatory Authorities
Online gambling regulators fulfill various essential tasks, including issuing licenses to approved gaming businesses, monitoring their operations for compliance with the rules, and safeguarding players from unethical practices. Before you sign up and deposit real money anywhere, always check who licenses and oversees the online casino you are interested in.
Playing at rigorously regulated gambling sites that undergo all the necessary software and payout inspections is the surest way to protect yourself against rigged games. Below, we list some of the most stringent regulatory organizations in the gambling industry.
Red Flags to Consider before Playing Casino Games for Real Money
Now that we have established that all regulated operators undergo consistent audits and would never risk their reputation by rigging their games, we shall highlight several red flags to watch out for before you join a real-money online casino.
A gambling site is not necessarily rigged if it meets one or two of these criteria. However, we recommend you still exercise due diligence and take to your heels if you detect any suspicious anomalies in the games’ outcomes.
- The online casino is blacklisted by numerous independent review sites.
- Former customers systematically give negative feedback and complain of result inconsistencies.
- The online casino consistently receives low ratings from both players and professional reviewers.
- Licensing information is obscure or altogether absent from the casino’s website.
- The brand is licensed in a banana republic or a foreign jurisdiction with lax or no regulatory enforcement.
- The casino never publishes the payout percentages of its games.
- The operator’s name is associated with past cases of cheating and offering unfair games.
- The operator insists its catalog undergoes regular audits but lacks a certificate from any recognized independent testing house.
- Former customers consistently report delayed or altogether denied withdrawals.
- The terms and conditions page contains unfair or ambiguous clauses open to broad interpretation.