You must have played roulette or poker umpteen number of times in the online casino. Have you ever thought how that Ace or 6 was dealt out? When you are playing in a land-based casino, everything happens in front of you and you can testify the fairness of the game. But what happens in online casinos? Do they really generate random numbers and are fair to us? If these questions have ever crossed your mind then read on.

What is a Random Number Generator?

Online casinos use a Random Number Generator or RNG, in short. It is a piece of software that generates numbers in random order. It forms the core of the online casinos. Its only duty is to generate numbers and has no power to influence the games.

You may wonder how they manage to do it or are the numbers really random, as they claim to be? Let us explore more and find out how RNGs work.

How Random Number Generators work?

Whenever as a player you wager and start to play the RNG generates a number or a set of numbers randomly. To do so, it requires an initial value which is often known as “seed”. The seed has to be different to generate random numbers. This is achieved through a complex algorithm. Otherwise if same seed is provided same set of numbers will be spawned and it will not be random anymore.

Normally, the seed takes the number from the time at which you started to play. The process may seem very easy but in reality is a complex one. A Random Number Generator takes a tiny fraction from the time at which you initiated the game and puts it in a complicated and unknown formula to generate the random numbers.

How a Random Number Generator ensures that numbers are random?

Some Random Number Generators use algorithms that take the seed from irrational numbers like Pi. The algorithm may take the seed from the Pi number itself and produce a string of numbers.

But there is a chance of someone being able to come to know of this and predict the string of numbers. So a RNG uses a different method. It takes the seed from the computer time and then uses it to jump at the particular point in the sequence of Pi numbers, thereby making the system more random and hence unpredictable.

Some casinos use an algorithm that is a combination of several RNGs. Multiple Random Number Generators work simultaneously and a “boss” sort of RNG picks numbers from the set of numbers produced. This introduces double randomness in the system.

If you are still worried about the fairness of the online games then you can check out the seal of the certification on the website and visit the auditor’s website to view the original report.

Knowing how Random Number Generators work must have satiated your inquisitiveness. It must have also removed all traces of doubts that you had against online casinos. May be next time when you play online poker or craps you will be enjoying the game more without thinking of someone cheating you.