While some casino games have a skill element within the outcome, some casino games are purely according to chance. Because all online casino games are partly or completely driven by chance, all casino games count on a random number generator, or RNG in the software that powers the game. The RNG is a mathematical application that does precisely what it says: generates a completely random number. Not all RNGs are identical, and they have to be tested extensively to guarantee that the numbers they generate actually are random.

In some games, the usage of an RNG has an obvious role. In European roulette, one example is the RNG generates a number from 1 to 37 (with 37 corresponding to “0”) on the roulette wheel. The RNG generates a number, the casino stops, and bets are paid or forfeited.

In craps, the RNG has to generate two random numbers simultaneously, and in single deck card games, the RNG has to generate a number from 1 to 52, with each of those numbers corresponding to a specific card. During just one deck card game, the RNG must “remember” which cards it has already dealt so that they will not be dealt again. With multiple-deck games like online blackjack, the RNG has an much more complicated mathematical algorithm driving it.

Some RNGs require the user to specify an initial “seed” value, which itself varies randomly. Some of them use the time on a clock as a seed, in order that there isn’t any human intervention at all within the RNG. You’ll find some RNGs that basically involve numerous RNGs running all at the same time, with one RNG picking from among the results, creating a sort of super-randomness to the calculation. As always, they are very oversimplified ways of describing how RNGs work, but it provides you with some idea of the “brain” behind the many professional slots online casino games you enjoy.

To be deemed as fair, numbers spit out by any RNG have to be unpredictable and unbiased. To ensure that this really is the case, internet gaming platforms have to be tested regularly by independent testing entities like eCOGRA. The testing groups have to test the RNG algorithms over millions of hands of card games or millions of throws of dice to ensure that the numbers are unpredictable and unbiased.

In your online research about internet gambling, you could stumble across someone or site telling you that the specific slot machine has a “cycle” that’s predictable enough that you could learn when it’s “due” for a jackpot, or that could want to sell you some sort of system for predicting hits. These ploys are not gambles at all: they are just good ways to throw away your hard earned money. Save those hard-earned dollars for something else!

When selecting among online casinos, you will want to look for ones whose gaming software is tested by eCOGRA, Certified Fair Gambling (CFG), Gaming Associates, BMM International, Technical Systems Testing (TST), Price Waterhouse Coopers, or another reputable independent auditor. A casino online that’s up front about its software platform and independent auditing is far more prone to give you a fair and fun internet gaming experience.