To the average player, casino games are based on luck. To programmers, luck doesn’t exist: games, outcomes, payouts, and results are all based around probability. Everything is calculated, nothing is unexpected; math always ensures that large payouts even out in the long term, as probability ensures that is always the case.

A few players will win big, some will lose, others will break even. The mathematical beauty of online casino programming may be ignored by the average player that’s simply looking to spend a few dollars playing games, but for programmers and coding experts, it’s a form of art.

Math, but Optimized for Players

Programming and coding elements play a key role in the way games work, but a bunch of code glued together wouldn’t be a success, no matter how good the stats are. That’s why successful game developers integrate flawless coding into an engine that is visually pleasing and fun to use for the average user.

Modern casinos are prioritizing the creation of “mobile-first” engines due to the growing popularity of mobile gaming. Likewise, players find it extremely important to have an instant feedback loop with sounds, pop-ups, and attractive animations that make it appealing to keep spinning the reels or asking the game to deal them cards.

Engaging elements also play a crucial role in the online casino world. Bonuses like the BitStarz no deposit bonus grant players free spins to enjoy slots for free, while reward programs ensure that players have reasons to keep coming back to the platforms.

The Engine that Powers Them All

Online slot games are designed with a software algorithm called a “Random Number Generator”, or RNG for short. This software’s entire role is to output a random sequences of number with no detectable patterns, and these numbers are mapped to the symbols that appear on the game reels.

In the case of virtual casino table games, the numbers of the RNG are mapped to the outcomes of the tables. When a blackjack player gets dealt a 21 and wins a 3:2 payout, the outcome was determined by a number sequence generated by the RNG.

These RNGs are always generating numbers. When players click “spin”, “play”, or “deal”, the RNG output determines the result at the exact time in which the button is clicked. That’s why most games feature quick-play options: since outcomes are determined as soon as the “play” button is clicked, everything else is but an animation designed to improve the user’s experience.

Are these RNGs fair at all?

RNG implementation is tested by third-parties that have the sole purpose of certifying game developers, allowing players to check these certificates and to rest assured that outcomes are truly randomly generated. This also means that the outcomes cannot be manipulated by the staff of an online casino.

Major providers, such as Play’n GO, NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, and NoLimit City, aren’t only licensed by some of the world’s most reputable entities, but they also make sure that their RNG software is tested by laboratories like eCOGRA or iTechLabs. The combination of a game development license and a certificate that guarantees the legitimacy of RNG is what gives reliability to these studios.

RNG is Programmed into Other Gaming Elements

Every game has a different RNG programming that determines how likely payouts are, how frequent they can be, and what the expected amount of money is that the house expects to keep from a particular casino game.

In fact, the programming of a game’s RNG is what leads to the relevance of other terms that reflect a game’s main features:

• The return to player rate, known as RTP, which is a percentage that reflects how much money players are epxetce to win from a casino game in the long run. Most slots have a 96% RTP, which means that they expect to pay players $96$ out of every $100 that they bet.
• The house edge, which is the opposite of RTP. It represents how much money the casino expects to keep from each game. If a game has an RTP of 96%, then its house edge is 4%.
• The volatility, a term used to describe how frequent payouts are and how big they tend to be. The higher the volatility, the less frequent the payouts, but they more likely they are to be large.

All of these elements are programmed into the RNG engine to make sure that game’s always perform to their mathematical programming in the long run. This is how all legitimate virtual casino games work.