Random Number Generator - The Backbone Of Every Online Casino

Random Number Generator??

A Random Number Generator is a computational or physical device designed to generate a sequence of numbers or symbols that lack any patterns.

OK STOP!

Really now, what is this RNG in the everyday language? To properly understand the concept, first grab a coin and flip it. Is it heads or tail? Well that's your RNG under the hood. Now grab a dice and throw it. What number did you roll? Another instance of an RNG. Take your deck of cards, shuffle it and pick a card. Was it the Ace? Yes, you guessed it, that's RNG.

All of us had to do with the random number generator at some point in our lives, from our friend asking us to pick a number from 1 to 100 to encountering a crossroad and choosing a path blindfolded. For computers, RNG is somehow the same thing. Why somehow? Because it's not purely random. To make the computer choose a random number, we have to give an instruction, some kind of a lead. Since we are talking to a computer, we have to speak with it in a language that both sides understand like mathematics. So we write mathematical formulas aka algorithms. Also, it has to start from somewhere so we give it a starting number aka seed number. Using those math instructions that seed number will be replaced every time a new number is generated.

But all this randomness doesn't come naturally so we use our observations and define it ourselves. That's why it's not truly random but pseudorandom or PRNG.

PRNG And Online Casino Games

Every online casino is based on this PRNG which determines the order of the cards in any given deck, the number rolled or the outcome of a wheel spin. At every shuffle, roll or spin, a new number is generated; that number is translated using another set of instructions so that it corresponds with the cards in play, the numbers on the dice or from the roulette. Sounds easy enough to crack?

Well not really. Algorithms like Mersenne Twister widely used in the online casino industry usually result in very large numbers. The Mersenne Twister is based on the Mersenne prime (2¹⁹⁹³⁷ - 1 to get the idea) which has a very loooooong period. The standard implementation uses a 32-bit word length which means it can generate a number from 0 to over 4 billion (4,294,967,295 to be exact). Now imagine solving this puzzle if the initial seed number would also be a random-generated one.

With card games, things have got much more complicated as of late. The single-shuffle method is still a valid one (like in most live casino, using the PRNG, the deck is shuffled once, cut, then dealt and shuffled once more after the hand is finished) but the continuous shuffle is rapidly gaining ground. Continuous means the deck is shuffled before dealing every new card which makes live strategies like Blackjack card counting impossible to apply.

Who Regulates The Online Casino Market?

Nowadays, all online casinos and other gambling players like poker sites must pass some regulated RNG tests before offering their games to the wide audience. These tests ensure that the algorithm is indeed as random as it can be without flaws than can put in danger the fairness of the games.

Every casino RNG out on the web must be audited by third-party independent regulators like eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA), Technical Systems Testing (TST), Kahnawake Gaming Commission or even PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Why Is the Random Number Generator So Important?

A healthy and unbreakable RNG is absolutely necessary so that the online casino games can truly be fair and secure. A healthy and unbreakable RNG can replicate with a high degree of accuracy what happens in a live casino. This is why it is extremely important to check all licences (usually they are found at the bottom of the home page) before playing on any online casino site.

We at OnlineCasino.co.nz provide you with the best offers that are totally fair and secure and respect the RNG standards. So go right ahead and try any of them. May luck (or better yet RNG) be with you!