One of the biggest concerns for many players when they sign up at an online casino to play games of their choice, is if they can truly trust the establishment and who is to say that the whole thing is not rigged. So, are online casinos rigged? Well, yes and no – they are not rigged the way you think, in a way that is illegal, but they are designed to make sure that the casino does not end up losing all of its money. This is a complex point to make and requires a detailed explanation.
It should be clear to everyone that like any business, online casinos have to make a profit to survive. The house has to get its take, and that’s the way casino games are set up.
You must have a good understanding of what to expect when you log into an online casino. First, not all online casinos can be trusted, which is why we have blacklisted many dangerous sites. You may want to have a look at a list of our blacklisted casino sites.
But apart from that, you don’t have to worry too much as long as you frequent only licensed online casinos. The authorities have put in many laws and regulations to make sure that the players are not taken advantage of and the casinos are run in a legal and ethical manner.
Online casinos or gaming sites are above all a profit-making concern – a business. They are based on a single-minded objective of making money. Much of the money they make is invested back into the business, to enhance security and to improve customer experience. If they don’t make money, they won’t be around for too long.
The house has to have an edge over the players; otherwise, the casino will go out of business. That does not indicate that the games are rigged. There is a certain randomness that is built into the system that makes it impossible to rig any casino game.
Apart from that, luck plays a huge role. Some players could get fabulously lucky one moment, and really unlucky the next moment. Luck/bad luck cannot be controlled – it just happens. You can be sure that you have as much of a chance of winning big – or losing big – as just about anyone.
Making Sense of the Randomness of a Casino Game
Any discussion on the randomness of a casino game and the credibility of the online casino should take into account the RTPs and the RNGs. RTPs means Return to Player and RNGs means Random Number Generator. Let’s quickly take a look at what these terms mean.
Return To Player Rates (RTP)
RTP refers to the odds you have of winning any slot at a casino game. It is expressed as a percentage. So if a slot has an “Expected RTP of 93%” that means of the €100 spent on the slot, you can expect €90 to return to you at least.
So the higher the RTP rate, the less likely it is that you’re going to lose a lot of money. Buy slots with lower RTP rate could offer you a much higher upside potential. Generally, you should expect a minimum RTP rate of 90% and a maximum of 95%.
There is another thing to note here called as the Variance, which describes the type of payouts you can expect from a slot. High variance means higher payouts, but with less frequency and low variance means lower payouts but with higher frequency.
Random Number Generators (RNG)
Behind all online slots is a computer program called as a Random Number Generator. The RNG guarantees that all players have an equal chance of winning an online slot. It does so by sending in a different set of numbers every time a player clicks spin on the slot.
RNG introduces a measure of randomness into the results. Because of RNG, you can be sure that the computer system that the slot is based on does not know who is playing; it has no memory and cannot take a decision to make any particular player win or lose. Whether you win or not is completely based on random circumstances. This ensures that everyone has the same chance of winning at an online casino game.
Gaming Licenses for Online Casinos
All casinos need to get licensed by a proper licensing authority or recognized body. A casino license is not easy to get as it requires the establishment to meet the appropriate safety, security and ethical requirements for responsible gaming. The customer service provided by them is also taken into account.
The licensing authority will do a background check into the ownership of the casino and monitors the casino regularly to make sure that nothing is amiss. They judge the ownership of the establishment on many yardsticks such as financial capability, business competence, no criminal record and a high level of integrity.
The most important thing considered is “fair play” – just how fair a casino is to the players. The licensing authority makes sure that any registered player gets the same opportunity to win as anyone else.
Why You Should Always Play at Licensed Online Casinos
You should stick to licensed casinos only because they are safe, secure and give you the peace of mind you seek. The whole idea behind playing a slot game is to have fun and make a little money while you’re at it. The last thing you want is to worry about being scammed when you’re playing your favorite slot games.
You can feel confident about playing at licensed casinos as the checks are done by authorized third parties or recognized regulatory bodies. You can certainly trust casinos approved by the Malta Gaming Authority and the UK Gambling Commission, as they have extremely stringent requirements. If you’re from the UK, you should know that the casino industry there is highly regulated, this means casinos can operate in the UK only if they have a UK license.
So you’re generally safe at UK casinos. Licensed casinos in other territories should be safe as well, as long as you take a few basic precautions. Always be prepared to do your research and find out as much as possible about a casino, its history and policies and read up as many professional reviews on it before taking a decision.
Final Thoughts
For sure, there are many reasons why you should be concerned about online casinos being unfair or rigged. But remember, the casino industry is watched closely by law enforcement authorities and very strictly regulated. Any casino that does not ensure fair play to all individual players or fails to protect their personal data or payment information risks losing its license, which would kill its business for good.
So, you don’t really have to worry too much about being scammed by a casino as long as you choose to play at those that are licensed by a recognized authority, pick the slots that suit your style and follow the basic rules of money management and gameplay.
Finally, follow our recommendations when deciding where to play. We have partnered with only the best online casinos and make sure that we have only the safest and the most secure and legitimate casino establishments on our list.
Follow our online casino reviews and comparisons for more detailed information. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you need to know more. Do your research, stay safe, play fair and have fun!