How Online Casinos Work: Licenses, Software, and RNGs

As COVID pushes both gamblers and casino operators online, hundreds and thousands of new platforms try to allure players with mind-boggling bonuses, VIP programs, loyalty clubs, and who knows how many other thrilling perks. But whether you like it or not, there’s no such thing as a free lunch: if you ignore the basics of online casinos, jumping full steam ahead on the bandwagon of tempting offers, you might end up leaving the casino frustrated and empty-pocketed.

On the flip side, if you’ve been patient enough to do your homework – that is, you’ve learned how online casinos work and can now apply your knowledge in practice – chances are you are all set to select the gambling platform of your dreams. Speaking of the theoretical base to have, it would include the three following pillars of casino operation: licenses, software, and Random Number Generators. Without further ado, let’s start to decipher them one by one.

Licenses, Certificates, and Seals of Approval

Whether it’s the all-employing Polskiekasynohex.org or any other online gambling venue, to operate in the legal field, it must have a license. However, the presence of a license doesn’t mean that the casino can accept players from anywhere in the world: players from the countries where gambling is forbidden won’t be able to play no matter how many licenses the casino possesses.

Therefore, it would only be wise to find out whether you can or cannot play from your country in the first place since if you cannot, all the further efforts would be in vain.

There are dozens of jurisdiction where casinos can get a license, but for obvious reasons, (taxes, price, requirements, etc.) most casinos obtain licenses in the following jurisdictions:

  • Curacao.
  • The United Kingdom.
  • Canada (Kahnawake).
  • Malta.
  • Gibraltar.

The very fact of having a license signifies the high standards of the casino and a very low likelihood that the platform would try to deceive, cheat, or hide important information – which shady venues do practice from time to time, placing the info on wagering requirements, fees, and other limitations in the most distant corners of the website. On that note, if you want to safeguard yourself as much as you can, look for casinos with two, three, or more licenses as it’s quite an accomplishment to fit the demands of several jurisdictions at once.

Besides licenses, most casinos crave seals of approval from <a href=”https://ecogra.org/” rel=”nofollow”>eCOGRA</a>, iTech Labs, GLI, TST, BMM Testlabs, NMi, Gaming Associates, SQS, and other credible software testing agencies so that they could look even more credible in the customers’ eyes. Seals of approval are indeed important because they also signify that the software and RNGs used by the casino aren’t rigged.

Software

You can even stop researching your casino when you see that it has a license – or a few ones – that you can trust. But if you’re interested in the diversity of games, then make sure you can find Microgaming, Playtech, NetEnt, and Evolution Gaming software among the other providers at your would-be casino. Ideally, though, the casino of your dream should include a few dozen software providers, allowing you to jump from game to game at your first whim.

Random Number Generators, Return to Player, House Edge

Every against-the-machine game is run by a Random Number Generator, which is a computer program that determines the outcome of the game (a spin, a draw, a throw, a shuffle, etc.). Whether you win or lose is known at the very moment you push the ‘Play’ button, and then the symbols land in their places, and the animation appears to make it more exciting for you.

The outcomes are random except for the fact that the long-run total of all outcomes would equal the specified Return to Player value. For example, a game with an RTP of 90% would return you 90 cents out of each dollar wagered on it if you played it for a very long time. In reality, though, you cannot play THAT long, so your actual RTP can never match its theoretical value. But as you play more games, your RTP slowly climbs to its theoretical benchmark.

House Edge is actually the same as RTP as it also indicates how much money you could make in the long run. For example, a House Edge of 5% means that the casino will have an advantage of 5% over the player in a specific game; in other words, you will have an RTP of 95%.

How Is It Possible To Win If the Casino Theory is Against You?

Last but not least, it’s worth remembering both RTP and House Edge have very little to do with your winning odds if you play only a few games (remember, the longer you play, the bigger the chances to get closer to the theoretical RPT/House Edge). And that’s actually good as it makes huge gains possible, which are nothing but deviations from the norm.

About Author