One reason players love casino games is their element of chance.
Almost every type of game includes an element of the unknown, compelling players to use their analytical skills—whether chess, Pac-Man, or even online slots. After all, what fun would it be to play a game if the outcome was already known?
This element of chance has helped make games like slots even more popular than other casino titles. In fact, free spins are some of the most common welcome deals offered by virtual casinos. Rather than blackjack or roulette, players can look for special round deals from a range of providers to find one that matches their interests.
When players sign up with a new provider, they can use free spins to sample qualifying slots. They set their bet amount, then spin the reel and wait to see which combinations, multipliers, and other bonuses hit. But that doesn’t answer the question of how chance works in a slot—especially a digital slot that runs on computer programming.
Ever wondered how randomization works in slot games?
Digitizing Chance
As outlined above, almost every digital game runs on an element of chance. But how can developers who create these games create a program that generates chance? After all, shouldn’t chance be un-creatable? In reality, this challenge has been part of computing for decades.
Computer scientists have devised a number of ways to generate chance using computer programs. These are known as random number generators or RNGs, which are used in a wide range of industries—from gaming to physics to data mining.
PRNGS vs. TRNGS
There are two main types of RNGs, including pseudo-RNGs or PRNGs and true-RNGs or TRNGS. Pseudo-RNGs are used in gaming and most forms of recreational computing. These rely on highly complex algorithms that—though not truly randomized—have been proven to be unpredictable to the average person and computer program.
That means that PRNGs can be used for official randomization. TRNGs, on the other hand, are based on truly randomized sequences that are observed in nature. Things like seismic activity, lightning strikes, and similar natural data are collected and used for number sequencing in RNGs.
How do RNGs work at casinos?
Let’s head back to the example of online slots. What sorts of RNGs are used to ensure slots generate totally random results? As with other digitized video games, developers use PRNGs. However, casinos don’t create these programs in-house. Instead, it falls back to the game’s developer.
In other words, virtual casinos don’t (usually) develop their own games. Instead, they partner with companies like Play’n GO and NetEnt to host their online slots. Going even further, Play’n GO and NetEnt also don’t develop their own RNGs. Instead, they partner with companies that produce third-party verified PRNGs to use in their games.
This multi-tiered approach ensures that all companies are responsible for one part of the experience—whether randomizing the slot reel, designing the game, or hosting it online for players.
What else are RNGs used for?
As outlined in the TRNG vs PRNG section, these handy randomization algorithms are hugely important. The most common way that most people interact with them is via games—whether slots or a more mainstream hit like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. In other cases, PRNGs are used for loot boxes and similarly randomized outcomes.
Beyond the scope of gaming, RNGs are used for highly complex scientific and technological projects—to the point that quantum random number generation is starting to take shape. Usually, these run on TRNGs, which draw their data from natural phenomena. In a less intense case, RNGs are also used in cryptography to help offer secure connections—and even suggesting secure passwords that are difficult to steal.
