Gambling is one of the highest forms of entertainment for humans worldwide across generations. The prospect of hitting the jackpot with the spin of a wheel is enticing for most of us. All you need is for Lady Luck to smile on you. But are online gambling games really set to give you a fair chance at winning? Or are they just swindling you out of your money? It’s a question that still bothers a gambler’s mind– “Are online gambling games fixed?”
A lot of players as well as non-players believe that all casinos are fixed. Bad beats and streaks of bad luck may lead you to think that casinos operate unfairly. But this is not true. If you are skeptical about the workings of a casino, read on.
How Casinos Work
Casinos are businesses and they are expected to be “winners” or the ultimate beneficiaries at the end of the day. Their ultimate goal is to make money. Yes, the house always wins. But that doesn’t mean that casinos are taking unfair advantage of players by rigging games in their favor.
Online gambling games are not fixed, especially not the licensed ones. Here is why we say that casinos are not rigged.
Casinos Have a Built-in Advantage
Casino games are, by nature, games of chance, and the odds of your winning are determined by luck or pure chance. However, the casinos have a set house edge that they receive no matter whether you, the player, win or lose. This is the reason why they don’t need to fix games to rake it in. Let’s see how House Edge works.
House Edge
All casinos have an overall House Edge that is pre-set. House Edge is the percentage of the wager money that the casino decides will go to their own pocket. House Edge is how casinos make a profit. Different games have a different House Edge. However, you can still win and get a bang for the buck.
What players stand to get back if they win is called RTP, or Return to Player.
Return to Player (RTP)
When you play any gambling game at an online casino, be it table games, slots or sports bets, the casino has a built-in advantage over you. They have a fixed profit percentage that can amount to a significant amount. The rest is given out to players as RTP (Return to Player). RTP varies across games. A high RTP game gives you a higher chance of winning.
Remember that House Edge and RTP are percentages of the overall bet money of all players over a period of time. It’s not based on individual wagers. So you are not guaranteed a return or a win however long you play. There is a “fair” chance, but it is down to your luck.
But a greedy casino can still rig their games to earn more profit can’t they? Yes, they can. There are several scam sites out there that cheat people out of their money as well as misuse the data of players. But most casinos won’t do this, especially licensed casinos.
Let’s tell you why.
Casinos Are Regularly Tested and Audited
We are talking about licensed casinos. Casinos require licenses from gaming jurisdictions to function legally. Every time you consider playing at a casino, make sure that it has a valid license.
Licensing authorities independently verify that the casino is functioning strictly in compliance with the rules and regulations of gambling. Casinos go through rigorous testing by the Division of Gaming Enforcement and third parties to ensure the outcomes are random and fair.
If a casino or a game developer is found to have tampered with the RNG algorithm which produces random results for every game, it stands to pay a hefty fine or even lose its license.
Casinos Value Their Reputation
For casinos, reputation plays as much a role as a license in earning the trust of players. A casino that rigs its online gambling games is sure to be called out on online review platforms and forums. The aim of any casino would be to attract more players in. So a bad reputation is not something a casino will want to risk.
Conclusion: Are Online Gambling Games Fixed?
As long as the casino is licensed, you don’t have to worry about the games being rigged. Casinos use an RNG (Random Number Generator) program to create random results which ensures the game outcome is not biased. By not following the gambling regulations, they risk losing their license and losing players by earning a bad reputation. Moreover, casinos have no need to do this as they have assured profit whether you win or lose. So if bad luck has been haunting you at a casino, it most likely only means you haven’t just got lucky yet!