Are Crypto Casinos Rigged?

When you go to an online crypto casino you aim to have fun and you also hope to win big. It’s important that you feel that whatever game you’re playing is fair. There is no fun in playing a rigged game. What’s more, you need to believe you have as good a chance as the next player of hitting the jackpot.

Because online gaming sites are designed to generate reliable profits, there is little motivation to cheat. The software they deploy uses mathematical principles to ensure a margin, so in effect the house always wins. If players won every time, the house would go bankrupt very quickly. The computer logarithms employed ensure that players get their fair share of wins, otherwise they would stop playing and go elsewhere.

Bitcoin Casinos Rigged
Bitcoin Casinos Rigged

How Online Crypto Casinos Work

Casinos are businesses. They exist to make a profit. This means that overall the house must win more often than the players. But they also have a vested interest in keeping players happy, which means paying out regularly.

Furthermore, big wins are good for business. A large jackpot payout generates publicity which will usually bring more customers to a site. So a good casino will have some big prizes available and be sure that someone wins them.

With so much competition in the crypto casino world, reputation is everything. Getting a rep for cheating or failing to pay out could ruin a business. Similarly, good reviews and word of mouth can bring more players to the table.

Random number generators (RNGs) underpin the gaming software and are designed to replicate the randomness of real life games.

Randomness

Games such as roulette and blackjack rely on luck for their outcome. Of course in card games player skill is also important, but the deal of cards should be unpredictable. When online casinos evolved, it was important that the software replicate the chance outcome of physical games. This is achieved using a random number generator.

A random number generator creates a number that is used to ‘seed’ a game and ensure that the outcome is unpredictable. In provably fair crypto casinos, the player gets to contribute a seed number and can also check that the outcome is fair.

Scandals

It is easier to rig a physical slot machine or roulette table than it is to cheat online, but there have been some incidents of note. In 2013 a rigged coin flip game was exposed when a player became suspicious. She decided to log tens of thousands of games. Analysis of the games proved a 95% payout, not the advertised 100%.

Card games such as poker have the potential for player collusion. For instance, two people could agree to join the same game and privately share information about their hands. In 2007 there was a massive scandal when players questioned the outcome of a $30,000 poker tournament. One player thought there was something strange about the hands and the play, and noted that the winner was not that great a player. An examination of the spreadsheet showing every hand played led to the uncovering of fraud by two company members.

What do these two stories have in common? Players became suspicious and were able to prove fraudulent practice. In other words, the playing community is vigilant and unlikely to let dubious events pass.

Choose Your Casino Carefully

Online casinos should be licensed, and it should be easy for you to find the license information on their website. Check if they have information about their security on their home page, and look out for the logos of independent auditors. Read online reviews looking for crypto casinos with a good reputation. If in doubt, there are plenty of other casinos to choose from.

FAQs

What is ‘edge’?

Edge is the built-in advantage that the casino or house has on each game. Knowing the house edge can help you to choose the most profitable game. The house edge can be as low as 0.5% on blackjack, for example, meaning that 99.5% of money bet could be paid out in prizes. Where the edge is 40% you have less chance of winning.

Are all crypto casinos the same?

No. It’s important that you check the casino out. Ask first if it is properly licensed and has easily accessible security information. Then check if it offers the games you want to play. If it also accepts transactions in the cryptocurrency of your choice and has good customer support, you could be on to a winner.