It’s completely natural to be anxious before joining your first online casino. After all, you’ll have to make a real-money deposit on an online platform and trust it with your funds. If you are wondering whether online casinos are rigged, we’ll provide both a short and a long answer to that question. The short one is — no, they aren’t, as long as you stick to licensed and regulated ones.
You might be aiming to win some money; the main goal of the online casinos is to make a profit from customers who love gambling. There are laws and regulations which will help you to know are online casino slots rigged or not. In fact, it will also help you to know are online casinos fair. Gamblers often suspect that are casino games rigged. This is a question that many folks ask especially new players when playing online casinos. It is usually as a result of a massive streak of losing bets. Find the best free spins no deposit bonuses right here. Many people think that online casinos are rigged, and they have facts and experience to prove it.
If that does not convince you, make sure to read this article and find out more about different ways online casinos can be rigged and how to stay away from such platforms.
How Can an Online Casino Be Rigged?
There are many ways to rig an online casino. Simply put, all casino games you play online use sophisticated underlying software. Developers working for reputable online casinos and content providers make sure to write code so that it cannot be tampered with.
All it takes to rig an online casino game is to alter its code so that the game is not fair anymore. Rigged online casinos usually offer games that are identical to the ones in fair and licensed casinos — the only difference is that you don’t really have an opportunity to win any money. In other words, you’ll pay and not get anything in return.
The probability of winning a prize in a rigged casino is usually much lower due to low RTP percentages.
Lowering the RTP
RTP stands for Return to Player, and it’s a figure that shows how much money is returned to players when they make bets. If the RTP is 95%, players should receive $95 for every $100 they invest in online slots. Online casinos and developers will take the remaining $5 as a profit. Naturally, some players will be luckier than others and win bigger prizes, while the less fortunate ones will leave empty-handed.
Nevertheless, the overall distribution of prizes is such that casinos should take only a small portion of invested money while distributing the rest to players.
Rigged casinos often lower the RTP so much that it doesn’t pay off to play games. If the RTP is low, the casino will take most of the money you invest and your chances of winning a prize will be extremely low.
How do these casinos set the RTP? The answer is simple — they change the code and do not include the RNG.
RNG Doesn’t Work in Rigged Casinos
Every game of chance available in online casinos needs to have a random number generator (RNG). This is a piece of code included in casino games that ensures that they are truly random.
To explain the RNG further, we must first ask you the following question: How does luck work?
Nobody knows. It’s a complete mystery to us. The only legitimate answer is to say that luck is a product of the universe being random. Some people are luckier than others when playing casino games. You can look at the outcome of playing games of chance as one way to measure someone’s luck.
But how do you know that games are random? The answer is the RNG. Developers made a program that always comes up with entirely random results in games. Therefore, once they set the parameters and insert the RNG in the game, you can rest assured that there are no people on the other side adjusting the outcome — unless you’re playing in a rigged casino.
Games in rigged casinos aren’t random since they lack one of the essential pieces of software — the random number generator.
How Can I Make Sure That the Casino Is Trustworthy?
One of the safest ways to ensure that a casino is not rigged is to research the web and find additional information about the platform. Many professional reviews will tell you about all the disadvantages and disadvantages related to the platform you want to join.
Alternatively, you can find user opinions about specific sites and gather more info on their trustworthiness. Please note that users sometimes leave negative reviews about casinos and call them rigged simply because they weren’t lucky enough. However, if all user reviews agree that a certain casino is rigged, you should definitely think twice before you open an account.
The good thing about the online gambling industry is that rigged platforms have short lifespans. In other words, if someone proves that they are rigged, other players will find that information rather quickly. Such sites are usually then added to blacklists all over the web and players start to avoid them right away. Being busted, rigged online casinos then stop operating as they aren’t able to scam people anymore.
Yet, you should still be careful, as online scammers don’t give up easily. If their rigged platform is shut down, they often don’t hesitate to start the whole process afresh and lure newcomers into giving them their money.
Independent Auditors Ensure Fairness and Trustworthiness
If an online casino claims that it’s fair and trustworthy, why should you trust them? After all, they could lie about this and still proceed with illegal operations. That’s why independent auditing companies exist.
These are usually companies that are highly reputable as being independent and honest in their reports. They often check online casinos and other gambling platforms for fairness, after which they publish the results. To ensure that a casino is fair, auditors check their random number generators and many other things that help them determine whether a casino is fair and trustworthy.
Companies that are currently considered leaders in the online gambling industry are eCogra, GLI, and iTechLabs. If you find certificates from these auditing firms in an online casino, you don’t have to worry.
What Does an Online Licence Provide?
If an online casino lacks a licence provided by an official regulatory body, we advise you to stay away from it. It may not be rigged, but having no licence is not a good sign. Reputable licence providers will never compromise their reputation by giving a licence to a rigged casino. Sure, some casinos become rigged over time, but as soon as regulators find that out, they revoke their licences for that platform.
Who are these regulators? In most cases, they are official commissions that decide who gets a licence. For example, in the UK, the most well-known gambling authority is the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. Casinos licensed by the UKGC need to pass a strict test that ensures no illegal operations are taking place.
There are also a couple of “global” regulators that license online gambling platforms, such as the Malta Gaming Authority, which is highly respected in the online gambling industry. Therefore, if you access a site and see that it’s licensed by the MGA, you can be sure that the casino is fair and trustworthy.
To find out whether an online casino is licensed or not, you should scroll down to the footer of the site, where information about licences is usually provided. You can then check the licence number to make sure that the information is not false.
Apart from licences, it’s also important to check who the owner of the casino is. Companies that own online casinos have either a good or bad reputation, and you definitely don’t want to play in casinos owned by companies that have a history of running blacklisted casinos.
Casinos Use Cutting-Edge Security Methods to Protect Themselves and Their Users
Even legitimate online casinos can become rigged if they fall into the wrong hands. For example, they could undergo a cyberattack and hackers could rig games in some way. Luckily, that almost never happens nowadays.
All reputable online casinos use state-of-the-art technologies that make sure nobody can tamper with the games. Moreover, these technologies protect users, their sensitive data, and their funds from all kinds of cyberattacks. For example, every casino needs to use SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption to ensure secure communication.
Conclusion — Research Before Signing Up
We live in the day and age where information travels fast, which is why it’s pretty easy to spot a rigged online casino. They don’t have any security measures, licences, RNGs, and many other things required to operate properly.
However sophisticated, rigged casinos are fairly easy to see through, and that’s why we highly advise you to explore the site before joining it. If you’re still not sure, feel free to read reviews provided by casino experts and users. They’ll provide you with vital information about the site you’re considering, including whether it’s rigged or not.
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Today, I’m going to answer another reader question which I received recently by email. It comes from Sarah in Scotland who wants to know “Are slot machines rigged?” I’ve copied the email directly below with her permission.
Dear GamblingSites.org team,
I’m Sarah McKeown, and I’ve been a long-time reader of your blog. I’ve found lots of interesting content over the years. I even won a healthy jackpot after playing one of your recommended jackpot slots.
However, I’ve been keeping a record of my bets versus my wins, and I’ve noticed that no matter how many big wins I have, I always end up losing it all again over the long term. Can you tell me if slot machines are rigged? Can casinos fix slot machines to make sure players lose?
Any insights you can share with me would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Sarah McKeown
Sarah, I’m going to answer your questions directly. Yes, slot machines are rigged. However, they’re not rigged in the way you think they are
In this post, I’ll explain how slot machines work, why you lose in the long-term, and I’ll give you some useful tips for beating slot machines more often. Let’s begin!
Are Casino Slot Machines Rigged?
I guarantee you that if you walk through any Vegas casino, or any casino in the world for that matter, and ask every slots player if they won, the vast majority of them will tell you no.
It’s difficult to understand how this could be the case unless slot machines are rigged. And if they are, how in the heck is that legal? Are casinos actively keeping slot machines rigged so that you can’t win? If so, what about all those stories of players who won huge jackpots?
This can all seem rather confusing, but it’s not. The simple answer is that the vast majority of players lose, and a few lucky players win. Each machine is programmed to pay out less than what’s put into it, ensuring that the casino makes a continuous profit over the long run. This could be anything from a 2% advantage on the best slot machines, to a 10% or greater advantage on some of the big-money jackpot slots.
So, in a nutshell, casino slots are rigged to make sure the casino makes a profit, but that does not mean you can’t win on any given gaming session.
Gaming commissions would never allow casinos to run games you can’t win, nor would it be good for business. Players would soon figure out that the games were unwinnable and would stop playing.
Let’s take a closer look at how slot machines work. This will help you understand that while the house always wins, you can win, too.
How Slot Machines Are Rigged
Understanding how slot machines are rigged requires you to understand how they work. Each slot has its game odds, but they all use a similar method of paying out jackpots. Here are some important things to know about slot machines.
Understand Slot Machine RTP
RTP is an acronym for “return to player.” If you read slot machine reviews, you’ll usually find each game has a specific RTP published by the developer. For example, on NetEnt.com, you can find the RTP of Starburst and other games.
RTP is a percentage.
For Example:Based on Starburst from above, the RTP is 96.09%. What does this mean in terms of money, jackpots, and wins and losses? It means that, for every £100 bet on these games, players win back £96.09.
It’s important to remember that this does not mean you’ll make back £96.09 for every £100 you bet on Starburst. It means that the casino returns £96.09 to all players spinning the reels at every casino which offers Starburst. This includes all of the small wins and losses each player wins on every spin. In the long run, the casino will make £3.91 on every £100 bet on that game, regardless of what happens in the short term.
Hopefully, this concept of RTP helps you understand how slot machines are rigged in favor of the game developers and casinos but are not rigged in absolute terms. You can win when playing slots, but you can’t win in the long run.
Understand Random Number Generators
Even though the house has a built-in advantage on slot machines, it’s clear that some players do win massive jackpots. Just take a look at this story about a British soldier winning a record-breaking jackpot from a £0.25 spin.
Lots of players wonder when the best time to play slot machines is, which slots are “loose,” and all sorts of other questions. They hope that figuring out the answers will help them win slots more often, but the truth is that this is all a waste of time.
Slot machines decide when to pay out in accordance with a Random Number Generator (RNG). Believe it or not, it’s possible for a slot machine to pay out a jackpot on two spins in a row, although it is unlikely. A Random Number Generator is a piece of software which spits out billions of numbers per second, and if it happens to spit out a number associated with a jackpot, you’ll see the high-value symbols line up across a payline and you win.
There’s no way to manipulate RNGs. You can’t cheat online slot machines no matter how hard you try. Some smart players note that RNGs can’t be truly random since humans create them, but for all reasonable and practical purposes, you can’t manipulate them.
Perhaps, someone will someday spot a pattern in the apparent randomness by using a quantum computer to crunch numbers. But until then, just assume they’re random.
While the slots developer can control the RTP via programming, it can’t control the RNG. There are third-party games testing organizations such as eCogra which test RNGs and verify that they are fair. This doesn’t mean all slots developers play fair, but big names like Microgaming and NetEnt do.
How to Win at Slots — Tips and Tricks
Now that you understand how slot machines work, and how they are rigged without being unfair, it’s time to turn the tables on the casinos. I’ve learned a lot about slot machines throughout my career as a player, and I’m going to share my best tips on how to win slots more often.
Pick Slot Machines With a High RTP
One of the first and most obvious tips is to select high RTP slot machines. These games pay back the most to players in the long run, so you’re better off playing them even if the jackpots are smaller.
Very often, the jackpots are smaller. Since the casinos have less risk to deal with when a smaller jackpot is involved, they can afford a higher payback percentage to players. It makes sense, doesn’t it?
So, which slot machines have the highest RTP? Here are five to get you started.
- Blood Suckers by NetEnt – 98%
- Rags to Riches by Cryptologic – 98%
- Good Girl, Bad Girl by Betsoft – 97.8%
- Kings of Chicago by NetEnt – 97.8%
- Wolfpack Pays by NextGen – 97.8%
Those slots have a variety of excellent bonus features, decent jackpots, and higher than average RTPs. If you want to get the most bang for your buck as a long-term player, it’s wise to play them.
Pick the Right Volatility for Your Bankroll
There’s a top-notch article on slot machine variance and volatility here. If you want a more detailed breakdown of what they are, check that out.
Slot machine volatility is important to understand because it will tell you which slots are suitable for your bankroll. Volatility indicates both how often a slot should pay and the average size of the payouts.
- Low volatility slots pay smaller amounts more often.
- Medium volatility slots pay decent amounts fairly often.
- High volatility slots pay less frequently, but wins are more explosive.
Are Online Casino Slots Rigged
If I had a smaller bankroll, say £20, I’d start by playing a low volatility slot such as Starburst. I find that it’s a good slot to build your bankroll with. Once I double up, I usually switch to a higher volatility slot with bigger payouts which occur less frequently.
Managing your bankroll effectively is about the only slot machine strategy which works. Therefore, knowing the volatility of a game is useful information.
Use Free Spins With Low Wagering Requirements
Most online casinos offer free spins bonuses for new players. Lots of them also offer free spins to loyal players who spin slots daily or weekly.
I’ve learned the hard way that not all free spins bonuses give me an advantage. Sometimes, the wagering requirements are so high that the bonus is a liability. This is especially true if it comes with predatory terms such as that I can’t withdraw my deposit until I meet the wagering requirements. Yes, such bonuses exist, I’ve seen it all over the years I’ve been playing!
There are other free spins bonuses you will want to take. They’ll give you a chance to beat the house with its own money and have these characteristics.
- They won’t require excessive minimum deposits.
- The wagering requirements will be low, around 20x or less.
- You’ll be able to keep all of what you win when you wager the bonus.
Free spins with low wagering requirements are available at lots of top UK casinos. There are even casinos with no wagering requirements, and they’re especially popular in the UK market.
Final Words
Thanks for writing to me with this question, Sarah. It’s given me a chance to cover lots of ground with regards to slot machines, and I hope that it answers your question. Are slot machines rigged? Yes, the house has a mathematical advantage which you can’t alter, but that doesn’t mean you can’t win.
Are Casino Games Rigged
Beating slot machines is a case of picking the right games, managing your bankroll effectively, and getting lucky. Don’t forget the last part! Luck is essential. There’s no effective way to beat the slots every time. Happy spinning, and don’t forget to pick up a casino bonus before you begin!
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