How do slots work? How do the combinations work? Are there any tricks to predict what will happen in each spin? What is RNG in slots? These are some of the most commonly asked questions by players who play online casino, and in this article, you will find the answers. We will analyze the operation of the slots, and we will refer mainly to the “heart” that determines the results in each slot, the Random Number Generator, or RNG.
Contents
- What is an RNG in slots?
- How long have RNGs been in use?
- Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG) – Online casinos
- Why is it called “Pseudo-Random”? Is it fake?
- The use of RNG in online slots
- Can anyone predict the outcome of the RNG?
- What does RNG have to do with RTP?
- What RNG provides for the player in online slots
- Conclusion
What is an RNG in slots?
RNG is the tool used in gambling to ensure fair play for players, with genuinely random results. RNG stands for Random Number Generator. It is a tool that produces random results and is widely used in many games of chance, from Video Poker to slots.
How long have RNGs been in use?
In the 1980s, a major change in casinos affected the gaming industry. Before then, slot machines were spinning machines with symbols on them. Then the application of electronic slots began, with software being responsible for the production of random results. Many tried to “break” it, few succeeded, and the creators learned from their mistakes and made the most modern RNGs that are now practically impossible to break.
Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG) – Online casinos
An algorithm that automatically generates an extensive series of random numbers. As a starting point for the algorithm, these sequences have a defined value called “seed.” A seed is an element based on facts that we cannot know in advance, such as the second decimal point, or a decimal point of a processor. These are elements that are constantly changing and offer the necessary randomness in the result of the algorithm.
Why is it called “Pseudo-Random”? Is it fake?
The word “pseudo” came in front of the RNG because, in theory, if one knows precisely how the algorithm works and the seed that enters as a starting point, one can know the result of the RNG. In practice, however, this is impossible, as some elements of the algorithm are changing at an erratic pace, making it impossible for anyone to know or predict the outcome of the game. Today’s RNGs are made in such a way that they are not solved by the method of reverse engineering.
Computer programmers know that it is virtually impossible to create software that produces truly random results. On the other hand, the random number generators currently used in practical applications such as gambling have reached such a level of development that a predictable pattern can’t appear in the results.
The use of RNG in online slots
Online slot machines use an algorithm that was discovered by Ronald Rivest in 1991 and has been evolving ever since. It is a function created to be used in cryptography, but later found other uses, such as in the RNG of online slots.
Each symbol on the slot machine is matched to an algorithm result, so when the RNG produces a result, the corresponding symbol appears on the slot machine. The RNG also identifies the position of the symbol.
Can anyone predict the outcome of the RNG?
Predicting the outcome of an RNG is theoretically possible but practically impossible. The complex mathematics of RNG, seed randomness, and predefined factors (e.g., RTP) determine the end result of each spin. Each slot has its own random number generator. This guarantees that the result of each spin is random and ensures that the winning combinations will occur randomly.
RTP (Return To Player) is the percentage, which symbolizes how much money is returned to players in the form of winnings from the total money played.
What does RNG have to do with RTP?
RNGs are programmed to bring out the necessary winning combinations to confirm the RTP set for this slot.
Online casinos and slot machine companies conduct frequent checks to confirm that everything is working properly. The simplest control is done when they divide the money distributed by the slot machine to win for the total amount of money played. If the result does not match the default RTP for some reason, the responsibility falls on the RNG, which must be reconsidered.
What RNG provides for the player in online slots
- Same chances of winning regardless of:
- At the time of your game
- How many play the same game at the same time
- How many played before you
- The bets of the other players
- Equal chances of winning a jackpot, regardless of how recently the previous jackpot was given to the same slot machine. Do not get carried away by jackpots counters.
- No difference between popular and unpopular slots. A slot that many players prefer does not mean that “it has money to give.”
The slot machine does not react depending on the money you bet or the money you have lost or won in the previous spins. You can forget the well-known prejudices since RNG is what shields the law of the game.
In addition, the RNG makes no distinction between fictitious or real money. Each spin is the same for the RNG and the result does not put the “real-or-virtual” money factor at any point in the process.
Conclusion
There is a myth for players who want to have fun gambling that they don’t need to understand the math of the games. But the truth is that knowledge is a weapon. The better you understand what you have in front of you, the more effectively you will deal with it.
To be sure when playing online slots and to know for sure that the result is actually random, you should only play in legitimate companies that have certified games audited by independent organizations. Modern Random Number Generators pass frequent checks and ensure safety and fair play with truly random results for both players and the casinos that operate them.