Are online casinos rigged?

Once in a while, we get asked this age-old question about online casino fairness. It is not uncommon to find players, especially ones playing internet-based casinos for the first time and or angry players on a losing streak question the integrity of the platform they are using. It is safe to guess then; that you’re here because amongst other things, you want a genuine answer to this perennial and nagging question, isn’t it?

Well, it is essential to remember that internet casinos are businesses – profit-seeking businesses at that – which means they’d do everything possible to offer the best experience they can to their customers in the hope that they come back, again and again, to play and invest on their platform. One of such tactics is to offer the new players some bonuses, like the bonus at Spin Palace, so that they feel incentivized to start playing. Now, for the players to return for more games, they must feel safe, protected and that the site is fair. However, because the business is out to make a profit and there are situations when players are on a bad streak and can’t win every game this often leads to feelings of suspicion that the game is rigged.

These hunches are in most cases supported by the bad beat theory – take, for instance, in a game of roulette there’s this idea that following a continuous run of ten blacks, the next should be red; and when this doesn’t happen, the gamer is likely to think the game is fixed. But, does this point to an anomaly in the system? The fact is it is possible based on the principles of probability to have successive runs of ten blacks when betting on the reds.

Another narrative often used to support the ‘fixed’ online casino idea is the notion that hands are dealt in such a manner as to enhance the size of payouts to entice gamers and ensure the house rake in more money. While others accuse the game of being set up in such a way as to prevent players from winning, the reality is casinos are traditionally set up to have an advantage if not they would go out of business. This advantage also called the house edge doesn’t in anyway mean online casinos are fixed.

So, if online casinos are not rigged what exactly is going on?

Well, to answer this, let us go back to the software on which most of these internet gaming platforms run. Most reputable casino websites deploy and run games developed by trusted and licensed software team. They do this because one to save cost on the development of the software and secondly to prevent conflict of interest. The implication of this is that the online casino owner is not likely to tamper with the games. Also, rigorous playtests are regularly conducted by independent third-parties to ensure each game satisfies the payout requirements.

Apart from the independence and trustworthiness of the game developers which of course rubs off on the integrity of the game; there are other factors which might lead players to lose a bet. Take, for instance, the randomness of the game which somehow introduces a bit of bad luck into the whole mix and also the fact that players might actually make bad calls that cost them the bet; this, of course, doesn’t mean the game is rigged.

So in conclusion, the fact of the matter is, most reputable online casinos are not fixed – there’s too much at stake for them to risk that and thankfully, the strict regulations also help keep them in check.