If you have played slot machines, you will likely know there’s a common misconception about how fair they are. In the eyes of many, slot machines payout at specific times, and they play out in a way that is unfair and not transparent.
So, what is RNG, and how does it work in slot machines? Well, in short, RNG is involved in disproving the misconception that slot machines are in any way rigged by ensuring that each spin that occurs is totally random and not linked to any previous turns of the reels.
In slot machines, both offline and including the most popular online slot machines, there is a random number generator working away. In an offline slot, it’s going to be mechanical. And where online slots are concerned, it is digital, and this is the crucial piece of the puzzle.
How the actual RNG process works is interesting because there are a couple of ways, but everything starts with a seed. When a punter spins the real of an online slot game, the RNG generator will send a seed through a long, complex equation to determine the symbols that will appear.
There’s also a process of entropy involved in slot machines or simulated entropy with online slots. And if you play slots of any kind, you’ll be pleased to learn that it’s this process that will make it possible to score big wins, such as landing five high-paying icons across a payline or having what’s needed in place to bag the jackpot.
What simulated entropy also delivers is security. It guards against illegal exploits and dishonesty. And this will not only keep players and their funds safe but slot machine vendors and online casino operators. So it’s an essential cog in the system.
It’s fair to say that the RNG process is much more complex on the online slot front than offline. And, because online video slots are more popular, it makes sense for this to be the case, as there is a greater demand. More complicated and longer equations are very much the order of the day.
But, for slot game developers and online casino operators, it’s worth it, right? Games from the likes of Microgaming and NetEnt, such as Immortal Romance and Starburst, are all renowned for being fun to play and being transparent and honest titles. It’s one of the reasons why they’re so popular.
And things go a step further with slots that utilise blockchain technology. Because not only are the results of spins of online crypto slots transparent, but they’re also provably fair. And the reason for this is that all results are recorded on a ledger, with each spin verified and then registered on said ledger. And, for many, this is why they have decided to move over to crypto slots because they get the RNG and the provably fair results on top.