One of the key ingredients of a successful online gambling platform is completely immersing the customer in the gaming environment and creating engaging, sophisticated games that players feel they can control. Fairness, gamesmanship and luck should intertwine in equal measure to create enticing and exciting experiences. Simple slots where the player presses a button and is allocated three images on a screen simply doesn’t cut it anymore, and businesses providing this type of game will very soon run out of customers.
The importance of fairness
How often have you heard people talk about online casino platforms being rigged, and not giving the players a fair roll of the dice? “This game is rigged!" must be one of the most commonly shouted phrases amongst people taking part in online games on their smartphone or laptop. Ever since online gambling took to the stage and became a booming industry, many people have doubted the legitimacy of the games, and developers need to find a way of proving that games aren’t rigged.
Immersing the player in the game and clearly demonstrating its fairness are two of the most important building blocks for a popular iGaming platform and happy customers.
You might ask the question: how is this done? Well, the answer to this is provably fair gaming.
What is provably fair gaming and how does it work?
Provably fair gaming is a process in which a player is given the opportunity of verifying the outcome of the online casino game that they’ve just played, to check that the outcome was fair. Provably fair technology is based on blockchain, whereby data is encrypted and the player can check the results to ensure that the game is not rigged. Two of the main ways that this is achieved are:
Seed Generators: Casinos use algorithms to produce an outcome for a game - a seed generator creates these numbers, which are fed into the algorithms. Online casinos which describe themselves as provably fair allow players to add the seed number themselves, which ensures that the casino can’t control the outcome of the game.
Hashing: Simply put, hashing takes a string of data and feeds it into an algorithm, resulting in the data being turned into a random collection of numbers and letters - the data becomes encrypted. When a seed number gets hashed, the data cannot be tampered with.
Provably fair games have evolved massively and in many ways over the past decade or so, thanks to huge developments in blockchain technology systems. The fraud percentage of provably fair gaming is close to 0% as every transaction can be verified using its hash and the provably fair system. It should become a top priority for players that the online casino platforms are not stealing funds by changing outputs depending on the bet that is placed, and scamming customers out of their money. By offering players the transparency of checking the results themselves, provably fair platforms are at a major advantage, and developers should take careful consideration of this technology when they are creating their games.
Comparing provably fair games to regular games
There are a number of advantages that provably fair games have over ones that do not take advantage of the advanced blockchain technology. Here are some of the pros of provably fair games when compared with a regular online casino game:
You can check the results of your own bets
The ability to check whether your bets are fair is the number one advantage of provably fair gaming over regular iGaming sites. You can’t verify that the games are fair at a regular online casino, and so there will always be that little shred of doubt making players wonder whether the games are rigged or not, because the software provider controls everything internally. By empowering players to check the results themselves, they will become more immersed and engaged in the gaming environment.
You eliminate the need for third-party testing
Provably fair gaming eliminates the need for third-party testers who would normally be needed to perform audits and tests to ensure that gaming platforms are fair. There are a number of regulatory agencies who do this, and so you can be sure that many online gambling platforms are perfectly legitimate (you will be able to find a seal of approval on the website). However, not all jurisdictions mandate these audits. In some cases, testing won’t have been done and the games that players might play could be rigged.
A major benefit of provably fair casinos in comparison with ones without the technology is that the player becomes the auditor themselves, and so there is no need for the third-party agencies to conduct any rounds of testing. This saves on cost and time constraints, and the player is given the right and responsibility to see for themselves that the games they play aren’t rigged.
Casinos are unable to cheat
Although the vast majority of casinos are upstanding businesses who would never dream of cheating their paying customers out of their money, there is a minority that take advantage of remote players and the digital gaming landscape by manipulating the games. Provably fair games eliminate the risk of this, and so casinos can build loyalty with their customers by showing that they are not fiddling with the games. Provably fair gaming is a development that will continue to build players’ trust in casinos for years to come.
Creating memorable casino experiences
Naturally, the thrill of the game and honest luck in provably fair casino platforms help operators to create casino-like experiences for their players. In a real casino, the outcome of each game is determined by the roll of the dice, the shuffle of a deck of cards, or the turn of a slot machine; they are games of chance, and that’s why they are so exciting and engaging for the players. Provably fair games help to bring chance into the digital realm, and so iGaming operators are able to recreate the unique casino experience online.
Are provably fair games the future of iGaming?
The widespread trend of online casino customers demanding more transparency from their games is gathering momentum, and it is inconceivable that any backwards steps will be taken. For online gambling platforms, this means that buying into provably fair gaming technology is vital, or casinos will suffer the consequences of losing users to rival platforms.
For developers who create games, this technology needs to be at the forefront of their minds when building the software. Consumer standards are improving all over the world, and nowhere is this more apparent than within iGaming. As demonstrated in the above points, provably fair technology is beneficial for players and casinos alike, and the technology will continue to grow within the industry.