Are Online Roulette Tables Rigged
You know the feeling. You get a roulette bonus, all seems to be going well, and you’re stacking up chips. Then, you start playing with your own money, and your fortunes change.
- Online Roulette Simulator
- Are Online Roulette Tables Rigged At Casinos
- Are Online Roulette Tables Rigged Table
All gambling companies offer new customer a first casino Are Casino Roulette Tables Riggeddeposit bonus. These bonuses are handed out to new customers making a first deposit in the casino section. At some places you Are Casino Roulette Tables Riggedcan get casino Are Casino Roulette Tables Riggeddeposit bonuses. The 0 and 00 are where the roulette table is “rigged”. The casino doesn’t have to have a button hidden on the croupier’s side of the table that controls the outcome. (You might have seen that in the movie Casablanca.) The casino makes plenty of profit over time on a roulette wheel. We hope this helps you understand that while it’s unlikely that an online roulette game is rigged specifically to cheat you, they are all rigged in favour of the house. That applies to digital, real-world, and live dealer roulette games. Does this mean you shouldn’t play roulette? Whether you enjoy playing at land-based roulette tables or live online casinos, you’ve probably wondered if they’re rigged. We’re often asked: “do roulette tables have magnets?” and the short answer is no. Any casino with a valid gambling license will never try to influence a game because getting caught costs a lot of money. For the average wheel with typical table limits, the casino is unlikely to use a roulette wheel with magnets. Although it is much more likely in a high roller room where the bets are much larger. If you ever play at live online roulette, I suggest playing only at one of the casinos I recommend on my website.
This scenario happens to everyone at least once or twice. It’s enough to make most players ask: “Is online roulette rigged?”
In this piece, I’m going to explain to you that online roulette is rigged, but not in the way you think it is. I’m also going to ease your mind and reassure you that there isn’t some evil casino genius interfering with the game algorithms, at least not at legit roulette casinos.
Is Roulette Rigged?
If you look at Reddit posts about roulette or at posts on other gambling forums, you’re going to find a lot of people who believe that online casinos are scams. Many posters are 100% convinced that online roulette is programmed to screw them. If you read enough of these opinions, they can be convincing.
I’m not going to tell you that every online roulette game is legit. There are scam casinos, some we have added to our casino blacklist, and they will rinse you for every cent they can.
What a lot of these forum posters are suffering from is called “gambler’s remorse.” They’ve lost, they can’t accept it, and they’re looking for someone to blame. Gamblers can be superstitious and paranoid. And when they lose money, especially at a new online casino they have never played at, they can start drawing irrational conclusions.
How can I be so sure? I’m going to explain to you how I know online roulette isn’t rigged most of the time.
Random Number Generators
There’s a great, in-depth post on Random Number Generators here. You can read that if you want to know the full details on how game outcomes are determined.
If you don’t have the time, I’ll briefly summarize it for you here. Random Number Generators (RNGs in industry parlance) are computer algorithms which spit out millions of numbers per second. Each number is associated with a game outcome. In roulette’s case, that game outcome is a number such as 10, 18, or 32. Each number has an equal chance of being chosen on each spin.
As soon as you click “spin,” the program selects one of the numbers which the random number generator has created. There are even Provably Fair games which you can use to check that no funny business has occurred. These use Bitcoin technology such as hashing, and let you check game outcomes for fairness.
You should also remember one important thing: The casinos do not control the Random Number Generators. Third-party software companies such as Microgaming program them. More often than not, they’re tested by an independent third-party organization like eCOGRA. They don’t work for the software firms and have no incentive to certify their games fair.
Online Betting Licenses
The second thing to consider is the online gambling licenses a casino has. It’s true that some of these aren’t worth much, but there are others which are. For example, if a casino has a gaming license from Malta or the UK, that’s a sure sign its games are legitimate.
These countries have a vested interest in keeping things fair. They generate a substantial portion of their tax revenue from online gambling. They can’t afford to license rogue casinos and lose that hard-won trust. The UKGC, for example, conducts its own random tests of casino games. If you believe that both the third-party testing companies and the national governments which issue licenses are in on rigged online roulette games, it may be best to lay off gambling for a while.
If you’re playing a Microgaming roulette game, or a game by any other reputable provider and the casino has a legit gambling license, you can be sure the games are not rigged. It’s much more likely that you’ve experienced a natural losing streak. All experienced gamblers will tell you that this can and does happen.
My Own Experience and Testing
I didn’t want this post based only on trusting big-name companies and organizations. While I know for a fact that they can be trusted since I work in this industry, I understand that some of you won’t have that same level of trust.
Therefore, I decided to put online roulette to the test. I played 500 spins on a game of European roulette to see if it was truly random. I placed random even-money bets worth $100 per spin.
Please Note:The results are as you would expect them to be. There’s no probabilistic difference between the number of red/black or odd/even spins. There are tiny percentage differences between these, with the zero appearing 4.2% of the time.
For this test, I was using popular online software and was placing red or black bets. The only thing that immediately jumps out at me is that the number 20 came up 4% of the time, and both 16 and 30 came up more than 4% of the time. Some players would call these “hot numbers” and advise you to bet on them, but I believe it’s just an anomaly and, over enough spins, these numbers wouldn’t appear more than any other number.
Are Live Dealer Roulette Games Rigged?
We’ve ruled out the idea that most online roulette games are rigged, but what about live dealer games? Wouldn’t it be easier to run a crooked roulette wheel from a game studio?
The answer is the same. There are rigged live roulette games at scam casinos, but if you stick with the legit ones like Evolution Gaming, that’s not the case. These guys didn’t build multinational businesses which hold UKGC and Malta gaming licenses by behaving like criminals.
As a matter of fact, live dealer roulette games are even less likely to be rigged than electronic games. There are often dozens of players watching at any given time, you can see what the dealer is doing, and it’s just so much harder to fix a live game than it is to slip something shady into an invisible game algorithm.
Live dealers from reputable companies are not:
- Using a brake under the table to stop the wheel and make sure the majority of people lose.
- Spinning the wheels at different speeds/forces to make it more likely that certain numbers will land.
- Flicking the ball, dropping it from a certain height, or using weighted/magnetic balls to make sure a certain game outcome occurs.
I’ve seen these accusations online. It’s ridiculous to think that award-winning companies like NetEnt are doing this. I don’t know what else to say about it than that.
Here’s a list of legit live dealer roulette firms. I can guarantee you that their games are not rigged:
- Evolution Gaming
- Extreme Live Gaming
- Ezugi (owned by Evolution)
- Authentic Gaming
- Playtech
- Microgaming
- NetEnt
As for the others, I’m not saying they’re not legit. I’m just not going to put my reputation or the reputation of LegitGamblingSites.com on the line to recommend them yet.
Where can you play these live roulette games? At one of our top-rated casinos, of course.
The One Way Which Roulette Games Are Rigged
Remember how I said at the beginning of this article that roulette is rigged, but not in the way you think it is? I meant that. It’s not rigged in a way where the casino is cheating, fixing spins, and conning you. However, the casino does have a built-in mathematical advantage. It’s called the house edge.
The roulette house edge depends on the variant you’re playing. You always have slightly worse odds in American roulette because of the double zero. You can learn all about the different roulette variants here.
The main point to remember is this—roulette is fixed in the sense that the casino has a mathematical advantage which ensures it will make money over the long run. You didn’t honestly believe they were running these games for the good of their health, did you?
In that sense, online roulette is fixed. It’s unbeatable over a long period. However, in the sense of “these guys changed the rules when I started betting with real money,” it isn’t. The only way that’s possible is if you’re playing at a rogue casino. You won’t find any of those recommended on this site.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you can now see that the vast majority of online roulette games are not rigged. Third parties which have no incentive to scam you decide game outcomes and my own analysis proves that at least one major casino software company is running fair games. You’ll have to trust that the same game testers and regulators that keep these roulette games fair are doing their job with the rest.
Don’t believe the guys and gals who always bet too much then rant online. Bet within your means, play legit online roulette games and remember that the casino always has a slight advantage. With these practices, you’ll have an enjoyable and honest online gambling experience.
This has to be one of the most common questions we get asked here at Online Bookies and it’s one that we can confidently answer.
No. Online blackjack and roulette are not rigged. Assuming you’re playing at a licensed bookmaker.
However, the games are set up in the house’s favour, which is something that you need to remember. For example, if you could bet on something that had a 50/50 outcome, like a coin toss, then the true odds for that bet would be even money or 2.00. A casino isn’t going to offer you this price as they need to make a profit, so they offer you slightly less than even money; the odds might be more like 1.95.
Online Roulette Simulator
Whatever you are betting on, the bookmaker or casino creates the odds in their favour. Always. Think of it as the price you have to pay to use their service.
But Is Rigging Possible?
It’s all well and good for us to sit here and say that the games aren’t rigged, but technically, they could be if the developers wanted to build them that way. You see, they are set up and run using computers which work with complicated algorithms. These algorithms create random patterns of outcomes for each game.
If a company were to tamper with these algorithms, they could either decrease the stated payout for the game or they could unfairly weight it to pay out in fewer situations.
However, this would be highly illegal and no reputable bookie would risk their license or business for the sake of a few extra quid.
How are Games Tested?
The first thing to note is that online casinos don’t create their own games.
The games are made by specialist game developers who license their games to the casinos. Once these deals have been signed off the casino can host the games on their own platform.
This saves the casino both time and money. If you look at some of the bigger casinos you will see that they have hundreds of games to choose from and the time it would take to create just one of these games, let alone maintaining and update it, would be a huge weight around the casino’s neck.
The ability to sub-contract in their game library also allows them to choose from a much wider range of games than they would if they were making them all in-house. Many casinos use several different game developers to power their casino, creating much more diversity and interest for players. This is why you will see the same games at difference casinos – they are using the same developers.
You Still Haven’t Mentioned Testing
Sorry, we’re getting to that.
It’s the game developers who are responsible for making their games fair. They handle all of the development, coding, design, etc., so the casino couldn’t change the algorithms even if it wanted to.
There are a number of independent testing companies and regulatory bodies that test new games for fairness and ensure everything is as it should be. The key word here is ‘independent’, so they have no affiliation to any casino or gaming company.
They put the games through their paces over millions and millions of spins/hands and won’t sign off on a game unless it meets the requirements.
The largest of these is eCOGRA (eCommerce and Online Gambling Regulation and Assurance) who are a UK-based panel acting as a regulatory body for online gambling sites. The company have been around since 2003 and have carried out testing on thousands of casinos and casino games.
eCOGRA can also be alerted by players if they notice something suspicious going on. They also have a huge database of certificates that you can access to check on any games or casinos that you want to use.
Even though they are based in the UK, they are recognised globally as a leading company within the industry.
Other regulatory bodies include:
- iTech Labs
- TST (Technical Systems Testing)
- GLI (Gaming Laboratories International)
- Gaming Associates
- NMi
- BMM Testlabs
- SQS
Random Number Generators (RNGs)
Are Online Roulette Tables Rigged At Casinos
If you’re new to online casino games then you might not be aware that all the games are powered by Random Number Generators. It doesn’t matter if these are table games such as blackjack or roulette, or other casino games like slots; the packaging might be different, but they all share very similar frameworks in terms of how they operate behind the scenes.
The easiest way to think of an RNG is to use a game like roulette. A roulette wheel contains the numbers 0-36, and if this wheel were to spin at an incredibly fast rate of 100 rotations every second, there would be no way of knowing what number it was going to stop on or even make out any of the numbers as it spins.
The RNG works in the same way. The cycle continues to spin and instantly stops as you press the ‘bet’ or ‘spin’ button on your casino game. The graphic will keep spinning but the outcome has already been decided.
In reality, it works with a combination of random numbers and algorithms that are programmed into that machine. The RNG will cycle through these random numbers several times every millisecond until you tell it to stop by hitting the button.
The RNG is clever in that it’s able to take into account any Return To Player rates that the game developer wants to include. This is essentially how much a player can expect to get back from any unit of 100 (so £1, or £100) over a huge sample of spins.
House Edge
Are Online Roulette Tables Rigged Table
The house edge is essentially the mathematical advantage that the casino has over the player for each game.
The house is going to have an edge with all casino games, but they do alter quite a lot from one game to another. We mentioned earlier that if there was a coin toss, the house wouldn’t offer true odds of even money for that bet, but instead a reduced price at around 1.95 – this is the house edge.
When it comes to roulette and blackjack, the two games have very different house edge percentages. Roulette comes in three main variants, and each has a different house edge:
- America = 5.26% to 7.89%
- European = 2.70%
- French = 2.70%
As you can see, the casino has a much bigger edge with American roulette than it does with European or French. This is because an extra green number is used in American roulette, ‘00’ or double-zero, yet the payouts for each bet remain the same across all three variants. This creates extra opportunities for the house to win from American roulette and increases their edge.
Blackjack has one of the lowest house edges that you can get at just 0.28% for Vegas Rules games. This is because you can apply a ‘perfect’ betting strategy to blackjack and increase or decrease your stake amount to reflect times when cards statistically might or might not be in your favour.
How do you Explain Odd Results?
When you’re playing any casino game, there are going to be times when some improbable scenarios arise. It could be the house getting 3 blackjacks in a row, or zero coming up 5 times in a row in roulette.
These freak occurrences tend to be when people start to cry foul and claim that games are rigged. This is actually called variance.
Variance is ever present in casino games but is highlighted by seemingly non-random instances. For example, the odds of a zero landing in roulette is 1 in 37 attempts given that there are 37 numbers. But this doesn’t mean that zero will land 1 in every 37 spins, does it?
It could be that 1,000 spins are made and zero never occurs, but then it lands on 20 out of the next 50 spins. This would mean that zero has landed 20 times in 1050 spins, which is the same as 1 in 52.5 spins, which isn’t far out, and if you played a much larger sample of spins it would level out even closer.
When people see these seemingly impossible patterns it’s because of short term variance and comes down to luck and timing. Nothing more.
Still not Convinced?
Well, there are other online options if you still don’t trust these automated machines. The most obvious choice is that of live casino games.
These are real games being played on physical machines by a human dealer. They are filmed and streamed live to your computer or mobile from various different camera angles. It’s like playing at an actual casino but from the comfort of your own home.
Live casino games are played manually so do not use RNGs and are totally down to the luck of the draw. The results could be just as erratic or seemingly ‘rigged’, but they would at least offer you peace of mind if you don’t trust computers to work with algorithms, or if you are sceptical of online gambling in general.