What Does Provably Fair Mean for Online Casinos?
What Does Provably Fair Mean? - Provably Fair iGaming Explained
When you’re playing casino games online, it’s important to know that the game outcomes are fair and randomly determined. In all forms of casino gambling, there must be an element of trust between the player and the casino, which is typically supported by a gaming license. Online casinos and game providers must verify that their games are fair in order to receive a license, but players still have to put their trust in the game each time they place their bets.
There’s an easier way to know that your games are fair to play. The provably fair system gives players a chance to verify for themselves, increasing the trust between players and the casino. You can play provably fair games at Stake Casino. Find out how they work in this complete guide.
What Does Provably Fair Mean?
Provably fair is a technology that ensures transparency and fair play within the gaming industry. It’s based around modern technologies such as the blockchain, which ensures that players can verify the fairness of every round of the game.
By using cryptographic techniques, provably fair games are completely random, with no possibility of bias or outcomes being influenced by the casino or the player. What’s more, they are fully transparent, as every outcome of the game is viewable on the blockchain.
How Does Provably Fair Technology Work?
Being provable is a new concept for online gambling and is only possible because of the invention of blockchain technology, the same innovative technology that powers cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and more.
Blockchains are a unique way of storing data. Unlike a database, they’re decentralised, and data cannot be changed once it’s stored, making them immutable. These traits make them ideal for recording financial transactions, as well as casino game outcomes.
Provably fair means the odds and outcome of a bet can be proven, through code and blockchain transactions, to have not been manipulated.
In this sense, provably fair differs from random number generators (RNGs), which are the standard way to determine casino game outcomes. Rather than using a closed system, provably fair online games are fully transparent, as each outcome effectively has a receipt of how it was generated.
What is the Provable Fair Algorithm?
Provably fair games use a cryptographic algorithm to generate a random “server seed” before each round. The server seed is then encrypted by turning it into a string of characters, in a process known as hashing. Before the game starts, the hashed seed is shared with the player before being combined with the unique “player seed” and the “nonce”. This ensures the results are random and completely fair. The secure method of encrypting the seeds using cryptographic hash functions means that neither the player nor the casino can tamper with the outcome.
Key Components of a Provably Fair System
In the provably fair system, there are three main components of the cryptographic function that ensure that each result is truly random and verifiable. These are:
Player seed - The player seed is a unique, randomly generated number. You can use your own seed or have the game generate it for you.
Server seed - This random seed is created by the game and encrypted through hashing to prevent cheating.
Nonce - Short for “number once”, this is a number that starts at either 0 or 1 and increases each time you play to ensure the same cryptographic key is never reused.
The player seed is combined with the server seed and the nonce to generate a random result. After the game, you’re able to check the server seed against the hashed version you receive to prove the game was fair.
Example of Provably Fair Online Casino Gambling
The concept of provably fair gaming might seem confusing at first. Let’s break it down using the gaming process of one of the most popular card games on Stake.com, Blackjack:
The online casino “Shuffles” the deck of cards. The casino provides the player with the hash (encryption) of the shuffle outcome.
The player provides his or her own seed, which is combined with the nonce, altering the order of the cards in the deck. How the deck was altered is unknown to the casino.
A card is dealt, and the bet takes place, resulting in a win or loss for the player.
The deck is shown both as it was originally shuffled by the casino and as it was altered by the player. This makes it possible to prove neither party was able to manipulate the outcome of the bet.
Why it's Important to be 'Provably Fair' in iGaming
Traditional casino games use random number generators to determine game outcomes, but players have no way to verify that the results of each spin of the slot reels, roll of the dice or shuffle of the virtual deck are truly fair and random. Instead, they have to trust that the return to player rate is accurate.
Provable fairness increases the level of trust between players and the casino through the following key areas:
Random outcomes - The process of combining seeds creates truly random outcomes.
Immutability - The outcome of the game cannot be changed by the casino or the player.
Transparency - After the game result, the outcome is available to verify, along with the original server seed, which proves the game result was truly fair.
Player involvement - Players can choose their own seed, which gives them more of a say in the outcome of the game, even if the result is still random.
Fairness is an important aspect of casino gaming, and being able to prove this helps players trust the outcome of each game they play. This increase in trust leads to players feeling more secure while playing, helping fair casinos avoid accusations of cheating or unfair practices.
Understanding Provably Fair Gaming at Stake Casino
Stake Casino offers a wide range of fair casino games, including slots, table games and live dealer tables. These games typically use random number generators to determine the outcome, but you can play provably fair games at Stake too. These games allow you to verify the result by checking the seed and hash each time you play, ensuring that each result is random and trustworthy.
Always remember to follow our Stake Smart guidelines to stay in control and gamble responsibly. You can use our betting limits and budgeting guide and our budgeting calculator to help set appropriate limits when playing online.
