Random Number Generators, RNG, And Online Slot Games

Random Number Generator or RNG is a word commonly heard amongst slot game enthusiast. But what is it exactly? How is it generated and is it truly random? RNG’s have many uses from video online slot machine games to sophisticated security systems. Here we are interested in online casino slot machine gaming. In this framework an RNG is a computational devise rather than physical, that is used by online slot machine software providers to create a fair outcome for their clients. By fair I mean a frequency and payout percentage that can be advertised having certain qualities and then living up to those standards.

It used to be that the only way to generate random payouts for slots was a mechanical slot machine. To demonstrate in a simple manner the limitations of mechanical slots, let us use an example in an oversimplified way for clarity. Take a 3-reel slot machine game with 10 symbols on each reel. The possible combinations would be 10 x 10 x 10x = 1000 combinations. The jackpot in these machines had to be very small. Why? It is because if you placed a nickel in the machine it would be limited to the 1000 possibilities of an outcome. One outcome had to pay the jackpot. In theory you would hit the winning combination within 1000 spins. Even with a 100% payout and no other ways to win offered, the jackpot could not be more than .05$ x 1000= $50. I doubt we would get much enthusiasm for slot games with this payout.

There are other limitations to physical randomness methods. A physical random generator such as the flipping of coin or the role of dice is a very slow method. The number of random numbers in an online casino environment is staggering. Computational random number generators can typically generate pseudo-random numbers much faster than physical generators.

In 1984 Inge Telnaes invented what he called the “Electronic Gaming Device Utilizing a Random Number Generator for Selecting the Reel Stop Positions.” Computational algorithms produce “very long” sequences of random numbers. These numbers are actually determined by a shorter initial value, known as a seed or key. Therefore it cannot be regarded as a true random number generator, since its output is based on calculations rather than a physical “entropic” phenomenon. So when communicating in very exact terms these generators are often called a pseudo random number generator, or PRNG. If at any time you were to look at the certifications of a particular online casino you would be seeing on the certification the term PRNG used. Intense statistical analysis of the output is often done to have confidence in the algorithm. Therefore the certifications need to be done, analyzed and published for us players.

But slot in peace. Carefully chosen PRNG’s can be used instead of true random numbers in online slot games. The numbers generated are quasi-sequential true, but they are “exceedingly long”. A player could never stay at the machine long enough to have the numbers repeat in any understandable predictable way. Besides this, the numbers are continually being produced, yet the player is selecting a number only periodical. PRNG’s birthed the online slot machine industry by creating more possibilities and faster than a mechanical slot machine ever could. There would not be large Jackpots today nor a popular slot machine game industry if we were still using mechanical slot games.