Is Gambling Rigged
FanDuel makes most of their money on site rake, which is a small fee for you to play each contest you enter. For instance, when you play a contest even as small as a $1 head to head game (more on that later), you’re only getting $1.80 back if you win. Some games are way more of a ripoff than others — even by casino standards. Everyone is convinced that gaming machines are rigged, and video poker machines are probably the most common target. Many players who visit Las Vegas are especially convinced that the games are rigged. But the truth is that video poker machines at licensed casinos will. Casino feedback can be a great way for players to determine whether a site is legitimate and is offering the best blackjack games. With feedback, one can learn of another player’s experience and can also learn of the different game variations that are offered. Online blackjack games are not rigged. These games are the next best thing to. Are gaming machines rigged? Are gaming machines rigged? The answer in Australia is definitely 'no'. Gaming machines are regulated to a surprising degree, and governments vigorously scrutinise their operation. Clubs, hotels and casinos that operate gaming machines are required to provide much information to government about their operation.
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.
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.
Many casino players ask themselves, at some point, “are casino games rigged?”
New players wonder this because they’ve heard the popular expression, “the house always wins.”
Some experienced players also ask themselves this question because they’ve experienced overall losses when they calculate their profits and losses over time.
In this piece, I’ll answer the question with facts about casino games. As you will see, casino games are rigged to favor the house. But as long as you’re playing legit games at trusted casinos, you can still win.
Allow me to explain…
Understanding House Edge and RTP – How Casino Games Are Rigged
Before we can discover whether casino games are rigged or not, we have to define what rigged means.
If you’re asking whether it’s true that the house will always win, the answer is yes.
Rdr2 Gambling Is Rigged
The casino will always make money on its games in the long term because it has a mathematical advantage.
However, if you mean rigged as you can’t win, no matter what you do, the answer is no.
Legit casino games aren’t rigged to cheat you.
There’s a chance that you can win, but even if you do, the casino will still make money because other players will lose enough to cover your win plus deliver some profit.
When playing casino games online, it’s important to understand two concepts.
- House Edge – This is the casino’s mathematical advantage. It varies from game to game. The house edge on slot machines is usually 4%, whereas, in blackjack, it can be as low as 0.5%.
- RTP – This is the average amount of money returned to players. For example, on slot machines, it’s usually 96%, whereas, in blackjack, it might be 99.5%.
You’ll notice the relationship between the house edge and RTP numbers. The house edge lets you calculate the casino’s profit on the game. So, does the RTP, but it tells you how much the casino will return to players. They’re two ways of expressing the same thing.
That means out of every $100 wagered on slots; the casino will make $4.
The RTP on a slot machine might be 96%.
This means that of every $100 wagered on a slot machine, players get $96 back.
In this example, do not make the mistake of thinking that the casino will only keep 4% of your money or will return $96 out of every $100 wagered by you. It’s possible that 10 players could lose $100 each, then one lucky player would win $40 on a $1 spin. RTP and house edge figures are averages.
Likewise, if you win a jackpot, you can be sure that the casino has either already taken more than that in profits or will do in the future. That’s why the house always wins. In this sense, casino games are rigged in favor of the house.
The House Edge for Popular Casino Games
Now that you understand the concepts of house edge and RTP, let’s look at the house edge for some popular casino games. Learning these will help you decide the best casino game to play to reach your goals.
Before we begin, note three things.
Are Gambling Machines Rigged
- First, the higher the house edge, the bigger the potential payouts.
- Second, different bets within a game can alter the house edge.
- Lastly, the house edge can be affected by what game variant you play.
| Game | House Edge |
| Blackjack | Between 2% and 0.28% depending on strategy and player experience. |
| Baccarat | 1.06% on player bet. 1.24% on banker bet. 14.3% on tie bet. |
| Roulette | 2.7% on European Roulette. 5.26% on American Roulette. |
| Slot Machines | Variable is 96% average. Up to 15% on progressive jackpot slots. |
| Keno | Variable is 20% to 30% depending on variant. |
| Video Poker | Variable depending on variant. |
| Craps | Variable depending on bet. 0% for taking the odds, up to 13.89% for 2, 12, and hard hops. |
| Sic Bo | Between 2.78% and 33.33% depending on what bet you place. |
As you can see, slot machines, keno, and some craps bets have the highest house edges. Casinos make most of their money on these games. That’s one of the reasons they’re almost always permitted in casino bonus terms and conditions. However, these games also offer you the largest potential returns.
Video poker almost always has the lowest house edge. It does vary depending on what variant you’re playing, but there are some games such as Jacks or Better have a house edge as low as 0.46% and can even have a negative house edge when played with a perfect video poker strategy.
Is Casinos Rigged
Avoiding (Actual) Rigged Casino Games
You now understand that all casino games give the house a mathematical advantage, the extent that they do so depends on the game variant and often how you play it, and that even if you win a jackpot, the casino will still make money in the long game.
These greedy merchants aim to lighten your wallet by running rigged casino games in a literal sense. While it saddens me to have to report this, I believe in being positive.
Therefore, I’d like to focus on two things:
- There are far more honest, legit online casinos than there are rogue ones. I’d say it’s at least a 10:1 ratio.
- You can avoid rigged casinos by being aware of them and learning how to spot them.
Here are some clues that casino games might be rigged.
- The games aren’t powered by legit and verified safe software providers like NetEnt, Microgaming, RTG, or Evolution.
- You lose more frequently than you statistically should. The house edge table above will give you a clue as to how many hands, rolls, or spins you should win out of 100.
- The casino operator doesn’t have a valid gaming license. This is a red flag, and you have to ask yourself why.
There are also cloned casino games that appear to be from legit software providers. With experience, you can easily spot these because there will be glitches and other tells. They just won’t be of the same quality as authentic casino games.
Look out for rigged casino games, and if you have any doubt, avoid them. They’re bad for you, the casino industry, and even the scammers who run them. They’d be much better off in the long-term if they ran honest, legit casinos that stood the test of time.
Rigged Casino Games – Frequently Asked Questions
I often like to wrap up my blog posts with three or four related questions I’ve encountered often. I’ll do so here on the subject of rigged casino games.