Players always fear that the house will cheat them on luck-based games such as blackjack, roulette, or slots. This is understandable because it is technically possible for an online casino to rig the game against your favor.
The answer? “provably fair” gaming. A provably fair game, which can be played in Bitcoin casinos, uses cryptographic techniques to ensure transparency and demonstrate that the game’s outcome was not manipulated. Players themselves can even double-check the outcome after each game.
Here’s how it works in simple terms
Imagine you’re with two friends playing dice. Friend A is the house, friend B is the spectator, and you’re the player.
Friend A writes down his bet on a piece of paper and secretly shows it to friend B who then takes a picture of it with a timestamp. You also place your bet and the dice are cast.
After the roll, friend B tells you that friend A won. You didn’t believe it so he showed you a picture of the piece of paper with the bet on it. Based on the timestamp, you saw that friend A placed his bet before the dice were rolled and never changed it. You even saw friend B taking the picture earlier so you know there was no cheating involved.
The more complicated explanation
Before each round, a provably fair game generates a random “seed” or a random number that will be used to determine the game’s outcome. This seed is usually generated using a combination of random data, such as the current time or player actions.
Some provably fair games allow players to add their own seed, known as a “player seed,” to the mix. This gives players an extra layer of control and randomness. The player seed can be anything the player chooses, like a word or a random sequence of numbers.
The game then combines the server’s seed (randomly generated by the game) and the optional player seed (if provided) and applies a mathematical function called hashing. Hashing creates a unique and encrypted code that represents the combination of the seeds.
The hashed result is used to determine the game’s outcome. For example, in a dice game, the hashed value might be used to determine the number rolled. In BTC slot machines, the hashed value determines the position of symbols in each slot.
Once the game round is complete, the player can access and verify the seeds used in the game. The server seed, the player seed (if used), and the resulting outcome are all made available for inspection using various tools. Players can check if the seeds were truly random and ensure that the game’s outcome matches what was claimed.
How to verify provably fair games’ results
Because you probably made countless bets on online casino games before, it is not very simple to verify them all manually again. But you can do so on your next game with provably fair verifiers such as:
It’s important to note that the exact implementation of provably fair systems may vary across different games and platforms, but the underlying principle remains the same: empowering players to validate the fairness of the game themselves.
