There are a few bold new trends in online gaming that you should know about. One of them is the use of cryptocurrency as an easy and convenient form of money/chip value. Another one is provably fair gaming, and this type of process assures players that gaming outcomes are fairly and transparently generated.
When you think about it, this is critically important for an online gaming industry that is quickly expanding. If players started to think that the numbers were slanted toward the house, or that they didn't have a fair shot at getting a winning hand, parts of this gaming industry might collapse. So provably fair gaming is really an investment in making sure that digital casinos thrive over time.
Getting Into the Guts of Provably Fair Algorithms
Casino operators use provably fair algorithms to create provably fair gaming outcomes.
In a very basic sense, many of the algorithms use a client seed and a server seed which are displayed as a hash, along with a “nonce” that shows random generation by iterations.
Some of these provably fair algorithms also use SHA-256 or a Shannon algorithm (shout out to Claude Shannon!) known for its cybersecurity value.
In addition, there are certain sorts of algorithms that are useful for provably fair games because they have a long “period,” or in other words, a greater number of generations before they essentially start over or reset.
For example, the Mersenne Twister algorithm, as a matrix linear recurrence, is popular in provably fair gaming.
There's also something called the Fisher Yates shuffle algorithm, which some experts describe as a process that “draws an element from the hat until no elements remain.” Using these sorts of iterative processes, coded in the appropriate ways, ensures fair play in a way that is transparent to engineers and developers, and verifiable by players.
Benefits of Provably Fair Gaming
These provably fair gaming algorithms really complement other aspects of online casinos that attract more attention from players and everyone else as this sector evolves. Online gaming as a whole takes care of many security and identity problems that you might encounter in a physical casino as a human dealer throws out cards one after the other.
Practical Outcomes
Take a digital roulette table. With the right provably fair gaming algorithms, players see that a ball starts out at an initial point and rolls to a random red or black position. So instead of having to roll that ball physically, the system can iterate with everyone understanding how the result is generated, and having verifiable proof of that, even though they’re not all in a room together.
In table games, these algorithms can show how card play is generated fairly, so that players can know they are getting a fair shot, whether they're competing against the house or against each other.
Other Benefits
When you look at the use of bitcoin gambling operations, you see that more anonymity for players is possible, although companies and platforms have to abide by KYC/AML guidelines.
You also see that there's a certain transportability to many of the cryptocurrencies that are used as a medium of payment.
All in all, this is a complex digital environment that is advancing and becoming more capable in terms of hosting all sorts of gaming activities.
For more, take a look at some of the modern platforms like FortuneJack that combine provably fair gaming with cryptocurrency casino operations. Many of these online casinos feature easy fiat/crypto trades, lots of pairs, and more for players who want to really embrace the functionality of crypto. It’s an exciting time for gaming, and you can be a part of it!