The arrival of online casino software in the 2000s revolutionised the gambling industry. These days providers such as Playtech and hundreds of others compete to power of the biggest gaming sites on the planet. Whether it's a video slot, virtual table game or video poker, all of the games on these sites are powered by some ingenious software.
Things have improved a great deal over the past few years as well. Thanks to the rapid development of the gaming software, the primitive gambling sites that first appeared during the turn of the millennium have been replaced by seamless gambling experiences. For the less tech savvy players, figuring out exactly how this software works can be a difficult task. There are many different layers to the software and we have broken down exactly how they come together below.
Random Number Generator
The key part of iGaming software is a Random Number Generator (RNG). A common misconception about online casinos is that they are rigged in favour of the house. However, research has shown that although games are provided by software there is very little difference between the RTG at brick and mortar casinos and their online equivalent. The RNG is pivotal in ensuring this. RNGs are essentially complex computer programmes that are constantly generating a string of completely random numbers that have no discernable pattern. The online casino software then uses these numbers to determine what happens. Depending on the game this can mean different things. For example, in a video slot the number is used to decide where the reels land, whereas in blackjack they are used to determine which card will be drawn next.
As a result the outcomes of online casino games are very close to their real life version.
Interface
Of course, the complex nuts and bolts of a RNG are always masked well by online casino software providers. This is where the interface part of the software comes in. As time has progressed the interfaces for online casino games have become more and more extravagant. These days every single theme imaginable has been represented by one game or another, whether it be Ancient Egypt, the rainforest, diamonds or many more. Engineered in this part of the software is not only graphics but also sounds. Don’t forget the animations as well. When a game gets the go ahead, this all seems so seamless but all of it is programmed by software engineers for months beforehand.
Testing Period
Of course, before any software sees the light of day it must go through a rigorous testing process. Developers are looking for a number of things during this period. Key to the process is working out whether the RNG will provide the desired RTG for an online casino. Also important is checking that there are no graphical or sound errors in the interface of the software. Taking a faulty game to market can be disastrous in a commercial sense. Because of this, the testing process has to make absolutely sure that the software is working perfectly before unleashing it to players.
