How to Spot a Rigged Casino Game
3 min readCasino house edges give casinos a statistical edge over players and explain why casinos can consistently turn a profit for years on end.
Unscrupulous casino operatorss may attempt to deprive you of your winnings by manipulating the software of their games, manipulating two fundamental aspects – RNG and RTP – to take their cut of any winnings you might acquire.
Slot machines
Casino rigged slot machines can cause you to lose a great deal of money. Of course, gambling involves risks; to mitigate this possibility and minimise losses, try only gambling at sites certified by Curacao or UKGC regulators.
Players often assume slots are rigged when they lose and fail to hit a jackpot or smaller wins, but these errors often stem from hardware or software malfunctions rather than any effort on part of casino staff to manipulate a machine.
All legalized casinos – online and live – are monitored by gaming commissions that monitor them closely, so they have no incentive to rig slot machines. Instead, violations could cost them money in fines and could even result in them losing their license; hence why no attempt would be made at rigging slot machines.
Arcade games
Experienced casino gamblers may have wondered whether or not their game was rigged; after all, why would casinos want to cheat customers. But what does “rigging” actually entail, and how can players tell whether a casino game is fair?
One of the main allegations levelled against casinos accused of being “rigged” is their manipulation of odds. This can happen in various ways; one method being all-in situations being tilted in favor of players (but this doesn’t happen nearly as frequently as some think).
Crane-claw machines found in arcades allow operators to manipulate the probability of winning prizes and tickets by altering settings in the machine, although this practice is prohibited due to strict licensing regulations and requirements. While rigging occurs more commonly at arcades and is considered illegal by law, it still occurs regularly and can be extremely frustrating for players.
Table games
Contrary to what many believe, table games such as roulette and blackjack aren’t necessarily fixed – casinos have clear regulations governing what percentage of their money they pay out as prize winnings. They must generate revenues that exceed what they take in, or they will soon go out of business. Yet human psychology and cognitive biases may lead some players to believe the casino is cheating them; overconfidence or believing one will win are two common indicators of this perception. Dealers are master manipulators using psychological manipulation techniques and sleight of hand. For instance, they could bend the corners of money cards to make it more difficult to follow or use social pressure and complementary players (shills) to influence gameplay.
Understanding that casino games contain house edges is vitally important – the house edge does not exist due to any misdeed on behalf of casino employees; rather it is the result of long-term probability which ensures that over time the casino makes a profit.
Online casinos
Numerous casinos, both offline and online, manipulate their games in order to defraud players. One method used is altering software; specifically the Random Number Generator or Return-to-Player percentage which indicates how much you should expect to win from playing over time – in order to do this a rigged casino may lower this value and render winning impossible for its patrons.
At reputable, licensed casinos will not manipulate their games to take advantage of players. However, not all online casinos are regulated or licensed and therefore it is wise to conduct some research prior to opening an account with one. You should consider licensing requirements, data encryption capabilities and RTP/RNG disclosure to avoid being taken advantage of by unsavory operators who will quickly drain away your gambling funds.