What is Provably Fair?

Video Explanation

Fair Methodology

The bitcoin betting community has found a unique method of ensuring a fair gambling environment. There are no third parties involved as this approach relies on advanced cryptography to make sure that games are not tampered with. Players can also confirm results in real-time. This is how the term provably fair was born.

Read on to learn about

• What is provably fair?
• Components of provably fair system
• Finding a provably fair casino
• Why provably fairness is growing popular
• Verifying provably fair game results

But, if you already know that stuff, and are simply looking for the best provably fair casinos, we’ll cut to the chase. Here is a comparison of provably fair casinos we think you should try.

What is Provably Fair Gambling?

Provably fair gambling addresses issues of transparency and trust among online gambling operators. Software providers use complex random number generators (RNGs) to offer authenticity. While this appears to lower distrust in the industry, no one apart from the providers knows whether the algorithm is truly random. And even if they are, players can’t guarantee that the randomness is without manipulation. Provably fair gambling involves infrastructure that players can use in real-time to verify the fairness of their stake. It means that online casinos can’t cheat because the game results are transparent and easily verifiable.

If that made your head swirl, think of provably fair games as a restaurant with an open kitchen where other operations such as management take place in a different room but diners can view how food is prepared and served. Provable fairness gives bettors access to the numbers that influenced the final results of a slot or table game.

This technology uses the concept of blockchain by recording all transactions in a public ledger, making it impossible for game developers and casino owners to cheat.

The main components of a Provably Fair Game:

1. Random Number Generators
2. Seed Generators
3. Hashing

As you may have already picked from the name, RNGs produce millions or even billions of random numbers every second to determine the outcome of a game. For example, a game with 10 million probabilities is highly unpredictable. RNGs are not only present in provably fair platforms. All games from reputable providers use this system to reduce predictability, even though the games are not provably fair.

Number Seeding

Seeds are numbers or letters that generate the outcome of a game. Each complete bet in a provably fair system will have server seeds and user seeds. User seeds are accessible to punters but server seeds are not. In provably fair games, users add their unique seed number into the algorithm.

Hashing

Hashing secures seeds to make the information they hold impossible to decipher. In the context of provably fair games, this process encrypts seeds using blockchain cryptographic hashes, making them tamper-proof.

With the above information in mind, let’s take a deeper look at how a provably fair system works.

So How Does it Work?

1. Seeding

The casino generates a seed number.

2. Hashing

The seed number gets hashed to produce a sequence of letters or numbers called “hash”. They can’t be reverse engineered and they are unique to the game being played.

3. Player Adds Personal Seed

The player adds his or her seed.

4. Play It Out

The game is played and finally, an outcome is out.

5. Receiving Games’ Hashed Seed

The player received the hashed seed that was used in the game.

6. Hash Calculating

Using a hash calculator, players verify the bet. If the hash corresponds to the one that was released before the game, then it was provably fair.

Provable Fairness In Casino Games

Some games like Satoshi Dice are automated with provably fair blockchain protocols so that eliminates the need for manually calculating the hashes.

If that’s still too technical to fully wrap your head around, the next example should help.

An example with Digital Blackjack

Sandra wants to play digital blackjack in a provably fair casino like Stake.com. Let’s explain how the above sequence will come into play in a real e-casino.

1. Stake.com casino shuffles the deck and provides Sandra with a hash of the outcome.
2. It’s Sandra’s turn to feed her seed into the algorithm.
3. The game proceeds and Sandra either wins or loses
4. The deck is then laid open displaying how it was originally and after Sandra’seeding
5. Sandra can now go ahead and confirm whether the casino was fair.

Before we dive deeper into what this verification entails, let’s look at provably fair and traditional casinos side-to-side:

Provably Fair Gambing vs Traditional Gambling

Why is Provably Fair Better?

For the player:

Transparency and clarity: Transactions are visible to gamblers at any time eliminating the possibility of manipulation and foul play.

No third parties: There is no need for third-party intervention as players are the main auditors of the casino. This also increases the security of the game.

High RTP percentage: RTP stands for “Return to Players.” It calculates the winning chances a player has in a particular game. Provably fair casinos offer paybacks of as high as 99% for slots and 99.5% for blackjack games.

What may not impress you:

• Games hardly look great. Most provably fair games look like classic 1990 games. Some providers are starting to improve this aspect, but there is still a lot of work that should be done in terms of appearance.
• You must deposit and withdraw in crypto, so if fiat is your most convenient payment method, you will be disadvantaged.
• Cryptocurrencies are still volatile assets. While this might work in your favor, you are not ready to see your bankroll halved when your choice of crypto loses value.

For the Casino

Provable fairness increases trust between the player and the host. This relationship is invaluable for operators because players can stick around for the long haul if they feel secure. Such sites also experience huge traffic from new players both from referrals and organically.

Picking a Provably Fair Casino

It might prove difficult to pick a provably fair casino out of lots of choices presented online. We’ve published detailed “How to pick an online casino” guides elsewhere on our website, but for now, we will focus on provably fair operators. Some of these factors may still apply to non-provably fair sites too.

Your Preferred Crypto

Most people have that virtual coin that they root for. If you’re one of them, it will make sense to find a casino that supports your preferred crypto. You may also want to make sure that your cryptocurrency of choice is easy to transact whenever you need to. A few provably fair operators accept tens of digital coins, and the rest only support BTC, LTC, and ETH.

Security

Check that the casino you pick has proper security features such as a valid SSL certificate on its website. Go ahead to compare what other safety features are in place. For example, an operator that stored your crypto in multi-signature cold storage is much more tenable than one that relies on online wallets. Lastly, you want to inspect if the site is licensed to be sure that you’re dealing with a compliant company.

The Services You Want

Provably fair casinos offer diverse services with different target markets in mind. Some offer provably fair sportsbooks only while others offer a mix of gambling services. You can visit our casino reviews page to compare the services offered by different provably fair operators.

Bonuses and Promotions

Of course, this is not a priority but would you say no to free perks? Bonuses and promos give you extra capital to wager as well as a buffer against losses. So don’t leave them on the table.

Final Thoughts

Although blockchain was first used for seamless global remittances time is proving that it has more to offer. Its cryptographic features and immutability give it the ability to prove fairness and guarantee security. This is why gambling platforms have opted for this method to provide provable fairness. Players can confirm the games’ fairness whenever they want to. Some operators require users to calculate the hashes themselves, but most reputable ones like Stake.com have automated the process.