Online casinos have been around for years, and people have long enjoyed the thrill of betting from the comfort of their homes. Yet, one major issue has always been trust. Many people worry about fairness. Are the games truly random? Can the results be manipulated? These concerns are valid, and people deserve transparency.
This is where blockchain technology comes in with a solution to these problems through something known as ‘provably fair gaming.’ But what exactly is the concept? Let’s break it down so you can immediately put theory into practice by reviewing Bitcoin Whales and How They Impact the Crypto Market. After all, knowledge is most certainly power.
What Is Blockchain?
Blockchain is tech that ensures that data is recorded securely, ensuring that third parties do not interfere with it. It’s like an invoice book in which all transactions are recorded. Each entry, or “block” is conventionally connected to the previous entry. This ends up making a ‘chain’ of blocks, hence the name.
One of its many wonders is that it’s transparent. As soon as data is put in the block, it cannot be altered. It can be seen by everyone, but nobody can manipulate these records. It makes meddling nearly impossible.
What Is Provably Fair Gaming?
Provably aims to make online play as fair as possible by helping visitors verify the result of each match on their own.
This means that you can’t just take the site at face value. You can confirm that the results generated are fair and have not been tampered with. Blockchain provides the foundation for this transparency, and by using it, casinos prove that their results are randomized.
How Does it Work?
At the core of it is an algorithm that generates random numbers determining the outcome of slots, poker, or roulette. The process is a simple one, but very powerful.
Here’s How It Works:
- Seed Generation: The casino provides a server seed. This is a number they generate before the round starts. People also generate their own “client seed,” which adds an extra layer of security.
- Hashing the Seed: Before beginning a round, the casino hashes the server seed. A hash is a scrambled version of the seed. It’s like locking the seed in a box and showing the locked box. The player can’t see it directly but knows it exists.
- Game Outcome: Once it’s over, the host reveals the server seed. The player can now compare the revealed one with the hash they saw before. If they match, the person knows the result is fair and the outcome was not influenced by anything.
This system makes cheating very difficult. Both halls and the participants play a role in determining the outcome, as they can verify everything after the game.
Benefits
- Transparency: Parties can see and verify fairness as there is no need to rely on third-party checking. Everything is open for everyone to see.
- Security: The use of both the casino’s server seed and the player’s client seed adds an extra layer of protection, solidifying that neither party can cheat.
- Fairness: The user can confirm that the outcome was determined before the game started. There’s no way for the site to change the result midway.
- Control: This way, people feel more in control. They are actively part of the process and can verify the results themselves.
- No Third Parties: Since everything is verifiable on the blockchain, there’s no need for an external auditing company. The players are the auditors.
Enhanced Transparency
In the past, online websites relied on third-party auditors to prove fairness. However, with blockchain, the need for middlemen disappears, as the tech itself is proof. This has several key advantages:
- No More Trust Issues: It’s worth mentioning again that people don’t need to task a central authority or auditing firms anymore, as this way, they put their trust in the blockchain visible to everyone.
- Instant Verification: You can check the fairness of each game immediately and don’t need to wait for an outsider’s report.
- Immutable Records: Once a result is recorded on the blockchain, it’s there forever, and absolutely no one can tamper with it.
Challenges Ahead
Although this tech has brought many benefits to hosts, it’s not without challenges. First, not everyone is familiar with it, as it requires some knowledge of how hashes and seeds work. This can be confusing for newcomers and casinos will need to educate their clients better.
Second, such transactions can sometimes be slow, which could potentially affect the speed of online games. However, as technology advances, these issues will likely be resolved.
Lastly, not all places have adopted blockchain yet, which means users need to choose carefully where they visit. They should look for options that offer provably fair gaming as part of their platform.