Online casinos can be an excellent way to gamble from the comforts of home. They have most of the games in a traditional casino and offer a better gambling experience. You just need a smartphone, a tablet or a computer with an internet connection to place your bets and try your luck. But how do online casinos work? And how about the games? Is it any different from land-based casinos? How do online casino games work?
Let’s find out!
How do casinos work?
Quite simply, really. They are places where the operators offer gambling services to the interested public in a variety of forms – card games, table games, lottery-type games, and gaming machines such as slot machines and video poker. People put their money on the line trying their luck on one game or another – they either win or they lose.
Chance has been a part of humanity’s life for ages. Casting lots, flipping coins, and similar practices were used to make decisions – or better said, to “predict the future” or “leave it to the powers that be” – in the distant path, practices that have later become fun activities that could even put some money in the players’ pockets.
At one point, authorities decided to regulate the unchecked and widespread gambling endemic to Europe. Most notably in Venice, where the City Council decided to restrict the activity to a wing of the Palazzo Dandolo, thus giving birth to the first regulated gambling house in Europe. Il Ridotto, as it was called, has served the city for more than a century.
Getting together to gamble was an activity enjoyed by the upper classes later on. In Italy, this was usually done in small villas or summer houses – casinos in Italian. The term became synonymous with “social club”, and later with “gambling establishment”.
The games populating casinos were played long before regulations emerged. Roulette has been played in France since the late 18th century, the roots of blackjack can be traced even further back, and baccarat has also been around for quite some time.
How do online casinos work
The concept behind online casinos is pretty much the same. Except, of course, the games are not played in a specific room or building but on a website or in a smartphone app.
All the work is done by the servers of the game providers running the games and the casino platform. Players register an account, make a real-money deposit (the equivalent of exchanging cash for casino chips in the real world) and play pretty much the same games as they would IRL.
Random numbers, or how do online casino games work?
An online casino is a website or app that comes with several games. You can access the online casino through a browser on your computer or mobile. Additionally, some online casinos may have a mobile app to provide engaging experiences.
Now, you may wonder how online casino games work. Simply put, the games in online casinos work just like online games you play on different websites. They have a graphical interface you can see and interact with to play the game.
Behind the scenes, the games’ results are decided by sophisticated random number generators that, according to regulations, must be fair (as in truly random). What you see when you play an online slot machine or a game of RNG blackjack is just their output.
A random number generator does exactly what its name suggests: it generates random numbers. You can imagine it like a bunch of coins constantly being tossed – without the inherent bias, of course. What makes them special is that they can prove that they are truly random – which makes them provably fair – as in they neither favour the casino, nor the player.
These random number generators “decide” whether a spin on a slot machine is a winner or a loser, and how much you win. Well, “decide” is not the best word – there’s no decision involved, only probabilities.
Games in an Online Casino
An online casino has all the games of a traditional casino, and more. You can find different card games such as poker, blackjack, and baccarat, along with table games, gaming machines and everything in between.
Many of the traditional casino games are also available in a “live dealer” setting. This means that you don’t interact with a faceless program generating random numbers on a server who knows where. Instead, you play with a real person dealing cards or spinning the roulette wheel.
As you might expect, slot machines are a true hit at online casinos – these are available in a wide variety, many with unique features, bonuses, or jackpots.
What Happens When You Win Online Casino Games?
Let’s suppose you play an online casino game, like a slot machine, and win. What happens next?
You get to choose whether you want to continue playing the games offered by the casino or withdraw your winnings to spend them in real life.
On request, online casinos will transfer the winnings to your account. Depending on the individual casino, you may be required to verify your identity and complete play-through requirements for the bonuses you may have claimed. But once your funds are “clear” – free of any of the above – you will be able to withdraw them with no restrictions.
Final Thoughts
Online casino games are easy to play. You don’t need any technical knowledge or sound mathematical strategies. Just sign up at one of our reliable online casino partners and make your first deposit. However, research the casino for legitimacy and ensure you don’t fall for a scam.
