Reliably coding RNG mechanics for Casinos in JavaScript

Opening thoughts

It’s often what’s buzzing away under the bonnet that keeps the engine ticking in any global industry. The sum of these unique, individual parts is often greater than the input of just one or two components.

If we look at the wider casino gaming industry and take a snap poll of what people think drives its success, some might point toward new legislation that allows casino platforms to operate in states or countries they never have before. Some will point to the rise of smartphone gaming and how playing games on your phone or tablet is much easier than ever before. Others might say it’s the welcome bonus, meaning more people can shop around and spend less money when they play online than if they go to a land-based provider.

Honestly, none of these people would be wrong, but again, it’s a combination of these factors rather than one standing out over the other.

Do all casinos use the same technology?

Yes, whether a casino is traditional or a more modern version, such as a blockchain provider or a sweepstakes platform, it will use the same RNG technology to underpin its games that do not have a live dealer dictating the action.

Some gamers might think that sweepstakes casinos use different types of technology because they don’t have a real-money wagering mechanism. For those unaware, this is the only distinction between traditional and sweepstakes casinos – the latter will use Gold Coins and other types of currencies specific to their site.

While they can be redeemed for prizes, they fall outside the traditional framework of a real-money casino. Redemption features of these brands – like the ones sweepstakescasinos.net uses to rank new providers based on several variables – are often a hot topic and key talking point with experts. Alongside the quality of customer service or the games they offer, these are often the main talking points and ultimately determine the rating experts will give them.

What is RNG?

It's probably a good time to explain what RNG isn’t. We suspect that if you’re looking for reliable coding in JavaScript mechanics, then you have a reasonably firm grasp of how it works. RNG is an acronym for a random number generator, which essentially acts as the bedrock to prove the fairness and random outcomes in online casino games.

RNGs are mostly implemented into slot gaming and virtual games. Still, an increasing number of RNG algorithms are being used in more sophisticated ways as the industry expands online and retro gamers mess around creating their own ideas. They are often found in many top-rated JavaScript games, too.

While we might have waxed lyrical about how important all parts of the puzzle are, RNGs are the basis of integrity and fairness in casino gaming – and if they ever showed vulnerability or flaws, this would bring the entire industry onto shaky terrain. So, yeah, they’re quite important.

Reliable coding in JavaScript

Next year, it’ll be 30 years of JavaScript, and despite its age, it remains one of the most influential programming languages ever created. Obviously, when we’re deconstructing its role in RNG mechanics, we need to flank it with a disclaimer that no truly authentic type of JavaScript coding can be categorically random. No other programming language can boast this, either. Computers, by their very construct, cannot produce completely random numbers.

However, this doesn’t mean codes can’t produce patterns that mimic a random selection of numbers, millions or billions at a time. Yes, we know this sounds like they’re pulling random numbers out of thin air, but they’re not. They’re being programmed to. They’ll always have to follow this lead, so there’s no random nature involved.

While the emergence of AI has some programmers believing that RNGs will one day be able to produce truly random selections of numbers, others believe it’s impossible. So, what does reliably coding RNG mechanics in JavaScript actually look like in professional terms? Let’s dive in.

Math coding

The JavaScript math class is the foundation of any reliable RNG coding. This includes basic functions like finding the median, mode, range, or highest and lowest number in any data set. Naturally, it’s the starting block for RNG coding as well – and while it might not be as simple as looking for a singular number or one standalone mathematical task, it’s not too difficult to understand as long as you have a basic understanding of coding in JavaScript.

Some programmers want to create their own variants of an RNG that will use a specific set of numbers – say 1 to 1000, for argument's sake. So long as you graph them out, there isn’t going to be any bias.

This becomes slightly more problematic for cryptographical applications. Some programmers or coders will argue until they’re blue in the face that it’s not objectively random but more pre-determined. When it comes to actually implementing it in casino gaming, it does the job, and that’s the most crucial thing for designers.

As long as you know how to operate adequately from this standpoint, you can switch the numerical values and test out the coding over as many prompts as possible. While it might not be something you’ll be doing within a few hours of learning how to code on JavaScript, once you have the basics nailed down, you can then move into the more specific RNG types of code, where you can use prompts like toString() to explore the finer elements of coding.

Why JavaScript is still so widely used in casino gaming

Many of the first coding programs that were used to validate the legitimacy of online gaming were done through JavaScript. Once the programming language becomes the bedrock of many of these pioneering games, it becomes much easier to roll it out to other designers and platforms rather than go back to scratch and use other programming languages.

As we touched on earlier, JavaScript launched in 1995, went open source in 2006 and remains one of the most popular programming languages in the world. If there were any significant flaws, gaming companies would not be putting their necks on the line and would still be spending a lot of money getting coders to construct RNGs for their platforms’ gamers.

This is especially true in casino gaming, as any issues with the program or language could spell a multimillion-dollar disaster for the platform and create an exodus of casino gamers from their site to other platforms. While these other operators also probably use JavaScript themselves, that’s not the crux of the problem, but you get our point.

Final thoughts

Reliably coding RNG mechanics in JavaScript stems from a basic understanding of the coding language. One of the great advantages of the internet is that you can find cool and interesting facts about Java from accessible, free sources.

Sites like YouTube and forums such as Reddit have plenty of highly engaged coding enthusiasts who are willing to share their findings and coding quirks with other like-minded people. Understanding the basics of JavaScript and math coding is the foundation for any RNG development in JavaScript.

Although we suspect some casinos will move toward Python and C++, especially since the latter has become one of the most universal languages used in game development, don’t write off Java – sometimes, simplicity is key.

🔙 Back to Articles list.