In This Article:
What is the Return To Player (RTP) for Betfair products?
What are Random Number Generators, and how do they work?
Poker: How does Betfair Poker guarantee random cards are dealt?
Bingo: How do I know that Betfair Bingo is fair?
Exchange Games: How does the Random Number Generator work?
What is the Return To Player (RTP) for Betfair products?
The Return To Player (RTP) percentage of a fixed odds game represents the theoretical payback of game over time expressed as a percentage of total amount staked. This theoretical payback percentage is verified by running a large number of transactions - typically in the range of 10 million - through the game to ensure that the expected payback is within an expected range of the theoretical RTP. For those games, the result is generated by a RNG, which guarantees that each game outcome is generated independently and entirely randomly.
Both the testing of the RTP and the RNG are completed by an independent, accredited testing house who perform certification testing on behalf of the appropriate licensing body for each game.
Details of the RTP percentages which are relevant to each of Betfair's applicable games are included on each game's information page.
For the avoidance of doubt, Betfair does not guarantee that any of the games it offers will pay out according to its RTP percentage in a single hand, spin or play (or, indeed, to an individual customer).
Betfair warrants and represents that it is, in respect of the games it offers, compliant with the RTP requirements of all the appropriate licencing bodies, including the Return to Player Directive 2016 issued by the Malta Gaming Authority.
What are Random Number Generators, and how do they work?
In reference to the fairness and integrity of our games, please note that each and every spin is independent from the last game and does not take into account your win or losses from your previous games.
We are committed to offer our players the best quality games and we aspire to offer our players with the best services available. Our games use a true random number generator (RNG) and it is constantly tested and verified.
A Random Number Generator is a technology designed to generate a sequence that does not have any pattern, therefore appear to be random.
Software random generators (PRNG): Software RNGs use mathematical algorithms to generate random numbers, initializing the algorithm with a "seed" value derived from some repetitive operation in the computer, such as keystrokes, running processes, the computer's clock, or mouse movements. However, it is extremely difficult to come up with a completely random seed value, since most such operations only provide seeds with a small range of values.
Hardware random generators (TRNG): Hardware RNGs do not require seeds because hardware random numbers are not computed values; they are not derived through a repeatable algorithm. Rather, hardware-generated random numbers are digitized snapshots of naturally occurring noise. Because there is no algorithm and no repeating sequences of numbers, even if a hacker could determine one number, he would not be able to use it to predict any future numbers. For this reason, hardware RNGs are known as Truly Random Number Generators, or TRNGs.
Poker: How does Betfair Poker guarantee random cards are dealt?
The Random Number Generator (usually referred to as RNG) is a hardware device used to ensure the fairness of the poker games. RNG generates a sequence of numbers which correspond to various results in all the games. Nobody can predict the next number in a series, no matter how many previously generated numbers have come out. RNG's outcome cannot be modified or predicted in any way, so the results of the games are really based on a combination of luck and game skills. The results of the games coming from the RNG are not player dependent. The RNG works for the whole gaming system.
So the cards are not decided until they are dealt, there is an actual shuffle before every card is dealt. This is to make it impossible for hackers to be able to get into the system and be able to use this knowledge to only play hands they know will become good. Poker sites gain nothing by who wins or loses a hand or a tournament, but by rakes and buy-in fees.
Betfair takes a commission on the pot (rake) regardless of who is the winner of the hand and thus it would not make sense to favour one player over another.
It's just poker, fascinating and intriguing with all its twists and turns. Play your cards and the game the best possible way you can. Don't worry about if the deal was fair, at an online table, it always is.
Bingo: How do I know that Betfair Bingo is fair?
Randomness:
The order that the Bingo balls are drawn is determined by our Random Number Generator (RNG). Virtue Fusion uses a cryptographically strong RNG, developed by market leader Sun Microsystems. This ensures that the outcome of each game is absolutely random.
Jackpots/Prize Pools:
To ensure that we provide you with the most exciting prizes available, this site may link its bingo jackpots/prize pools with other bingo sites on the Virtue Fusion Network. For linked games, all bingo players regardless of which site they are playing on, pay exactly the same price for each ticket and each ticket is guaranteed to have the same chance of winning. Bingo sites link games to provide their players with bigger and better prizes.
Exchange Games: How does the Random Number Generator work?
Exchange poker uses a pair of Hardware Random Number Generators built on the Nehemiah C5XL Core. Both RNGs have passed the FIPS 140-2 Compliance Test Suite. The hardware von Neumann whitening corrector is enabled to ensure a consistently high value of entropy which has been measured in excess of 0.999 bits per output bit. Documentation, including an assessment of cryptographic strength from an independent industry group, is available for the terminally curious.
In addition to the above the software that works with the RNG conforms to best industry practices and cards are not drawn until betting is suspended for each round. We have run a variety of tests on the hands dealt to date to check for randomness and they have passed in all instances. Anyone wishing to run their own tests can download all historic hands in CSV format at http://stats.betfairgames.com/. We will have a full external audit done on the entire process at the next available opportunity, this audit will be ongoing and we will publish the results of these audits.
Card are only drawn when required and not before. Betting on the "Deal" round (where card backs are shown) is prior to any cards being dealt. Likewise the placeholders shown in the communal cards are exactly that with the cards for those position determined prior to the relevant betting round and displayed at the same time as the market opens.