How gaming companies utilize their RNG

[vhero]

Hi Mary,

I am familiar with random number generators - both true entropy sources like decay and thermal noise, and pseudorandom generators like MD5-based ones.

As a old physics guy, I'm interested to know how the major gaming providers such as Micro, Playtech, Boss and RTG actually UTILIZE their RNGs in the game setting.

Out of curiosity, I've emailed Microgaming and Boss, but I get a generic stock answer discussing "game fairness"...and that is not my question at all.

Specific questions...Take roulette, for instance:

1.When a player clicks "spin", is THAT the exact point that a number is generated, and then kept in storage for a few seconds while the wheel spins?

2. And does that number come from a continously running RNG, or is a new round of generating a number 0-36 not implemented for the particular game until the click?

3. Or, is "spin" clicked, and then the game waits for a random amount of time (1-5 seconds or so) and THEN generate the random number when the ball drops?

These type of questions can be applied to any game as well of course.

Hopefully you can shed some light or perhaps direct me to someone who'd like to share that. Does each company do it a different way? I certainly don't think that'd be proprietary info, I'm just interested in the physics of it all.

Thanks!

[mary]

Yes, this is proprietary information that none of the software providers would want to give out.

My guess is, since physics really isn't that important here, they'd just call on an rng result after the player pressed "spin"--much as land slots operate today. If intermediate selection steps such as those you describe were added, it would be for security reasons to thwart clockers of the rng.

They're not interested in modeling the true behavior--deceleration--of a roulette ball.

A lot of players are interested in discussing the different kinds of rng's. Your expertise is most welcome.