Rival - Misleading RTP Claim

[J.B.]

As most people who have played on Rival software know, the help page for each game lists its RTP. For non-proprietary games (keno/table games/video poker), these figures can easily be verified and are accurate as far as I know (I haven't checked them all). The RTPs for slots and other proprietary games have to be taken on faith.

One of the games listed under the Specialty Games menu is 30-ball bingo. You are given a 3x3 card (no free space) and must choose whether you want 20, 22, or 24 numbers to be called. If you fill the card you will win 80, 27, or 10 times the bet respectively (the more numbers called, the easier it is to fill the card, so the prizes are smaller when you do). You can play 1 to 100 cards, but that is irrelevant mathematically.

The help screen for this game says the RTP is "about 95" which I believe is supposed to mean "about 95%". The RTP can be computed with simple Excel formulas:

For 20 calls, the RTP is 80*hypgeomdist(9,9,20,30) = 93.92%
For 22 calls, the RTP is 27*hypgeomdist(9,9,22,30) = 93.87%
For 24 calls, the RTP is 10*hypgeomdist(9,9,24,30) = 91.39%

None of these RTPs resemble 95%. 1.08% is a big difference, and 3.71% is a huge difference. Saying that the 24-call game returns "about 95%" is like saying that 8/5 Jacks or Better (RTP = 97.3%) returns "about 101%".

 

[Simmo!]

As most people who have played on Rival software know, the help page for each game lists its RTP. For non-proprietary games (keno/table games/video poker), these figures can easily be verified and are accurate as far as I know (I haven't checked them all). The RTPs for slots and other proprietary games have to be taken on faith.

One of the games listed under the Specialty Games menu is 30-ball bingo. You are given a 3x3 card (no free space) and must choose whether you want 20, 22, or 24 numbers to be called. If you fill the card you will win 80, 27, or 10 times the bet respectively (the more numbers called, the easier it is to fill the card, so the prizes are smaller when you do). You can play 1 to 100 cards, but that is irrelevant mathematically.

The help screen for this game says the RTP is "about 95" which I believe is supposed to mean "about 95%". The RTP can be computed with simple Excel formulas:

For 20 calls, the RTP is 80*hypgeomdist(9,9,20,30) = 93.92%
For 22 calls, the RTP is 27*hypgeomdist(9,9,22,30) = 93.87%
For 24 calls, the RTP is 10*hypgeomdist(9,9,24,30) = 91.39%

None of these RTPs resemble 95%. 1.08% is a big difference, and 3.71% is a huge difference. Saying that the 24-call game returns "about 95%" is like saying that 8/5 Jacks or Better (RTP = 97.3%) returns "about 101%".

Even just saying "about 95" is misleading to a degree but one question J.B. Does it say anywhere in the rules that the game is random or non-random? Just wondering if it's a weighted game like the 3 card poker game we saw come up recently.

 

[KasinoKing]

The help screen for this game says the RTP is "about 95" which I believe is supposed to mean "about 95%"...

Rival have always been notoriously sloppy in the writing of their game rules pages.
A few years back I started several threads on this issue - virtually EVERY time a new slot came out there were howling errors on the rules pages. One slot even said the RTP was 69% - a simple typo which no-one at Rival spotted! (It should have said 96%).

If there was any possible way for me to contact Rival direct - I would have done it. But despite my threads here and reporting these errors to various Rival casino reps - nothing ever seemed to get put right.
If anyone has any ideas how we can get Rival to sit up & take notice - please share!

BTW, when they first came out, Rival stated the exact RTP, e.g. 96.04%, but around 2008 they started putting "About XX" instead.

KK

 

[J.B.]

Even just saying "about 95" is misleading to a degree but one question J.B. Does it say anywhere in the rules that the game is random or non-random? Just wondering if it's a weighted game like the 3 card poker game we saw come up recently.

Excellent point; no it does not. However, if it weren't drawing the numbers randomly, the help file would probably not mention that anyway.

This game is effectively Keno with a 30-number pool instead of an 80-number pool. With these kinds of games, not only is there a reasonable expectation that the numbers are drawn randomly, but it is also the easiest thing for the game developer to program. It would be far more difficult to program a predetermined outcome and then attempt to make it appear random. It's kind of like telling the truth vs. lying: if you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything; if you lie, you have to go to great lengths to keep the truth hidden.

Enough trials would be able to determine if the numbers are being drawn randomly, but I probably won't bother since I think it's safe to assume they are drawing numbers randomly, based on the RTPs I calculated which assume a random number selection.

Could I trouble you to point me in the direction of discussions about the weighted 3 card poker game you referred to?

Rival have always been notoriously sloppy in the writing of their game rules pages.

Indeed. The first paragraph says the following:

30 Ball Bingo is played on a 3X3 grid, each card has 9 numbers. The objective of the game is to mark off numbers that are called to complete a Full House.

I think they meant "Full Card".

 

[maphesto]

Could I trouble you to point me in the direction of discussions about the weighted 3 card poker game you referred to?

It's worth reading!

https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/threads/are-bet365-cheating-on-their-game-s.49012/

 

[Simmo!]

Excellent point; no it does not. However, if it weren't drawing the numbers randomly, the help file would probably not mention that anyway".

In a game like this then if it was weighted you would reasonably expect it to say so IMO. You could report it to the casino and see what they have to say, perhaps asking them if it is a weighted game and point out your findings. They will no doubt have direct contact with Rival but as KK points out above, they aren't very open to communication (like most software vendors in this industry to be fair).

 

[J.B.]

In a game like this then if it was weighted you would reasonably expect it to say so IMO. You could report it to the casino and see what they have to say, perhaps asking them if it is a weighted game and point out your findings. They will no doubt have direct contact with Rival but as KK points out above, they aren't very open to communication (like most software vendors in this industry to be fair).

I have a hard time believing they would voluntarily admit it if they were weighting the results. For example, most (if not all) 3-reel slots are weighted (on any platform, not just Rival), yet they do not disclose this in their help files. However, slots are significantly different from keno/bingo/lotto type games, so perhaps they would admit it for a game where random selection can easily be proven or disproven.

 

[Simmo!]

I have a hard time believing they would voluntarily admit it if they were weighting the results. For example, most (if not all) 3-reel slots are weighted (on any platform, not just Rival), yet they do not disclose this in their help files. However, slots are significantly different from keno/bingo/lotto type games, so perhaps they would admit it for a game where random selection can easily be proven or disproven.

Totally take your point but that would provide an 'official line' so to speak, so one doesn't have to rely on an assumption.

 

[J.B.]

-delete-

 

[GrandMaster]

I recorded the results for a mere 10 games, and a chi-squared test indicated a probability of 0.999995 that the numbers being called were being drawn at random.

This does not make sense to me. Could you please elaborate?

 

[J.B.]

This does not make sense to me. Could you please elaborate?

You are right. Scratch what I wrote about the chi-squared test.

 

[all4greed]

The help screen for this game says the RTP is "about 95" which I believe is supposed to mean "about 95%".

I'm almost speechless at that wording.

Other words that could also substitute for the word "about":

roughly
most likely
estimated at
perhaps
around
hopefully

All bad and inspire zero confidence for a fair game.

 

[J.B.]

I'm almost speechless at that wording.

Other words that could also substitute for the word "about":

roughly
most likely
estimated at
perhaps
around
hopefully

All bad and inspire zero confidence for a fair game.

The point wasn't that they omitted a percent sign, the point was that the game returns just over 91% at worst, and less than 94% at best. This is, of course, under the assumption that they did not rig the game to produce a higher RTP than it would have if they selected numbers randomly.