The online gambling market is a multi-billion dollar industry expanding rapidly with each passing day. New casinos regularly open, while the scope and quality of the games are steadily increasing. It obviously pays off for all these casinos in the business, but how is it so profitable if the odds are completely random? Are they rigged? They don’t even have to be!
In this article, we’ll discuss how and why the house always wins in the long run. Winning at a casino is not easy most of the time, so let’s see how operators ensure they keep the upper hand.
Understanding the House Edge and RTP
To understand how online casinos always have an advantage over players, you must understand House Edge and RTP. These two terms are essentially the groundwork for how the entire business functions, and every single player should know this before depositing their money and playing.
House edge relates to the advantage of the online casino over the player base. Every specific casino product has its house edge percentage, which determines the overall profit of the house over time. For example, if a game has a 7% house edge, the brand is expected to keep that percentage of money wagered by the player.
RTP, or Return-To-Player, is a term used to describe the theoretical return percentage that punters can expect when wagering their money. This means that if a specific game has an RTP of 93%, the players can theoretically receive that amount of money over an extended period of time.
This, in theory, means that you can rely on the RTP if you have an unlimited supply of funds to wager, but in practice, most players don’t intend to spend all they’ve got. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can never profit from casino games. Luck can always strike and benefit you,but in most cases, the house is the one that wins.
You probably see how house edge and RTP function in symbiosis. It’s impossible to have one without the other. Generally speaking, players should always aim to play games with the highest RTP, as that will increase their chances of winning in the long run.
The Role of RNG
For the house edge and RTP to be valid in digital games that exclude live dealer products, all games should have an integrated RNG. This refers to the “Random Number Generator,” a system that ensures randomness and fairness in all games that aren’t played in a live setting.
This gives all the slots and digital table games legitimacy, as the players wouldn’t spend their money on rigged and predetermined games. Be that as it may, this doesn’t mean that the house won’t have an advantage over players playing an RNG-certified game.
Online slots, for example, hold specific RTPs for every game, which is the driving force behind the house winning. You should always play games that have their randomness certified. Some casinos and games also allow you to use the provably fair system, which allows you to check the legitimacy of the RNG using third-party websites.
Casino Advantage in Live Dealer Games
Apart from digital games like online slots, many players spend their time playing live dealer casino games. In these titles, you won’t be encountering an RNG system, as the games are being played out in real life, in real time. The only part of these games that requires randomness is shuffling the decks for card-type titles.
This all depends on which live casino products you are playing. The cards can be shuffled by the dealer or by an automatic machine. In recent times, we’ve seen an increase in the usage of CSM, which stands for Continuous Shuffling Machines. These machines are constantly shuffling and rotating the cards, ensuring total randomness.
With all of that being said, the games you play determine what kind of house edge and RTP you can experience. For example, if you’re looking to play blackjack or baccarat, you’ll be able to experience the least possible house edge across all the live casino products on the market.
That’s why a lot of professional gamblers tend to play these titles. They give the house a significantly less chance to win than other games. Regarding roulette, you should always play the European version over the American one, as the house edge is noticeably lower.
Other table games such as Sic Bo and Craps benefit the casino a lot more than our previous mentions, so if you’re looking to optimize your chances of winning, we suggest that you avoid playing these.
Considering everything, the house will always have an advantage over players, but they should try to mitigate these advantages as much as possible, and they can do that by being smart with their gaming choices. Now, the question of entertainment comes into play.
Should you choose to play games that favor your winning chances more or ones that you find interesting and exciting? That decision is entirely up to you, but knowing the facts will certainly help you make the choice.
Bonuses Benefit The Casino
Promotions and bonuses associated with a casino brand have become a staple of the industry. You’ll find it difficult to find a gambling platform that doesn’t offer some sort of welcome package or reload bonuses. While these are great ways to enhance your gameplay experience, they mostly favor the casino.
For starters, all of these promotions come with wagering requirements. This means that the players will need to accommodate certain conditions before they can cash out possible winnings from the bonuses. With these requirements, the house manages to secure overall profit.
In most cases, punters won’t be able to fulfill the wagering requirements, especially because plenty of brands purposefully make said requirements difficult to achieve. While this gives players the illusion that they technically haven’t lost much money even if they fail to accomplish them, the casino has profited from their initial deposit.
If you want to avoid being used, we suggest you meticulously research casinos that offer fair promotions and bonuses. This might take a bit more time, but it will be worth it in the end. The alternative solution is to disregard the bonuses and play with your deposited money.
Most of the promotions also require you to play certain casino titles, and they are usually the ones with a lower RTP. You won’t be able to play the games you enjoy or the ones that will benefit you the most. All of this combined results in the house profiting from you.
You Can’t Beat The House In The Long Run
Since the inception of casinos, people have been speculating if beating the house is achievable. We’re here to tell you that trying to do something like that can cause you nothing but addiction and financial problems in the long run. Online gambling should be treated as a form of entertainment and a hobby.
Beating the house is impossible, and you should never strive to accomplish that. Make sure that you are responsible while playing the games. Gambling to earn money and get out of financial trouble is a common mistake that people make, and it never ends well.
We also highly recommend that you never gamble when feeling sad or depressed. These feelings can make you want to make bad decisions, and with the house edge always having the advantage, you will feel a lot worse by the time you are done with your session.
With everything we’ve said, it’s obvious that everything functions in a way that benefits the casino operators. Their goal is not to make you rich but to earn as much money as possible. You can ensure that you play in regulated environments where you’ll be provided with the best possible odds, but you can never outsmart the ones designing and providing the games.
Conclusion
In summary, these were the main reasons why the house always wins in the long run. This will never change, and players should be aware of this fact. Winning big amounts of money by playing casino products is possible, but achieving that should never be your primary goal. Having high expectations every time you log in to play can only turn you away from the hobby, as you will rarely be satisfied with the results.
