Are Online Casinos Rigged?

Are Online Casinos Rigged? A very good question and one that gets asked by many players who have never played at an online casino before.

The purpose of this article is to provide you with a greater insight as to how online casinos work and how you can be sure you are playing at a fair, secure and trustworthy operation.

First off, thankfully at the end of 2017 ( The time this article was first published ) regulation in the UK is full steam ahead, with the UK Gambling Commission responsible for overseeing online operators. The UKGC issues licenses to all online casinos who want to accept players from within the UK.

Players playing at an UKGC licensed casino can be sure of fairness when playing the games at UKGC licensed casinos and also of security when it comes to the casino banking, enabling you to deposit and withdraw funds.

The same can be said for those casinos which are licensed in reputable off shore jurisdictions, many of which also having bestowed on them a UKGC License. For an overview of many of the off shore jurisdictions where casino operators are based, please check our OCR’s Licensing Pages.

For reputable operators and for more info on them, check out our Online Casino Reviews section of OCR, it is not in their interest to even think about ‘rigging’ their games. Not only will the Licensing Jurisdiction subject them to a massive fine, but they want their players to enjoy their casino experience and keep on returning.

Yes, whilst the house always has the edge, players do and can win and an online casino is no different to a land based casino in this regard.

This question as to whether online casinos are rigged also crops up when it comes to playing live casino games online. Indeed the site Live Casino Comparer has addressed this issue head on, with an article well worth a read, concerning whether Live Roulette is fixed.

Licensing Jurisdiction in Most Cases Gives Peace of Mind

If you sign up to an online casino which operates in a ‘reputable’ licensing jurisdiction, this gives you, the player peace of mind. As you know that the operator is subject to the licensing authorities conditions and the games that they serve you, are audited for fairness.

Any decent online casino will also provide you with, in most cases on their site, the ‘RTP’ of the games made available. For those who are not aware, RTP stands for Return to Player.

Likewise, as well as checking out where a casino is licensed, also check to see what casino software company or companies providing the games, offered by the casino that you play at.

But be sure the casino you play at offers games from a well known software company. For instance if you are playing at a property that offers games from Microgaming or IGT for example, then you are more than likely good to go.

However, if the casino offers games from an obscure software company, then your best bet is avoid. Check out our software pages linked at the top of the page for further information as to which companies are ‘kosha’.

Not all licensing jurisdictions offer or afford the same level of protection however. For example Curacao has come in for much criticism as it is by all intents and purposes as flaccid as a wet lettuce.

That said, you may find a couple of casinos reviewed and recommended on OCR which are licensed in Curacao. But this is due to the fact that we personally know the operators and they also have a stellar reputation with relevant history in the industry.

Unfortunately though, as I will discuss in the next section of  this article, we have become aware of a growing number of operators with a Curacao license and elsewhere who, lets just say are a bit shady to say the least!

Rogue Casinos Beware!

Unfortunately, like anything that involves money online and in life in general, where there is money to be made, it also has the potential to attract the bad apples. EasyPlay.Vegas has an extensive Casino Blacklist which all of our visitors should take a minute or two to read.

So back to the original question, are online casinos rigged? Well several of the casinos which have found their way onto our casino blacklist, have been exposed for using pirated software. Yes you read that right, pirated software!

The advice given further up the page to avoid those online casinos providing games from unknown or little known software companies rings very true. A good case in point is Jackpots Heaven which was most certainly using rigged casino software. A poor attempt at ripping off popular software company games too.

However, rogue casino operators have also adapted and changed with the times and many have been found in 2016 and 2017 to be serving pirated and rigged online casino games to unsuspecting players.

Indeed the websites of these rogue operators on the surface look slick and professional and they have also pulled off some stunning pirating of  games from popular developers such as NetEnt. This is why it is of paramount importance, that you use an online casino guide such as EasyPlay.Vegas to research thoroughly the casino you wish to sign up to.

The first instance of online casinos using pirated games that we at OCR became aware of using this sophisticated approach was back in 2016 and concerned the rogued, shamed and blacklisted AffPower group of casinos.

So Are Online Casinos Rigged?

In a word NO. They are not, certainly not the reputable operators anyhow. But like anything online, you need to ensure you stay away from the sharks and the bad apples.

But rest assured by following the advice on this page, you will know that the games you play online are perfectly fair, legitimate and secure.

Last of all, be lucky and stay away from them rogues!

Page Updated: 14th November 2017