The Security Backend Used For Real Money Slots

Whenever you are taking part in any kind of online money transaction, trust is an essential component. As a customer, whatever the nature of your transactions, you need to be able to reasonably expect that a business will deal with you fairly and that the process will be safe.

This is particularly important for customers of online casinos. Playing real money slots has become easier than ever in recent years, thanks to developments in online technology.

Millions of players around the world enjoy their favourite slot games in their leisure time, many of them opting to play through mobile devices, while games developers are able to provide increasingly sophisticated titles.

But trust is hugely important in the online casino world. Unfortunately, the gambling industry has not always had the best reputation and combined with an ever-increasing awareness of the security dangers in cyberspace, this has led to many potential online casino customers being understandably wary.

There are two major concerns that online casino players have. The first is that the games are fair. If you feel that the game you are playing is not impartial, then you are unlikely to play for long. The second, and more important part of the equation is the issue of data and identity protection. Casinos that are licensed by reputable regulators are required to adhere to the highest standards when it comes to safeguarding personal data, financial data and stored funds.

The solution to this problem has been for the online casino industry to embrace and implement the best security technologies available in the commercial sector. These complex systems of online security can ensure that customers are playing games that are fair and that their financial and personal information is protected at all times – helping casino operators to establish their integrity.

Secure Sockets Layer

The first and perhaps most important piece of technology used to safeguard online casinos is Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) which effectively operates as an online security guard. SSL is a form of encryption that is used across the industry. Within the context of online security, it is the method that is employed to ensure that a client’s connection to a particular site is secure and dependable.

It does this by creating an encrypted link; this makes it possible for sensitive information to be sent through the internet without the risk of that information being intercepted or exposed.

In practical terms, SSL is an operating protocol between servers and internet browsers that helps to ensure the connection is completely secure – this is achieved through the production of two ‘keys’, one public and one private. These two keys are used to create the connection through what is known as an ‘SSL Handshake’. These connections are made every time you load up a new SSL-encrypted site and happen almost instantaneously.

DigiCert, an innovator in the online security industry, identifies SSL as a protocol between web browsers and servers that serves as a secure connection. The issuance of an SSL Certificate has both a public and private key which are used to confirm the identity of computers and users. Using these two keys, a secure connection is created.

This encryption handshake is nearly instantaneous and happens without the average computer user even knowing that such technology exists, let alone that it works with every loaded web page to ensure your security. It offers a level of reassurance that the site you are visiting is safe and that you won’t be risking your data by using it.

Random Number Generation

It is a commonly held belief that online casino games can be ‘rigged’ either by unscrupulous site operators or by other players, significantly reducing or even eliminating your chances of winning on a particular game. This makes many players understandably wary, but the good news is that this commonly held belief is incorrect in almost all cases.

Casinos do not need to ‘rig’ the games as they already have a small house edge. Essentially, all games will provide a small percentage of profit to the operator, so their long-term profitability is guaranteed. There would therefore be no reason for casinos to attempt to manipulate the games, and indeed, if the house edge was drastically increased and the chances of a player winning dramatically decreased, that game would soon decline in popularity, leading to smaller profits.

In any case, it is not within the power of an online casino to affect the way that the games work – given that almost all of them are developed and provided by separate software companies.

The key to these games is the Random Number Generator (RNG). The RNG is a highly technical and complicated piece of technology, in the form of an algorithm. It ensures that each spin of a slot reel or a roulette table is completely randomised.

It would be beyond the skill of even the most sophisticated hacker to manipulate these games. As long as you are using a site that is fully licensed and that displays its regularly audited RNG credentials, you need not worry about ‘rigged’ games.

Testing and Certification

Of course, the rate of change in modern technology means that those involved in online casino security have to constantly refresh and update their systems. That is why a key part of an online casino’s backend security setup involves the regular testing and auditing of all their software.

This work is carried out by independent, third-party auditors who can examine and evaluate a site’s entire security apparatus, from the RNGs used in their games to their data protection and encryption protocols.

Casinos can provide further protection for their players by ensuring that they also conduct their own in-house audits of all computer systems and software, along with monitoring of employees and those with any sort of access to the system.

Online Casino Security Checklist

To ensure that you are using a casino that takes backend security seriously, there are a number of elements to look out for when you check out their site:

  • Confirmation that they use the latest in SSL digital encryption
  • Availability of well-known banking options
  • Certificates of fairness provided by organisations such as eCogra and TST
  • Details of their security measures

Reputable online casinos use some of the most sophisticated backend security technology available to ensure that their customers can play their favourite games safely and securely.