Humans are wired to spot and create patterns. While you might assume that randomness is a natural state of being, the truth is that it’s a lot harder to replicate than you might think. In this guide, discover what randomness is and why so many people, including casinos, struggle to replicate it perfectly.
What is Randomness?
Randomness refers to an outcome that is completely unpredictable, and it is impossible to reproduce because there is no formula to follow. There’s no pattern or cause. Randomness is a challenge, though, as capturing it is difficult due to the orderly nature of life.
Randomness in Casinos
To understand the difficulty of randomness, it helps to look at casinos. There are two main ways online casinos create randomness.
On one hand, there is physical randomness from live dealer games. Online casinos are even capable of replicating the randomness delivered in brick-and-mortar casinos. It involves shuffling cards, physically spinning a wheel, and rolling dice. Many players enjoy this, as it builds trust and creates a more immersive experience. For them, watching the live dealer is like being in a real casino.
Then, you have the technique that online slot casinos like Jackpot City use for their games. They manage randomness with random number generators, which create massive sequences all of the time, even when no one is playing. When the wheel spins, the game snaps to the current number string. It’s never determined by a previous outcome. It is always worth looking into how a particular casino determines outcomes before you play, as you don’t want anything predetermined. You want a slot machine that offers a truly random experience for a genuine thrill.
Why It’s Harder than You’d Expect
There are some key reasons why randomness is harder than you would expect.
The Need for a Physical Process
Often, for true randomness, there is a need for a physical process. Computers follow patterns and follow instructions. As such, they cannot naturally generate chaos. True random number generators require computer scientists to move away from code and instead rely on physical reality. This involves thermal and electrical noise, which measures electron fluctuations. It can also include quantum mechanics, as there are unpredictable events at this level, such as atomic decay.
Benford’s Law
It’s also worth pointing out that even the natural, real world doesn’t follow true randomness in the way you would expect. Take Benford’s Law as an example. This is a mathematical observation that states that in naturally occurring numbers, the leading digit is more likely to be a smaller one than a larger one. For example, there’s a higher chance of seeing 10,001 than 9,982 in nature. It’s a pretty incredible phenomenon!
The Golden Ratio
One of the most irrational but present numbers in the world is known as the golden ratio: 1.618033. This number is seen frequently in nature, such as in pineapples and sunflower seeds. It essentially ensures that elements don’t land on top of one another. There’s even a connection here to the great Leonardo da Vinci, with some scholars able to find golden ratio patterns in his genius work.
When even nature follows such a distinct and uniform pattern, it makes it even more challenging to assume humans can create any sequence that actually follows randomness. For many, it boggles the brain
The Human Brain Likes Order
Another reason replicating or creating randomness is so difficult is because of the human mind’s natural need and desire for order. Humans have evolved to seek out patterns, whether that’s in number sequences or shapes. Due to this, many humans find it difficult to create a true sequence of randomness without some kind of physical input not determined by the brain.
Think about it. If you try to guess 10 coin flips in a row, it’s very unlikely that you would guess a long streak of heads, as your brain is naturally wired to assume there will be a pattern in which it goes back and forth (even though no previous coin flip determines the outcome of the following one).
The Presence of Pseudo-Random Number Generators
Using physical noise and quantum mechanics isn’t always the most efficient or easiest way to create randomness. That’s why everyday computers often rely on pseudo-random number generators. It’s important to note that these aren’t truly random, as it always starts with a seed. Once the seed is set, a complicated mathematical formula generates a specific sequence that appears random. It’s close enough to true randomness to work well enough for general software and simulations.
Is Replicating Randomness Even Doable?
After understanding how complicated randomness is, you might wonder whether there’s even such a thing as true randomness. Fortunately, there is. While pseudo-random number generators aren’t exactly the real thing, they are close enough to work for gaming and software. Then, there are physical inputs that actually do lead to genuine random results. Therefore, harnessing sound or quantum mechanics can give you the absolute randomness you are looking for, if that is what you need.
