Understanding Provably Fair

Provably Fair is a system that allows players to verify game results. However, pressing a button to verify results doesn’t prove anything, unless you understand how the whole system works. That’s what we are going to cover here. Although this system has been around since blockchain itself, it has been only utilized by niche game providers. This has changed drastically with the introduction of casino originals, as most of these games take advantage of Provably Fair.

The system is quite simple once you get the hang of it, and works the same across most games. Now, let’s get started.

The Basics: Seed, Hash, Algorithm and Code

The basic rundown of Provably Fair is fairly simple. On a standard round, the following happens behind the scenes:

1. The casino or game provider generates a secret Server seed and calculates a hash for it. The hash is revealed to the player.
2. The player places a bet.
3. The Server seed is combined with the Client seed to create a Combined seed.
4. The Combined seed is run through the game code to come up with the result.
5. Result is revealed to the player.
6. The Server seed is revealed, and you can use it to verify the game results (as you already know every other factor).

How is this verifiable? Well, from the casino’s end the only thing that they can tamper with is the Server seed. And since you already know the Server seed hash, they cannot possibly tamper with it. This is because changing the Server seed in any way will result in a completely different hash. At the same time, the casino doesn’t know which input you have selected, nor can they affect it.

The difficult part is understanding how the verification happens. The verification is done via info and tools given by the casino or the game provider. And let’s be honest, this is where the real point of failure is. Unless you understand what the tool does, who’s to say it’s doing anything at all? For things to be completely transparent, we need the seeds, hashes and the game code. Luckily, it’s the norm to have these all available.

Best Provably Fair Casinos

The Server Seed and The Hash

The Server seed is a string of numbers and letters. There’s no computational limit on this, though usually it is limited to 64 characters. This can be pre-determined or generated by a random number generator. This string is run through a mathematical algorithm, which creates the hash. The same string ran through the same algorithm will always create the same hash.

The most common hashing algorithm in use is SHA-256 (Secure Hash Algorithm 256 bits). This is the same hashing that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin use. The function takes the input text, which can be anything, and transforms it into a random set of characters of 256 bits. Bits, as you might know, are ones and zeroes. This in turn shows up as a string of characters (numbers and letters). In essence, it transforms one set of characters into another set of characters in a way that cannot be predicted, and is impossible to decrypt. You cannot take the hash and calculate the server seed from it.

So for example: if we use “Provably Fair” as input in the SHA-256 algorithm the output hash we get is always “87c66f26d35fb3f4a8d4951d8d1f1e96bcc70876878f2364be1ba9117983a4a0”.

Now remember: the hashed Server Seed is only used to ensure that the Server seed was not tampered with. That’s all it does. That’s what makes Provably Fair provable.

How the Game Result is Calculated

The result that you get from a game round is usually calculated from the Server Seed, Client Seed and Nonce (Cryptographic Nonce, not Epstein and his island-fellows), using game code. The first one is set by casino, the other two can be set by the player, and are usually automated. The method does differ slightly depending on whether you are playing a multiplayer game like Crash or single player games like Plinko.

The determining factor is always the game code. Whatever is fed to the code gives the result, which determines the outcome of any and all rounds played. For a game to be truly Provably Fair the code needs to be shown. Casino originals do exactly this, either through built-in system or a separate page that can be used to verify results.

The usual method is to take the input we have been talking about, convert it into a random string of characters, then take a chunk of that string and conver it into numbers. Those numbers are then used to determine the result. We will go through this in a more detailed fashion in our game reviews, simply know that all the information tthat proves the games are fair is available for the player. This is stark contrast to the usual method, where the game code is hidden and instead tested by trusted third parties.

• Is Provably Fair the same as RNG?

  Not at all, although in some cases the RNG can be replaced with pre-hashed Seeds. However, in most cases the Seed still requires a Random Number Generator. Provably Fair is used to check game results, RNGs are used to create random numbers.

• Who invented Provably Fair?

  The origins go back to a game called SatoshiDice, launched in 2012. This was a game that existed more in the cryptocurrency circles, a good decade before similar games became mainstay in online casinos. The game uses a server seed hash that is published beforehand to ensure that outcomes are fair. Provably Fair is simply a more developed version of this.

• What are Provably Fair casinos?

  Simply a Google keyword for casinos that offer provably fair games.