Casino House Edge 101: What Is It and How to Calculate It?
The house edge is a small advantage that gambling establishments have, but it’s still possible to win big!
That means the percentage of money lost is not based on the total bet–that’s good news for users of online gambling apps. The indicator shows the average loss in relation to the initial bet. This helps the player to have a better understanding of how much money they can potentially win during a gambling session.
People say, “The house always wins,” because the percentage is sky-high, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and possibly win big! If the house advantage in a game is only 0.28%, a player betting $100 can expect to lose only 28 cents on the round. The exact stake in a wager with a house advantage of 4% would result in a loss of $4, and that’s not bad.
That may not seem like much money for a gaming app, but keep in mind that they are always open. The gambling establishment makes 0.50 percent an hour here and 12 percent there–it adds up to a hefty profit.
We’ll be exploring how (and why) the house always comes out on top and learning about the calculations behind it.
What Does the House Edge Really Mean?
A good way to think about the house edge is to view it as the casino’s profit margin. While some players may experience short-term success, the casino will always come out ahead owing to the inherent mathematics of the games itself.
And the casino isn’t cheating–it’s just using its math degree to its advantage. Many online casinos provide information about their game payouts on their websites, which allows players to know the advantages of each game.
For those who need a concrete example, consider this: if you bet $100 on a game of Roulette, the house edge is 2.70%, or $5.26. The casino will still take 5.26% of all bets from most players, no matter what you win that particular night.
With a large enough customer base, it becomes clear how casinos make most of their money–this fixed rate is similar to what gamblers pay for admission to casinos.
How to Calculate the House Edge
By comparing the house edge of different games, you can identify which gives the best returns to players in the long run. From the player’s perspective, the house edge is useful since it reveals which games provide the best chances of winning.
Naturally, the long-term payouts of games with a higher house edge will be smaller than those with a lower house edge. You can protect yourself from the casinos with an unfair edge over you by taking advantage of this freely accessible data.
This advantage is inherent to the games rather than predetermined by the casinos. As a result, it doesn’t matter how strategically you use your money; the house edge is always there in casino games.
When you want to figure out where the house’s edge comes from, all you have to do is compare the real odds of something happening with the amount the house will pay out for it.
Let’s look at fixing a prediction of a single number wager as an example:
- There are a total of 38 spaces on an American roulette wheel: 1-36 + 0 + 00 = 38.
- So the real odds of getting one number right are 38 to 1, but the house is paying out 35 to 1.
- When a player places a $1 bet, they receive a $36 payout, which is $2 less than what the real odds would pay.
- The $2 indicates the house edge. In this scenario, the calculation would be 2 multiplied by 1/38, resulting in 0.0526, which is equivalent to 5.26%.
- Using this fundamental theory, you can calculate the house edge for each bet in American roulette.
- The initial five-number bet (available exclusively on American roulette) is the defining feature. The house edge on this wager increases to 7.89%, earning it the nickname “sucker” in the gaming world. Therefore, you should never make this kind of bet.
Final Thoughts
The aim of the house, whether in roulette, casino games, or sports betting apps, is to provide an exciting and engaging experience for gamblers. They have a chance to win their initial bet and potentially go on an amazing winning streak. As they continue to play longer, the probability of winning also increases.
Casinos provide their customers with complimentary drinks and rooms to make their gambling experience more enjoyable. Dear readers, remember that every game has a chance for a win and a loss. Keep a positive attitude and enjoy the experience. You have a chance to beat the odds, whether by choosing the right number in the roulette wheel or making informed decisions in sports betting.
Remember–the house edge is just one of the variables to consider when placing your bets!
A Look at the Martingale Betting System – Does it Work?
The Martingale strategy is among the most well-known and long-standing betting strategies. Since there are no intricate equations involved, it also happens to be one of the simplest to master–the mathematics involved is elementary, and the process consists of only a few fundamental steps.
The Martingale is a negative progression method in which the bettor raises his or her bet after a loss. The idea is that you will eventually win a wager and that the odds of losing several in a row are minimal. This reasoning, no matter how convincing it first appears, is flawed.
The majority of gamblers have likely given the Martingale strategy a shot at least once–this is likely due to the system’s apparent simplicity and the fact that it looks effective at first glance.
There is no assurance that this strategy will work any better than any other kind of progressive betting. In reality, it may be one of the riskiest methods available! If you read this post, you’ll see why.
We’ll dive deep into the system, breaking down how it operates and why it doesn’t work and providing details on several alternative takes on the Martingale strategy.
What is the Martingale System?
The Martingale strategy is most often employed on even money bets in online betting apps and casinos–players will often test this strategy on the table’s outer bets, which can be odd or even.
It can be employed on straight-up wagers in sports betting, as well as on pass or don’t-pass bets in craps, blackjack, baccarat, and other games.
This system’s operation is really straightforward–you only need to remember two simple guidelines:
- If you lose, double your bet.
- Bet one unit of base currency following every win.
The Martingale consists of that–any amount can be used as the base unit, although it is wise to keep it low for factors that will become obvious later!
Using the Martingale System
Take the Martingale strategy while playing roulette as an example–you always decide to place an odd bet using a basic stake unit of $5. Therefore, your first bet would be $5 for the odd numbers, and you would maintain your $5 wager if the outcome were an odd number. You would double your bet to $10 if the outcome were an even number, and you would increase your bet if an even number appeared once more–then you would have $20.
The underlying idea is the belief that by doubling up, you are going to win and cover all of your losses, making a one-base unit profit.
Here is an example:
- Stake $5, lose. Total -$5
- Lose after doubling up to $10. Total -$15.
- If you double up to $20 and lose, the total is -$35.
- Win if you double up to $40. Total +$5.
It makes no difference how many consecutive bets you lose or how much your starting unit is worth. If you stick to the strategy, every winning bet will result in a gain of exactly one unit.
This is the typical response of newcomers to the Martingale strategy, who regard it as a foolproof method to win big at the casino on online betting apps. But as you’re about to see, that’s not the case at all.
The Martingale System: Does It Work?
This method may be effective in the short term–as long as you don’t let yourself go on any prolonged losing streaks, it could remain profitable for quite some time! The issues arise when a losing streak sets in, which will likely happen.
The Martingale betting strategy has a major downside: the needed stakes can quickly become quite expensive if there is a string of losing bets. Using the same $5 initial investment as before, let’s explore how quickly your bankroll can dwindle if you lose six consecutive bets.
If you’ve lost the last six bets in a row, which is very possible, you’ll need to put down $320 on the following one. That’s $64, and you’d be down $315 already from your first wager. You might think you have a lock on the following one, but there’s actually very little chance of that happening–no matter what happened previously, there is still a 50/50 probability of success.
If you were to lose the following one, your loss would increase to $635. In addition, your next bet would need a $640 investment. It’s possible that you’ve blown all of your money! If you haven’t already, even one or two more losses might be very costly–you might end up exceeding the maximum bet for the table and having to fold.
The Martingale strategy loses money in this situation–if you have an endless bankroll and play in a gambling establishment with no maximum bet, then this technique works well, but you will eventually run out of cash or need to bet above the table limit if you use this strategy for a long enough period of time. Even if you manage to reduce the loss and restart, you will have lost any money you have made up to that point.
Final Thoughts
As you read this, you might be thinking that it’s unlikely that you’ll be on a losing run for long enough to bring about problems, but it is a possibility. In reality, it’s far more common than you realize! Every bet has the same one-to-one probability of success despite previous results.
So we don’t recommend using the Martingale strategy, as the prospective rewards aren’t worth taking such a high risk to obtain. Remember that the maximum gain from a winning bet is one base unit.
If you are determined to try it out, we advise playing for free on an online gambling app a few times before moving forward–that way, you can see for yourself and decide if it’s worth the risk!
How to Become a Live Dealer at an Online Casino
Since live dealer casinos have become so popular, a lot of people are interested in learning about what is involved to get into the industry as a live dealer! In this helpful guide, we’ll break everything down for you so you understand all you should know.
We’ll discuss what it means to be an online casino dealer, how you can become one, and how to increase your chances of landing live dealer casino employment when job opportunities pop up.
But before we move on, let’s first define exactly what a live casino dealer is and what the job entails!
What Is a Live Dealer at an Online Casino?
In real life casinos, dealers oversee the tables and deal the cards. While Random Number Generators (RNGs) once managed everything, live dealers now operate table games from studios and actual casinos throughout the world.
As a live dealer for an online casino, you’ll be in charge of games like poker, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and a growing variety of broadcast game shows. And you’ll be expected to provide the same level of entertainment to the players as a dealer would in a traditional casino by running these games!
How Do I Learn How To Be A Live Dealer?
There are a few things you need to do if you want to become a live online casino dealer.
Find out the rules of the games beforehand–you can find numerous helpful tutorials for various casino games online! Learn not just how to play them, but also the dealer’s responsibilities for maintaining an even pace of play.
Take a look at what else the dealers are doing by playing at some live dealer casino apps–they’re job is to both manage the games and keep the participants entertained. It’s part of the job to talk to customers, tell them jokes and anecdotes, and express appreciation for their tips.
Lastly, register for a training program for live casino dealers. They aren’t like classes you’d take at college or university–you can avoid the trouble of commuting to a campus and take them online instead! In the competitive employment market for online casino dealers, having taken and completed a live dealer casino training program on your resume is a definite plus.
How to Find and Apply for Jobs as a Live Dealer at an Online Casino
Doing a Google search is the easiest approach for finding live dealer casino jobs–we did one and came up with dozens of hits for live dealer work at online casinos!
Visiting websites of live gambling providers like Pragmatic Play and Evolution.com are other options–anytime they launch a new game studio is when they’ll be posting job ads. Due to the rapid growth of the online gambling sector, there are a lot of live dealer job openings available on a regular basis.
Live online casino dealer jobs tend to pop up on job search websites such as Indeed.com or Jooble.org. One of the advantages of these websites is that you can upload your resume and submit applications for multiple jobs without having to do it manually every time. And the more applications you send out, the better your odds of getting hired.
How Much Money Do Live Dealers at Online Casinos Make?
A live dealer at an online casino in the United States could expect to earn about $40,000 per year, which is a typical wage–but that is before taxes so the net pay will be less.
Online staffing organizations report that a live dealer at an online casino is projected to earn between $35,000 and $50,000 per year. Experience, shift, and venue all play a major role in determining hourly pay, which can range between $9 to $23 an hour.
The money that the live dealers earn, however, is higher than what dealers at traditional casinos make! The reason for this is that players are more inclined to leave tips for dealers working in brick-and-mortar casinos as opposed to those working in online establishments.
While the option to tip live dealers at online casinos is relatively new, it has yet to achieve the expected results. Americans, who have a reputation for being good tippers, are not as inclined to give money as a bonus to live online dealers–it is much more intuitive to tip someone you’ve met in person than it is to tip a dealer you’ve only seen on a screen. Things are beginning to shift, though, and live dealers are able to earn more through tips.
Are Online Casinos Rigged? – A Deep Dive Into Online Casino Legitimacy
Feeling anxious about using an online casino for the first time is totally normal—after all, you’re putting your own cash on the line at websites you’ve never used before. Plus, it’s hard to shake off those nagging doubts—are these online casinos fair, and can you trust them? Do they use underhanded tactics to make sure you don’t win? It’s a lot to think about! But don’t worry; we are going to get to the bottom of your worries and answer the question once and for all—are online casinos rigged?
The short answer is no, as long as the online casino is part of a reputable network that complies with all applicable laws and regulations! We will go over the facts about online casinos and dispel some of the fiction you may have heard about virtual casinos so you know exactly what you’re dealing with when you gamble online.
Online Casino Legitimacy: The Facts
Hear us out before you automatically assume that online casinos are rigged—as with any other legit business, the primary goal of a casino, whether online or a brick-and-mortar building, is to make money, and gaming establishments have devised a sophisticated and reliable system to meet this goal.
Yes, the famous saying is “the house always wins.” Regardless of how much money players win or lose, the casino always comes out ahead of all winning players because of the calculated edge or advantage. If you think you can beat the casino, you might want to reconsider your career as a “professional” gambler.
The fiction that online casinos are rigged has been perpetuated due to the fact that all players, and we mean every single one, who try their hands at casino games never walk away as winners. But this is simply untrue and can be easily debunked—this is a complete fiction.
We’ll walk you through all the steps involved in verifying an online casino’s compliance with local laws and regulations so you can feel safe playing virtually—even if you don’t win big (although we hope you do)!
How to Pick Reputable Online Casinos
We cannot stress this point enough but always do your research before investing any money in an online casino. Make sure its gaming license is valid; it has credibility, security measures, an up-to-date and reliable software provider, etc. In order to recommend any online casino to you, we put them through a rigorous testing process that includes playing their games in real money mode. Yes, we spend our own money when writing our online casino reviews to make sure it’s a legit site!
Check out the following list of what you should be looking for when choosing an online casino:
Licensing of Online Games
Listen up, online gamblers! If an online casino has a gaming license or other type of government-issued accreditation, this is the most important verification that it is operating legally and is not rigged. Online casinos, like their brick-and-mortar counterparts, prominently display their licenses on the home page, often in the footer of the site.
It doesn’t matter if the casino has a gaming regulator logo or a license number—you can view the legal document on the regulator’s website. Once you find that the site is licensed, you can breathe a sigh of relief and register to play.
A gaming license ensures that the casino follows the rules and also allows you to take legal action if something smells foul or you suspect shady practices.
Online Casino Credibility
The credibility of any reputable online casino is crucial— to succeed in the competitive online gaming industry, it is imperative to establish and maintain a solid reputation. Independent casino review sites play a vital role in informing potential players about how online casinos work.
We want to help players identify which online casinos are legitimate and which are out to fleece them of their hard-earned money. Even if we were to assure you that the casino apps we recommend are fair and honest, the opinions of real players carry so much more weight!
The best way to get a feel for an online casino is to read customer reviews from real players.
Online Casino Software Providers
In order for software developers to sell their games to customers, they need the same kind of reputable licenses that are required of online casinos. A provider’s license is not the same as a casino operator’s license, although both are necessary to guarantee the fairness of the game.
Users have reported that rogue software vendors are more common than the possibility of an online casino being rigged. You can find information about these vendors on the web; this is a great place to start if you want to be sure the game developer is on the up and up.
The most reputable software companies are Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, BGaming, and Scientific Games—all are well-known and respected in the online gaming biz, so you can feel secure when these providers are the ones behind the games for online casinos.
Check the Terms and Conditions
A website’s terms and conditions may also indicate whether it is a rigged online casino. We are aware that very few people read all of the terms and conditions (seriously, they are like 20 pages long), even though we all should! But you won’t need to read every word of the terms of use to see the red flags of a rigged virtual location; they will stick out like a sore thumb.
There are red flags that you are dealing with a shady online casino when the terms and conditions include charging you fees for periods of inactivity (often known as “non-play fees”), terminating your account for no apparent reason, or simply tweaking the T&Cs without notifying customers.
If the casino’s terms and conditions don’t include anything about responsible gaming, it’s probably best to back out of that browser tab and spend your money elsewhere. Virtually every licensing agency mandates that licensees provide responsible gaming tools or provide ways to combat gambling addiction, so the absence of these safeguards is a clear sign of possible dubious business practices.
Safety First
If you’re considering a real money online casino, you need to be sure you can trust the site, so it’s super important to choose an online casino with a proven rep for safety.
For example, to guarantee that the results of their games are truly random and fair, software developers and casinos must use RNG as a standard operating procedure. And when an online casino receives a third-party seal of approval, they display it on their website front and center.
But like we said, it is in your best interest to read the security policies of an online casino closely before giving them your payment info.
An online casino’s records can provide an overview of its strategy for dealing with safety and security issues, so checking reviews for complaints is another way to find out how it handles security and possible breaches.
Why Legit Online Casinos Don’t Need to Rig Games
Fact check: online casino games are not “rigged” in the sense that they are designed to cheat players—they want to make more money for the casino rather than for the actual customers. It is not exactly a well-kept secret, and no casino tries to hide this.
There is a built-in mathematical advantage in every game provided by the casino, whether that advantage is in coding or construction. You may be more familiar with this pattern by its other name, “house edge” (the return to the player is the inverse of the house edge).
Let’s say, for example, a game of blackjack—the house edge remains at 0.5% even if you follow the most reliable plan and play every card correctly. Despite the fact that this may seem like a small part, the casino will still make a profit of 0.5 cents per $100 wagered. Those few cents add up to a lot of money over time!
The mammoth number of players using online casinos at any given moment basically eliminates the need to manipulate the games; since casinos exist to make money from players, they have no reason to resort to dishonest means to achieve this.
Can you Trust Online Casino Games?
There is no such thing as a “rigged” game in a legitimate casino—they are pre-programmed to benefit the casino, so they don’t need to be “rigged” in the conventional sense.
All online casino games provide an edge; whether it’s poker, craps, or blackjack, the house always wins.
How Can I tell if an Online Casino is Rigged?
Some online casinos cheat their customers by manipulating the software that runs the games, especially Return to Player (RTP) and Random Number Generator (RNG).
Basically, online gambling games are designed to have unpredictable results. However, rigged gambling enterprises will alter the game’s programming code so that you can never win.
The two most typical scams in online casinos are RTP and RNG manipulation.
A game’s return to player (RTP) indicates the amount of money you could expect to make from it over time. For example, if the game’s RTP is 96%, you can expect to win $96 for every $100 you wager.
This number is an average amount, and players’ actual returns will naturally vary depending on their individual luck. This is to be expected; after all, slots are games of chance, so the most important thing is to make sure you are not cheated out of your money.
Online casinos that are rigged may change the RTP of the games to make it less likely that the player will win—low player return percentages are a hallmark of rigged gaming sites.
Manipulation of random number generators (RNG) is another scam in shady online casinos. All casino games must use a random number generator to provide truly unpredictable results. However, fraudulent casinos can change the random number generator (RNG), eliminating any chance of random success.
Takeaways
We are well aware of the existence of shady online casinos and will do everything in our power to steer you away from these places. If you only play at online casinos that are verified and legitimate, you can relax and have fun armed with these facts vs. fiction about rigged online casinos!
5 Signs That It’s Time to Take a Break from Gambling
It’s about as surprising as saying water is wet, but gambling can indeed turn into an addiction. One could argue that even if you’re not fully held captive by your habits, there might be subtle hints that it’s time to take a break from gambling.
We are certainly not here to rain on anyone’s money parade or be ethical authorities. For those who indulge, it’s a fun and exciting pastime! Most can keep their gambling under control, but for some, it becomes more challenging to recognize when to stop.
Addiction to gambling is treatable, but a fundamental step is admitting there is a problem. We will look at five signs that your gaming could be getting out of control, and it’s time to step away from the tables, phone, or for the old schoolers, your bookie.
1. It Stops Being “Fun“
Unless you’re a professional gambler, then it’s supposed to be fun–when your obsession with betting outshines your love for the game, you need to call a timeout.
Betting for real money shouldn’t disrupt your regular routine–you shouldn’t base your budget on the outcome of a Saturday soccer game in Argentina. If the results of the matches you’re betting on are beginning to impact your life beyond your financial resources, you should consider taking a break from gambling and examining what’s happening.
You’re going dangerously close to gambling addiction the first time you find yourself making a specific choice in life and considering how gambling fits into the equation. If it stops being just recreational and starts interfering with your life, a break from gambling is necessary!
2. You Begin to Hide It
The sense of community among gamblers is a major draw to the betting world. We know that it might be irritating to listen to everyone else’s betting predictions all the time, especially if you don’t engage in the activity yourself. However, for true sports fans, this is all part of the fun!
If you’re a regular betting at sports, you’ve probably yelled louder than usual during action on TV to make it clear that you have something at stake. The moment you feel shame for displaying something like this is a signal that you need to change your bettin’ ways.
It might be as simple as gambling in secret, or it could include placing a wager while using the restroom or somewhere else where no one can see what you’re doing. However, if you’re to the point where you need to bet covertly, you probably already have a gambling problem. It’s common for people to want to hide their problems rather than face scrutiny, despite the fact that doing so might lead to much worse outcomes.
Another sign is when friends or family members voice their concerns about your gambling–people usually don’t express their worry without a valid reason. It might be difficult to acknowledge a compulsive behavior when going through it, even if you feel like you have everything else in your life under control.
If you feel like you need to hide your gambling from loved ones, you may have a severe issue on your hands, and it is time to take a break from gambling.
3. You’re Using Bill Money for Gambling
By “bills,” we refer to any essential expenses such as utility bills (water and electricity), rent, credit card payments, and even basic necessities like groceries.
Never put off paying for necessities so that you can afford to gamble. Even while you may be able to rationalize the thought process behind it–you lost a lot of money gambling; the only way to remedy the problem is to win a lot of money gambling–in practice, this never ends well.
If you are faced with a choice like paying your rent or re-upping your balance on your favorite online betting app, that’s not a position you should be in! Don’t simply consider the long-term impact on your bank account; broaden your perspective. Gambling can have serious psychological and emotional consequences in addition to financial ones.
There’s a chance you won’t ever get to a choice like this if you take gambling out of the equation.
4. You Are Chasing Your Losses
We touched on this above; to “chase losses” is to increase one’s gambling after losing money. If someone feels compelled to get vengeance for a loss by winning, it may indicate that their attachment to gambling has become problematic, and it’s time to take a break from gambling!
Gamblers are not immune to “mind traps” or beliefs like the “gambler’s fallacy” that cause a skewed perspective. For instance, believing they are “owed a win” because of the karmic gambling gods, they should bet again.
All of this noise masks the truth that your odds of winning haven’t changed!
5. Gambling Beyond Your Financial Means
When gambling responsibly, you should know how much money you are able to lose if your bets don’t pay off.
If you use a gambling app and stake $150, for instance, you should be okay with losing that much money since you know you’ll quit playing after that.
By doing this, you can manage the level of risk you are exposed to and minimize potential losses. Without setting limits, it can be easy to overlook your actual spending. If you lose the money you require to cover your other expenses, having fun can quickly transform into feelings of guilt.
Final Thoughts
Thanks to the proliferation of mobile gambling apps, we appreciate how convenient it is that people can now gamble without having to leave the comfort of their homes. You don’t have to schlep to a casino–you can just download an app!
However, now that it is easier than ever before to do so, we worry that it may become a problem for certain people.
Many gamblers are likely to develop friendships with other gamblers–by watching out for each other, you can steer clear of the potential risks that come with the ups and downs of gambling.