How do online casinos instill trust in their players, assuring them of fair business practices? To achieve this, they first must secure a license from a dependable legal jurisdiction. Second, they offer games from reputable providers. Third, they commission routine audits by testing laboratories. All these steps reinforce the player’s belief in the unquestionable integrity of the casino.

Every casino licensed by the UK Gambling Commission is subject to further audits. For instance, m88 Casino underwent rigorous scrutiny to obtain its license. However, Curacao Island operates differently. There, operators only need to provide a certificate confirming the randomness of their games when applying for a license, without a full-fledged control over the casino’s integrity.

What does a testing lab do?

Regulatory bodies issuing casino licenses verify compliance in the initial stages. After that, the casino’s trustworthiness is checked by auditors or testing labs. They ensure the games continue to comply with the jurisdiction’s regulations, i.e., whether the game results are random.

To achieve this, auditors get all the data regarding the bets, games, and their outcomes, then calculate the actual returns. The report doesn’t specify individual games, like the odds of an m88 slot game being a certain percentage. It contains general data for different categories like slots, table games, etc.

Testing labs operate for profit. Therefore, if the law does not compel casino operators to conduct checks, many would opt out of doing so.

Testing Labs Approved by the UK Gambling Commission

When it comes to online gambling regulation, the UK Gambling Commission is a model. This regulatory body not only demands continuous supervision by independent auditors but also publishes a list of acceptable testing labs, which includes popular labs like eCOGRA, iTechLabs, and NMi.

Before listing any auditing body on this list, the UK regulatory authority subjects it to a thorough vetting process. The auditors must meet a considerable number of standards, including financial independence, to ensure they cannot be bribed by the casinos.

Operators in doubt can simply hang up a sign claiming their auditing by a reputable auditor. Therefore, it’s best to verify whether this logo is just for aesthetics. If you cannot find confirmation, contact the support department. Ideally, the casino website should have a link to reports published on the auditor’s site.

Real-Life Example

m88 is audited by eCOGRA. The casino website has a specific link leading to eCOGRA’s reports. These reports provide information about the payout rates of games and the randomness of outcomes. To find this, scroll to the bottom of the site, and before the software providers are listed, you’ll find an image like this:

Clicking there will redirect you to eCOGRA’s website to view the report. M88 Casino’s payout rate checks are conducted monthly, so you will find many reports dating back to 2011. On the same page, you will also find the results of the SMP checks.

M88 also provides you with more detailed data updated daily. Under the odds, you can find the actual odds for each game.

Slot Machine Certification

Integrity is also ensured through game certification. Whenever developers want to launch a new slot machine or any other game, they must first submit it to a testing lab for certification. Each country can request certification from the labs they trust, hence for release in different markets, multiple certifications may be required.

Therefore, for developers delivering games globally, their integrity could be validated by more than one lab. The math, functions, text, and rules of slot machines are all checked to ensure fair competition. While each lab has its own standards and ideas on what should be checked and how, they receive the source code. If any discrepancies are found with their standards, the game is sent back for modification, then retested.

The certification process takes approximately 1.5 months. In different countries, additional procedures might be required post-certification, like game registration, which could take an additional month.

Developers cannot expedite the verification process. Moreover, according to the certification head at NetEnt, developers are even prohibited from contacting the testing labs. Any necessary communication must be facilitated through law firms.