In previous articles we’ve discussed just how little control a casino actually has about the outcome of slots. We also just answered the other day a question about how electronic Blackjack works.
Now, let’s merge the topics of casino control and electronic table games, as this question raises:
I was wondering if the personal electronic Craps games where you push the button and the dice pounce inside the globe is user determined or is it done how controlled by the casino? I’m not talking about the electronic games on the screen, I’m talking about the individual games.
Andrea S.
Similar to our answer about Blackjack, it’s going to play like Craps.
Those individual craps machines each have their own set of dice in front of them, and when you see physical representations of dice, regulations in many markets mean the odds of any roll happening need to align with physical dice.
So with six sides on each dice, there’s 36 combinations possible, and the odds of any combination are equal: 1/36.
Where casinos can make tweaks is on the payouts. We’ve seen examples of electronic craps options that shave down the payouts relative to the traditional payouts you get on a live dealer table. These payouts will be outlined in the paytable, so we always recommend players take a look in case the casino has opted to go that direction.
What they can’t control is the individual dice rolls and the outcomes that come up. So if you bet $100 on hard four, it can’t purposely roll an easy four to knock that bet off the table, or a seven out to collect it all. That hard four has a 1/36 chance of coming out, with the sevens a 6/36 chance.
So if you’re concerned that somehow the electronic games will work differently than their physical counterparts, at least from the perspective of the randomness of the outcomes, there’s nothing to fear.
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A friend on the local gaming commission and a senior tech opened up a game in front of me. They took out a magnet and it picked up a piece of metal but not either of the dice or the surface they are on. The house has an advantage on each and every wager. There is no need to rig the game. People love to wager on bets with poor odds. All the house has to do is get as many people in as possible to play.
That’s a great reminder that casinos don’t have unilateral control over the machines – gaming regulations play a part in this too. But to your point, casinos can make money just letting the machines do what they’re designed to do, without needing to do anything else. Thanks for the example, Harris!
I believe that casino has some control on the electronic craps. I play often and last time I went to the casino and I have observed a strange combinations. I was betting “Pass Line” and then 2 x “Come line”. Multiple time I got 10 – pass line , 4 – come line , 8 – come line . After this came out 7. This strange combination happened in exact the same order several times. I switch the machine, and I observed the same things. I cannot believe that the same numbers come out in the same order at 2 different machines several times within 1 hour. I play almost every day and this was 1 time it happened like I describe above.
Winning outcome at the different casino machines are set in the ratio 1 : 3.5, or 1 : 4, or in similar settings. Casino has control over the gaming machines. It deepens on the casino how greedy is the owner(s) and by that they adjust the win / loss ratio.
While unlikely, it’s certainly not impossible, especially when you factor in that there’s only 36 unique possibilities that can be rolled on a pair of dice. Further, given you can get multiple combinations that can make 4, 10 8, and 7, that further reduces the odds that such a scenario can happen. If this was a predictable pattern you could just counteract it by playing the don’t (if offered). But casinos don’t need to do this because the house edge is already built into the game – they just need to offer it and let people take enough rolls. While an unlikely coincidence, a repeated sequence isn’t impossible, and at times even unusual. But as humans putting actual money on the line, it doesn’t make it any less frustrating, and we’re sorry to hear you had an unlucky run.