Interview with BitStarz: Cheating a Provably Fair System

Wondering where to begin when trying to understand the notion of fairness in the crypto gambling world? Provably Fair technology offers players a sense of security in online betting, but how? LCB hooked up with Olle Dickson, BitStarz's Marketing Manager, to get the low down on their PF system including how it works, regulatory compliance and even the possibility of cheating the system. Is there uniqueness when comparing one system to another? It’s all in this exclusive interview, so read on to find out more about our chat. As always, leave any questions or comments below.

Q: As a hybrid casino accepting international currencies as well as Bitcoin, tell us about your Provably Fair system.

A: Sure thing! We’re quite excited to have this in place, to be honest. We do understand that when it comes to playing casino in general, people want to make sure that the games they’re playing are fair and that they’re given rightful chance to win. But even though we and other casinos display that all games are fitted with a verified Random Number Generator and that we’re licensed and regulated by a government authority, this isn’t always enough for some to convince them that everything is fair, but don’t get us wrong, it’s important to ask questions and be skeptical. We’re always happy to explain what measures we have in place to ensure fair play, and in order to add en extra layer of transparency, the idea of a Provably Fair System came into place. I could give a very technical explanation, but I’m gonna try to use a very simple analogy. How it works, in a nutshell, is that prior to the game round starting, the slot will print out the result of the game round and put it in a box. After the game round has finished, you will have the opportunity to look inside the box and see if the game result on the screen matches what’s in the box. If these two matches, it means that the game round finished correctly, without any manipulation taking place. I think that’s the simplest way I can put it.

Q: Is certification or regulatory compliance approval required for a PF system?

A: To my knowledge, there’s no regulatory compliance approval needed to have a PF system in place. With that being said, it’s just why this system adds another dimension of security and transparency that is not provided through a middleman or third-party agency, such as a government authority. By using the PF system, you’re independently verifying the game round on your own.

Q: Do you recommend that players review this information with each bet?

A: I wouldn’t advice against anything that makes the player feel safe, secure and fairly treated. In other words, if a player believes they have to do this for every game round in order to feel comfortable, I will whole-heartedly support him/her in doing so. But, when it comes to my own preference, I’d perhaps do it now and then, as it takes a little bit of time to verify and double check each and every round. At some point, I think we all would make up our minds and have a good indication as to if we can trust a game/casino or not.

Q: How does this PF system differ from others in the current iGaming industry?

A: The principle behind a PF system is pretty much the same wherever you look, but I think the important thing to recognize here is that not many casinos offer the PF tool. Hence, I’m not going to say that our system is unique, but offering the chance to fairly verify the game round is a unique opportunity.

Q: What monitoring procedures, if any, are in place to look out for cheating or other potential breaches? Is it even possible to breach the system?

A: At BitStarz we obviously believe in fairness, and this is a two-way street. We’re always monitoring the gaming activity to ensure that rules are being followed, games are paying out in line with the RTP, among other things. When it comes to breaching and cheating the system, that would be extremely hard. Now, I’m not a mathematician, but as far as I’m aware, nothing that is made by people can be completely random, as it is a Random Number Generator based on an algorithm made by humans. With that being said, these are so extremely complex that it would be as impossible as it gets to be able to see any pattern here. I guess if one had access to a time machine, that would be possible, but I believe that could be used in better ways.

Q: Is it critical for every cryptocurrency operator to implement a Provably Fair system?

A: I don’t believe it’s critical for a cryptocurrency operator to do so, but I believe that anyone playing for any currency (Crypto or FIAT) would appreciate a second layer of transparency to make them feel more comfortable in their gaming experience. Cryptocurrency players also seem to be slightly more technically savvy on average, which leads me to believe that this PF tool might be something that the crypto users would have an easier time to grasp.

Q: In closing, is there anything further you’d like LCB’ers to know about the system or BitStarz in general?

A: First of all, I’d like to thank everyone for taking their time to read through all the answers, and I hope it wasn’t a waste of time and that you felt that you’re walking away from this, having learned something new. I would like to close by saying that if you would have any additional questions, please let us know via Live Chat and we’d be happy to go more into depth how it all works. Furthermore, we’ve got a YouTube channel with a video where we explain how our PF tools works, step-by-step. So if you don’t mind paying attention to my babbling a little longer, I’m sure you’ll find them informative!
Thank you all!