RNG Casino Software: How RNG Certification Actually Works
Every non live casino outcome comes from a generator somebody had to prove is fair. This guide sets out who commissions that proof, which accredited laboratories issue it, what the published standards actually say, and how the certificate gates a licence application.
RNG casino software is the certified random number generator, and the game logic wired to it, that decides every non live casino outcome. An accredited testing laboratory audits its entropy source, seeding, output distribution and unpredictability before a regulator will accept the games.
A casino game is a promise about probability, and RNG certification is the evidence that the promise holds. On most platforms the generator belongs to a supplier, not to the operator running the brand.
What is RNG casino software, and why does it matter?
RNG casino software is the certified random number generator, and the surrounding game logic, that produces every non live casino result. It sits between the game server and the outcome shown to the player, mapping raw random values onto reels, cards, wheel pockets or draw balls, then writing an audit record a testing laboratory can replay.
Where the RNG sits in a casino platform
The game server calls the random number generator (RNG), the generator returns raw values, the game maps those values onto symbols or cards, the wallet settles, and the audit log records the round. Testing covers that whole chain, not the generator alone.
Return to player (RTP) depends on the generator rather than describing it. Supporting terms sit in the iGaming glossary, and anyone still choosing a vendor should start from the online casino software guide.
TRNG or PRNG: which type of RNG do casinos actually use?
Almost every online casino game runs on a pseudo random number generator (PRNG), not a true one. A PRNG expands a seed through a deterministic algorithm, so it is fast, repeatable for audit, and unpredictable in practice when the seed is unguessable.
True random number generators (TRNG) draw entropy from physical noise and usually seed the PRNG rather than replace it.
Pseudo random number generators, seeding and reseeding
A PRNG is an algorithm plus a state, and the whole sequence follows from the seed. Weaknesses cluster there, so laboratories examine seed entropy, reseeding interval and period. The NIST Special Publication 800-22 Revision 1a suite exists for that class of check.
True random number generators and entropy sources
A TRNG samples physical noise and is not reproducible by design. Throughput is bounded by the source, so casino stacks use a TRNG to seed and reseed a PRNG rather than to run the games.
| Property | PRNG (pseudo random) | TRNG (true random) | Why the laboratory cares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source of randomness | Deterministic algorithm expanded from a seed | Physical noise, thermal or electrical | Decides which statistical tests apply |
| Reproducible for audit | Yes, given seed and algorithm | No, by definition | Replay re-runs a disputed round |
| Role in a casino stack | Runs the game outcomes | Supplies or reseeds the seed | The seed is where real weaknesses sit |
| Throughput | High, effectively unlimited | Limited by the physical source | A lobby outpaces any noise source |
| What the lab tests | Algorithm, seeding, reseeding, scaling, distribution, period | Entropy source health and post processing | Four of the five RTS qualities are seeding or scaling |
Provably fair game mechanics reach the same goal cryptographically, by publishing the seed after the round.
Who actually needs RNG certification, you or your supplier?
Most casino operators never certify an RNG themselves. The certification obligation follows whoever builds the generator, which is normally the game studio or the platform supplier. A business to consumer operator has to source games whose RNG is already certified and hold that evidence in its technical file, not commission the laboratory test.
One licensing consultancy puts it plainly: in Malta a business to business gaming supply licence covers the provider of the games, while the business to consumer licence covers the operator who runs them.
So most readers source rather than test. Contracting certified game providers, taking a library through a casino game aggregator, or buying a turnkey online casino or white label iGaming platform all leave the laboratory work with the party that owns the code, and leave you holding the evidence.
Which laboratories certify casino RNGs, and how do they differ?
Four laboratories certify most casino RNGs: Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), eCOGRA, iTech Labs and BMM Testlabs. Each is an independent testing house accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 and approved by a different mix of regulators, so the right choice is decided by your target jurisdictions rather than by price or turnaround time.
Gaming Laboratories International (GLI)
GLI writes standards many regulators adopt by reference, and its standards index states that GLI "has established the base standards for gaming devices and systems around the world".
eCOGRA
eCOGRA describes itself as founded in 2003 and headquartered in the United Kingdom, and runs a dedicated random number generator certification service.
iTech Labs
iTech Labs calls itself "one of the leading accredited testing laboratories for the certification and Quality Assurance testing of online gaming systems worldwide".
BMM Testlabs
BMM's iGaming services list "independent iGaming testing, certification, RNG validation, game testing, platform testing, transaction monitoring, vulnerability assessments, penetration tests, PCI:DSS evaluations".
| Laboratory | Founded or headquartered | Scope claimed on its own site | Accreditation basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) | Publisher of the GLI standards index, which "has established the base standards for gaming devices and systems around the world" | ISO/IEC 17025 | |
| eCOGRA | Founded in 2003, headquartered in the United Kingdom | A dedicated random number generator certification service | ISO/IEC 17025 |
| iTech Labs | "One of the leading accredited testing laboratories for the certification and Quality Assurance testing of online gaming systems worldwide" | ISO/IEC 17025 | |
| BMM Testlabs | "Independent iGaming testing, certification, RNG validation, game testing, platform testing, transaction monitoring, vulnerability assessments, penetration tests, PCI:DSS evaluations" | ISO/IEC 17025 |
Blank cells are deliberate: only eCOGRA publishes a founding claim on its own site. Choose on jurisdiction coverage, because RNG certification counts only where the regulator recognises the laboratory.
Which standards and regulations govern a casino RNG?
The UK Gambling Commission sets the plainest published RNG rule.
Its remote technical standard RTS 7 requires that random number generation and game results be acceptably random, demonstrable to a high degree of confidence through generally accepted statistical tests, and it states that adaptive behaviour, meaning a compensated game, is not permitted.
What the UK Gambling Commission requires: RTS 7
The instrument is RTS 7, Generation of random outcomes, inside the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) remote gambling and software technical standards. Requirement 7A is short.
"Random number generation and game results must be 'acceptably random'."
"Adaptive behaviour (that is, a compensated game) is not permitted."
UK Gambling Commission, RTS requirement 7A
The implementation guidance for 7A names five qualities the output must show:
- uniform distribution
- unpredictability
- no repeated or synchronised output stream
- seeding that does not introduce predictability
- scaling that preserves those qualities
The text moves: the Commission records the standards as last updated on 29 January 2026, with RTS updates effective 30 June 2026 added. Read RTS 7, Generation of random outcomes before briefing a laboratory.
Which GLI standard covers which product
Regulators outside Great Britain usually point at the GLI catalogue instead. The titles below are read from Gaming Laboratories International's own standards index.
| Standard | Title as published | Product it covers |
|---|---|---|
| GLI-11 | Gaming Devices v3.0 | Gaming devices and their generators |
| GLI-12 | Progressive Jackpots v3.0 | Jackpot contribution and award logic |
| GLI-13 | Standards for Monitoring and Control Systems and Validation Systems v3.0 | Monitoring, control and validation systems |
| GLI-15 | Electronic Bingo and Keno Systems v1.3 | Bingo, keno and online lottery software draw engines |
| GLI-19 | Interactive Gaming Systems v3.0 | Remote interactive gaming systems |
| GLI-21 | Client-Server Systems v2.2 | Client server gaming architectures |
| GLI-24 | Electronic Table Game Systems v1.3 | Electronic table game systems |
GLI-19 is also where the wiring is judged: when a game arrives from a remote studio, systems certification of the integration is assessed alongside the generator itself.
ISO/IEC 17025 and what accreditation actually proves
All four laboratories rest on ISO/IEC 17025, the standard for the competence of testing laboratories. It means an independent body has audited their methods and impartiality. It does not mean a regulator has approved them in your market.
How does the RNG certification process work, step by step?
Getting an RNG certified follows a fixed sequence. Freeze the build and version lock it, hand the laboratory source code, seeding design and game mathematics, submit large output samples for statistical testing, answer the findings report, then receive a certificate tied to that exact build and jurisdiction.
Any material change to the RNG triggers recertification.
The six step sequence
- Freeze the build and version lock it.
- Submit source code, seeding design and game mathematics.
- Run statistical testing over large output samples.
- Answer the findings report and remediate.
- Receive a certificate tied to that build and jurisdiction.
- Operate change control, because material changes trigger recertification.
What the statistical test batteries actually are
NIST Special Publication 800-22 Revision 1a is the reference suite for random and pseudorandom number generators, and laboratories commonly add chi-square tests, Dieharder and TestU01. Each hunts a different failure: bias, correlation between successive values, or a short period.
Card games are assessed differently, because outcomes are drawn without replacement and dealing order carries information, which makes RNG and shuffle certification for poker a separate problem.
How does RNG certification fit into your gambling licence?
RNG certification is a licensing dependency, not a marketing badge. Most regulators will not issue final approval until an accredited laboratory has confirmed the generator behind your games.
Start laboratory engagement in parallel with the licence application, because the certificate is evidence the regulator expects to see inside the technical file you submit.
Compare gambling licence options early, because the jurisdiction decides which laboratories are recognised, and a certificate from an unrecognised laboratory buys nothing.
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) publishes requirements through the MGA licensee hub, and the pattern holds elsewhere: regulators want laboratory confirmation in the technical file, not a supplier's marketing claim.
Where the wider build is still in flight, our guide to launch a compliant online casino platform sequences testing against the other approvals.
What does RNG certification cost, and how long does it take?
Published RNG certification costs disagree sharply. One operator focused source quotes 25,000 to 65,000 US dollars and eight to twelve weeks per platform, broken down by laboratory.
A licensing consultancy publishes no figures at all and argues a single slot commonly runs from a few hundred to a few thousand euros per title. Budget the range, then confirm quotes.
| Published position | What it states | What the source is |
|---|---|---|
| One published operator estimate | 25,000 to 65,000 US dollars per platform: GLI 18,000 to 28,000 over eight to ten weeks, iTech Labs 15,000 to 25,000 over six to eight weeks, BMM Testlabs 20,000 to 32,000 over eight to twelve weeks, plus 8,000 to 12,000 documentation preparation, 3,000 to 5,000 filing and 5,000 to 8,000 remediation, all US dollars | An unsigned operator article with no stated methodology |
| One licensing consultancy | No figures published: a straightforward slot commonly runs from a few hundred to a few thousand euros per title, because figures vary by laboratory, game count and complexity | A consultancy selling licence application work |
| Our own poker platform guide | Quotes commonly land between USD 5,000 and USD 65,000 per game category, per laboratory | The OHS Gaming poker platform guide |
Those positions disagree by an order of magnitude and should not be averaged. Scope drives the number, and a second jurisdiction is a second submission. Budget the range, quote your own library, and open the laboratory conversation before the licence application, with iGaming consulting if a first submission has to be sequenced.
Frequently Asked Questions
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