How Do Online Casinos Use Physics to Run Their Games?

Everything in our lives is subjected to the forces and laws of physics. It is something that we can’t escape, but thanks to human ingenuity, the laws of physics can be shaped to meet some very specific needs. A prime example of that is found at online casinos, with physics driving the operation of games like craps and roulette.

In reputable online casinos, physics also plays a role in ensuring fairness, especially in live games with players spinning the wheel or throwing dice. Licensed platforms guarantee fair play, no matter what games you enjoy or how much you wager. All regulated operators – including £5 minimum deposit casino sites where you can invest small amounts and casinos with similar deposit requirements – have to use certified, fair mechanics across their games. The following is a look at just how that happens.

The Physics of Roulette

Even when handled by a croupier, there are many elements of physics at work which impact the game of roulette. There is the momentum and inertia of the wheel, and then also again when the ball is dropped. Gravity pulls the ball towards the pockets, and then friction, kinetic energy and air resistance all have an impact on where it goes.

The deep laws of physics, of course, are not something that the average player is going to think about while playing. They just want to know if the ball ends up in the right slot. That croupier-controlled experience is one format of the game, but there is also an automated format which requires a little more injection of physics.

Compressed Air

Automated roulette tables are a feature of online casinos, and are designed for fairness of gameplay. Instead of a croupier setting the wheel in motion, wheels get spun with a motor generating the force. The motor speed is randomised as well, which increases the unpredictability of the game.

But then how the ball is introduced into the game is where the bigger presence of physics kicks in, as compressed air is used to send it into play. This feature typically means that the ball can also enter the game from either direction as well, really mixing things up.

There are different setups for automated roulette tables, as some have the air compressor directly underneath and others are separate with a line fed into it, and the launch controlled by a push-button on the table.

Exactly how much air pressure is used depends on the make of the wheel, and manufacturers don’t always release specific details of their equipment like the ball launch mechanism, choosing instead to keep proprietary info under wraps.

Air pressure itself deals with physics concepts like Force per Unit Area, Boyle’s Law and Fluid Mechanics, so again, science has a heavy hand in the game of roulette. As far as automated tables go, the amount of air pressure can be calibrated and adjusted for appropriate force and flow.

The Rotor Speed

The speed of the rotor is another key component of automated roulette tables and introduces further principles of physics. There’s the torque, the moment of inertia and angular acceleration among other things. 

The laws of inertia state that what is in motion tends to stay in motion. But after being set in motion, the wheel can’t spin forever, so other forces have to act upon it to change that momentum.

Again, science enters the frame through a process that randomly slows the wheel. The first is through a random deceleration point, and then a second one happens once the ‘No More Bets’ threshold (such as 5 or 6 revolutions, as set by the casino) hits. For example, Cammegh, one of the most popular manufacturers of such wheels for online casinos, uses mechanisms like the Random Rotor Speed (RRS) tech, which changes how fast the rotor slows down from game to game.

Why Are Intelligent Tables Popular?

With the croupier not controlling the spin of the wheel, or the entry of the ball, that hands-off approach is something that players like to see. It’s significant enough to allay any concerns over the game being manipulated in any way.

Intelligent tables also have sensors built into them to read the speed of the wheel and the trajectory of the ball. These immediately relay information back to the players about what pocket the ball has come to rest in, so there are no errors or confusion. 

Randomness

The trajectory that the ball takes on a roulette wheel hinges on things like the current rotation speed, friction and force, all of which play a merry dance together. Because there are so many other variables including the air pressure, the environmental conditions, varying speed and even imperfections in the roulette wheel, there is a high degree of randomness involved. Essentially, all the principles of physics combine to create unpredictability, making it so that outcomes are difficult to predict.