Rigged wheels are not a myth. Both online and physical roulette games can be manipulated. So, are roulette tables rigged? Can online roulette games be fixed? It depends on where you play.
Unlicensed casinos use electromagnets, acoustic levitation, rigged RNG software, and other methods to cheat players. At licensed, regulated casinos like 888casino, this doesn't happen. Games are audited, RNG software is certified by independent labs, and operators lose their licenses if caught cheating.
We'll explain how rogue operators rig roulette so you know what to avoid.
The Four Types of Roulette (And Which Ones Get Rigged)
There are basically four types of roulette games you can play today:
- Traditional game with big wooden roulette wheels and a dealer in a brick-and-mortar casino.
- Air-ball or rapid roulette in a real casino.
- Online roulette with live dealers and a real wheel.
- Online casino electronic roulette and Fixed odds betting terminals (FOBT) with a Random Number Generator.
In all four types of games, you can never be absolutely sure the game is 100% fair at unlicensed venues. There has been anecdotal and circumstantial evidence of strange, inexplicable events and suspicious, unfavorable outcomes for players.
In some cases, the fraud has been proven beyond doubt. In most cases though, we have to live with the doubt.
Is Online Roulette Rigged?
Online casinos often take advantage of the lack of supervision at unlicensed sites and take the money of their customers through unfair games. Very recently, it was reported that in RNG roulette at Betfair online casino, number 18 appeared 11 consecutive times!
The actual probability of this happening is once in a trillion spins! Yet casinos can claim that "every 11 spin sequence is equally probable with any other", so nothing's wrong with 18 hitting 11 times back to back.
It is really funny that various outrageous results and events are "explained" by the "laws of physics" and covered up by the inherent unpredictability of a random game.
"Yes, the ball can take strange twists just before it lands on a number, it's physics", they explain. They take your money blatantly and if you complain they look you in the face and claim that: "No, it's not suspicious that you lose again and again forever. According to probability, it's perfectly normal."
This raises the question many players ask when testing out their own roulette strategies: are online roulette games rigged across the board? The short answer is no, but unlicensed sites are where the risk lies.
At 888casino, online roulette cannot be rigged or fixed. Independent testing labs certify our RNG systems and audit them regularly. Gambling authorities hold our licenses and can inspect our games without warning. Getting caught rigging games means losing our licenses and facing criminal prosecution. The oversight is constant, and the consequences would destroy a business built over decades.
How Physical Roulette Wheels Are Rigged
Rigged wheels are a reality, though to what extent they are used is an issue of great debate. Players beware. Just try to take the ball from a roulette wheel at a casino and see what happens. They will chase after you like you are the worst criminal. They don't want you to take their balls and test them (test what they are made of).
There was a news story of a high roller roulette player in the reputable land-based Regency Casino Thessaloniki, Greece, who took the ball from the wheel to test it and sue them in case he found something.
The casino pursued him like there was no tomorrow. A meeting between the player and casino officials had been arranged. After a while, the story vanished and no one ever heard of this case again. Your guess as to what happened is as good as mine, but there are rumors that the casino has paid a large amount to get the roulette ball back and avoid exposure and a possible scandal.
So are roulette machines rigged in land-based casinos? This is a very controversial subject – and a very serious one. Despite the cliche that "casinos don't need to steal, they have the house advantage," we can imagine that greed can lead casinos to offer less than fair game conditions if they could.
Electromagnets
Electromagnets hidden beneath wheel pockets can attract or repel a magnetized ball, steering it away from certain numbers. There was a wheel from a private club in Italy where a fraud took place, which was put up for sale on eBay in the UK.
No one really knows if the club owners were ever arrested. The wheel had small electromagnets under each pocket and probably there would be a special ball type with a metal core going with the thing.
Acoustic Levitation
According to this method, intensive sound waves with ultrasonic frequencies that can not be heard by the human ear can be used to push the roulette ball before or while it lands on a number.
Wheel Leveling
Imagine an electronically controlled mechanism below the wheel, that can very slightly change the leveling of the wheel. This can actually have a dramatic effect on the outcomes of the roulette.
Piezoelectric Ceramic Balls
Nowadays the roulette balls are made of piezoelectric ceramic. The material used is BaTiO3 on the surface and BaSO4 on the inside for insulation.
The ball carries a polarized surface charge when hit by an ultrasonic sound wave. This wave is sent from the inter-digital transducers placed in the pockets of each number. They send a wave to the ball that polarizes the surface with a negative charge. The pocket of the number is also negative, therefore the ball jumps out through electrostatic repulsion (see Patent US9114940).
Each numbered pocket has a switch which is controlled by a transistor called IGBT. This transistor turns on the switch so that the pocket is negatively charged. The casino leaves the pockets that it wants the ball to go in neutral, or switched off.
Roulette player Robert Gurreri ha
s alleged casinos use cheating methods at roulette and says: "I have such a piezoelectric roulette ball in my possession along with university tests done on it and I can show them to anyone interested. Many casinos in the world are now using this method to cheat players and as a 'security measure' against high rollers."
'Casinos Would Never Do That!'
The casino representatives and many players will often try to dismiss any doubt about the integrity of their games with these two arguments:
1. The casino has the house edge advantage. It doesn't need to cheat you to make money.
ANSWER: Do not underestimate human greed. At unlicensed casinos with no oversight, companies will try to increase their profit by every means possible.
2. If a casino is caught cheating the players, the repercussions would be too great, including the ruining of their reputation and big fines. No casino would risk cheating.
ANSWER: This only applies where there are actual consequences. At unlicensed venues, there is no reputation to lose and no authority to impose fines.
The difference with licensed casinos? Arguments 1 and 2 actually hold true at operators like 888casino. We already profit from the house edge and have constant regulatory oversight.
The authorities conduct surprise inspections, analyze game data, and test our RNG systems. Rigging games would mean license revocation, criminal prosecution, and destroying a business built over decades. At licensed venues, the consequences truly are too severe to risk cheating.
If this article interests you, also check out other topics like roulette odds and how to play roulette.
FAQ: Rigged Roulette Wheels
Is online roulette rigged at 888casino?
No. Our RNG systems are certified and audited by independent labs. We hold licenses from gambling authorities who inspect our games. Rigging would mean losing those licenses and criminal charges.
Can physical roulette wheels be rigged?
Yes. Methods include electromagnets, acoustic levitation, wheel leveling, and piezoelectric ceramic balls.
How can I tell if a roulette wheel is rigged?
You can't. The technology isn't visible. Your only protection is playing at licensed casinos where regulators inspect the equipment. So, if you're wondering whether roulette is fixed at your local casino or online site, check their licensing. That's the only reliable indicator.
Are all unlicensed casinos rigged?
No, but the risk is much higher. There's no regulator to catch them and no penalty if they cheat.
Why should I play at licensed casinos?
Gambling authorities can shut them down if licensed casinos cheat. Independent labs test their games, and they have too much to lose from cheating.
