How are live dealer games tested for fairness? RTS 17 read
For a live table the auditable object is the studio. The UK's RTS 17, line by line: equipment, croupier training, surveillance, access and game logs.
How are live dealer games tested for fairness? In the UK, the Gambling Commission’s RTS 17 requires that live dealer operations “must be fair and independently auditable”, and its guidance points the audit at the studio: casino-quality equipment, trained croupiers, supervision, video surveillance of all dealer activity, access controls and game logs analysed for trends.
This is an evergreen explainer, with no news peg. The pages ranking for the question tell the RNG-certificate story; in the text of the three checked for this post (next.io, GammaStack, Racine County Eye), none names RTS 17. On 23 October 2026 this desk read RTS 17 – Live dealer studios, whose page shows “Last updated: 27 January 2021”, alongside RTS 7 and eCOGRA’s live dealer testing page.
What does RTS 17 ask of a live dealer studio?
Aim 17 is short: to ensure that live dealer operations are fair. Requirement 17A is the binding line. Everything below it is implementation guidance, and the verbs matter: most lines say should, the training line says need to, and the access-control line says shall.
| RTS 17 guidance line | Verb | Where it lands on a studio floor |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment and consumables of commercial casino quality | should | Wheel, ball, shoe, cards |
| Designated staff monitor the integrity of all operational equipment | should | A named owner for table kit, GCU and result reader |
| Croupiers trained to deal fairly to documented procedures and game rules | need to | A written procedures document |
| Evidence of training and refresher training maintained | should | Training records per dealer |
| Staff supervise dealer activities and integrity | should | A supervisor on the floor |
| Video surveillance records all dealer activity, detailed enough to confirm procedures and rules were followed | should | Recorded footage of predefined gaming areas |
| Secure areas, equipment and consumables behind access controls | shall | Access lists for floor and storage |
| Game logs kept; events collated into statistics analysable by game performance, staff and location | should | A per-table, per-dealer result log |
The right-hand column is this desk’s reading, not the Commission’s text. It maps onto kit this site has already traced: the game control unit, the OCR result reader whose output would feed a game log, and the equipment list the quality line covers.
Does the RNG standard apply to a live table?
Neither the RTS 7 page nor the RTS 17 page says so, and this post does not claim it. RTS 7 requires results to be “acceptably random” and states that a compensated game is not permitted. Its guidance covers games “that use the laws of physics to generate the outcome of the game (mechanical RNGs)”: materials that do not decompose (“a ball shall not disintegrate”), physical items not altered, and no player contact with the mechanics. A reader can set that beside a roulette wheel; neither Commission page read here draws the line.
Who audits live casino games?
The standard says independently auditable without naming an auditor. eCOGRA’s service page describes its live dealer testing as a review of physical security, equipment, training material and game outcomes, including scrutiny of shuffling, dealing and wheel-spinning procedures and monitoring of sessions for anomalies.
FAQ
How are online casino games tested for fairness?
It depends on where the result comes from. Software outcomes fall under RTS 7 in the UK, which requires results to be acceptably random and bars compensated games. A live table’s outcome comes from a wheel, shoe or deck, and RTS 17 asks that the operation be fair and independently auditable: procedures, people, footage and logs an outside party can check.
How do we know gambling is fair and legitimate?
From a reader’s side, by what can be checked: the regulator’s published standard and an independent party’s review against it. This desk does not certify any studio, and nothing here says a named firm meets RTS 17. A test lab such as eCOGRA describes its live dealer work as reviewing physical security, equipment, training material and game outcomes.
How do casinos ensure fairness in their games, especially with online casino games?
For live dealer games, the RTS 17 guidance describes the controls: casino-quality equipment, staff who monitor its integrity, croupiers trained to documented procedures, supervision, video surveillance of all dealer activity, access controls on secure areas, and game logs analysed for trends by game performance, staff and location. It is UK guidance, written mostly as should.
Industry coverage for an adult, 18+ readership on the supply side of the sector: Onkaji Scout offers no gambling services and does not say where to play. RTS 17 is read here as a studio’s control list and a cost line, not as a reason to sit at any table.