Do Electronic Craps Games Use RNGs?

Software RNG · Mechanical dice · Live result feeds

Some electronic craps games use a software random number generator, but many do not. A physical bubble machine can use mechanically launched dice as the outcome source, while a stadium terminal can receive a result from a live table. The exact configuration—not the word “electronic”—answers the RNG question.

Three ways an electronic craps result can be generated

Three ways an electronic craps result can be generated: Configuration; What generates the result; What the screen does.

Configuration	What generates the result	What the screen does
Mechanical bubble dice	Physical dice shaken or launched in a dome	Reads sensors, displays the total, and settles bets
Fully virtual electronic craps	Approved software RNG	Animates the dice and settles bets from the RNG result
Live/dealer-assisted terminal game	External live table or approved physical generator	Distributes the shared result to connected betting stations

One manufacturer can support more than one of these configurations. Interblock’s Washington game description, for example, lists an internal RNG option as well as connections to mechanical and live external generators. Roll to Win documentation separately describes an ETG mode in which virtual dice are determined by software RNG.

Physical bubble dice: sensors read the roll

In the approved Shoot to Win Lucky Roll configuration, the center unit shakes and launches oversized RFID-tagged dice. Sensors read the dice orientation after they land, and a camera supplies a live view to the player terminals. The approval document calls this a mechanical random generator.

That is materially different from choosing a software result first and forcing the dice to display it. The physical outcome is the shared event that the system detects. If the machine cannot read a valid result, its approved error and recovery procedure—not an internet guess—controls what happens next.

Fully virtual craps: software RNG determines the result

In a fully virtual mode there may be no physical dice at all. A software RNG selects the dice outcome and the interface displays an animation. Washington’s 2025 Roll to Win ETG approval states that the virtual dice results in that mode are determined by software RNG.

The exact moment the result is selected is defined by the approved game logic. Do not assume it occurs when money is inserted, when a bet is placed, when betting closes, or when the animation begins unless the model’s rules say so.

What gaming standards require from an RNG

Rules vary by jurisdiction. Nevada’s current Technical Standard 1, section 1.400, requires a random selection process to satisfy a stated chi-squared goodness-of-fit test. Its software-RNG provisions distinguish devices approved before January 1, 2027 from devices approved on or after that date. It also addresses protection from outside influences. The standard is a jurisdictional requirement, not a claim that every electronic craps cabinet uses software RNG.

Those controls address the integrity of the approved random process. They do not make a negative-expectation bet profitable and they do not guarantee that every cabinet will operate forever without a hardware, display, sensor, or communication fault.

What the 2026 Nevada update actually changes

Nevada adopted the revised Technical Standard 1 effective March 13, 2026. For a software-RNG electronic gaming device approved before January 1, 2027, section 1.400 calls for no static seed at initialization, cycling at a minimum average 100 times per second, and no drawing values for future play. For a device approved on or after that date, it calls for a cryptographically secure RNG and recognized randomness tests. These are approval-date categories, not a choice a player makes during a session.

The standard does not identify the generator in a particular bubble or stadium cabinet. Use the game’s help screen and the regulator’s approval for that model and installed mode. A compliant random process also does not answer whether a terminal correctly accepted a wager or credited a payout; use the round and transaction history to audit those separate issues.

How to identify the result source at a machine

1. Look for visible physical dice, a live table feed, or a fully animated result.
2. Open the help, rules, or game-information screen.
3. Record the manufacturer, product name, cabinet or terminal number, and jurisdiction label.
4. Check whether the game describes a mechanical generator, software RNG, or live external result.
5. If it remains unclear, ask a slot/table-games supervisor or the regulator rather than assuming.

Does the outcome source change the house edge?

Not by itself. House edge comes from the bet’s probabilities and payout. Physical and virtual versions can offer the same Pass Line rules, yet different Odds limits, Field payouts, commissions, bonus paytables, or working-bet defaults. Compare the displayed rules, not the animation style.

Roll-history panels also do not create predictive information. A 7 appearing repeatedly does not make another total due, regardless of whether the prior outcomes came from dice or approved RNG.

What to do when the display and result seem wrong

Stop betting and preserve details: terminal number, date and time, wager, credit balance, displayed result, visible dice, and any error message. Ask a supervisor to review the event log or surveillance process. If the casino does not resolve the issue, use the patron-dispute route for the regulator overseeing that property.

For the player-facing comparison of terminals, paytables, and beginner use, read the Bubble Craps Machine guide.

Primary sources

• Washington: Shoot to Win mechanical-generator approval
• Washington: Roll to Win software-RNG ETG approval
• Washington: Interblock Craps configurations
• Nevada Technical Standard 1: current random-selection and RNG requirements