How does the outcome of a live dealer game get determined compared to an RNG-based table game?

Two fundamentally different mechanisms sit under the hood of these two game types — and the distinction matters more than most players realize.

RNG games: software-generated outcomes

In a standard online table game — virtual blackjack, roulette, baccarat — every result is produced by a Random Number Generator. The output of the RNG is the basis on which game outcomes are determined by the game controller. The software fires a number, maps it to a game event (a card rank, a roulette pocket, a dice total), and displays the result — all in milliseconds, with no physical object involved. Game developers can vary the degree of true randomness for each RNG, including pseudorandom implementations, depending on game requirements.

In Ontario's regulated market, this isn't just a matter of developer trust. An ITL certification is a form of written assurance issued by registered independent test laboratories to confirm that the technology meets the relevant AGCO Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming. The specific types of technology that must be certified include all games, random number generators, and components of igaming systems that accept, process, determine outcome, display and log details about player bets. So before an RNG game reaches any Toronto player, it has been independently audited against AGCO standards.

Live dealer games: physical randomness, electronically verified

The purpose of the live remote dealer is to replace the computer-based random number generator in the online form of gaming. Instead of software, a human dealer in a studio (or occasionally a real casino floor) physically deals cards from a shoe, spins a roulette wheel, or rolls dice — with video of the dealer performing these actions streamed to a display screen near the remote player. The outcome is determined by real-world physics, not an algorithm.

But "physical" doesn't mean unregulated. Ontario's AGCO goes further here than it does with RNG games. For live dealer games, the requirement for certified technology extends to physical random number generators with electronic elements and similar physical equipment used to determine game outcome — including physical roulette wheels, physical dice tables, and card shufflers that have electronic components. In other words, the wheel, the shuffler, and the dice table all have to pass the same independent lab certification process as any piece of software. For live dealer games in the igaming space, the relevant "Casino Electronic Gaming Devices and Gaming Systems Minimum Technical Standards" are also applicable — an additional layer of technical requirements that doesn't apply to pure RNG titles.

What's the same across both

The underlying math — house edge, payout ratios, game rules — works identically regardless of how the outcome is generated. A live dealer blackjack hand and an RNG blackjack hand follow the same rules and carry the same statistical odds. The mechanism of randomness differs; the game itself doesn't. Neither format gives you a mathematical edge, and neither should be treated as a path to reliable income.

For Toronto players, the practical takeaway is straightforward: stick to operators registered with iGaming Ontario (look for the iGaming Ontario and BetGuard logos on the site), and you can be confident that both game types have been independently certified for fairness before they were ever made available to you. The full list of registered operators is at the iGaming Ontario registry. If gambling ever becomes a concern, ConnexOntario is available at 1-866-531-2600 — and you need to be 19+ to play.