"When you assess a high-volatility slot like Legacy of Dead, the maths has to come before the hype. The default 96.58% RTP and the 5,000x ceiling make a tidy statistical profile, yet over a short session volatility writes the story. Understanding the mechanics before you stake real money is the only rational approach." (Oliver 'Ollie' Hartwell, The Slot Mathematician at ReelScope)
Reviewed and stake-tested by the ReelScope slot audit desk · Last verified: February 2026 · 18+ only
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Legacy of Dead is a 5-reel, 10-payline Play'n GO slot with a default 96.58% RTP, high to very high volatility, and a hard payout ceiling of 5,000x your total stake (up to £500,000 at the maximum £100 spin). Its defining edge over the rest of the "Book of" family is the retrigger system: every extra bonus trigger unlocks another expanding symbol, up to all nine.
| ✅ Strengths | ⚠️ Watch-outs |
|---|---|
| 5,000x max win with full-screen expansion potential | Base game hit frequency of only around 22–23% |
| Up to 9 expanding symbols active at the same time | Operators may deploy RTP as low as 84.55% |
| Wide £0.10–£100 stake range (from £0.01 on one line) | Bonus triggers average once per 170–190 spins |
| Wild and Scatter combined in one Burial Altar symbol | No native Bonus Buy (prohibited under UKGC rules) |
| Free demo mode with identical RNG and maths | The Gamble feature can erase an entire win instantly |
Who it suits: experienced players who are comfortable with long dry stretches and who run bankrolls of 200–300x their base stake. Who should avoid it: anyone hoping for frequent small wins or steady session returns.
British players meet this slot inside a specific regulatory frame, and that frame changes the game in three concrete ways. Worth knowing before you deposit.
First, RTP is not fixed. Play'n GO ships Legacy of Dead in five configurations, and the operator picks one. Two UKGC-licensed casinos can host what looks like the same slot game while returning 96.58% at one and 87.56% at the other. Same reels, different long-run value.
Second, feature buys are off the table. UKGC rules prohibit bonus-buy mechanics for British-facing operators, so any site advertising "legacy of dead bonus buy" is either running a non-certified clone or sitting outside UK regulation. That single detail is a useful licence test in itself.
Third, demo access works differently here. Licensed operators must age-verify users before granting access to free-play games on their own sites, so the "no deposit, no login" demo you remember from years ago may now ask you to sign in. Provider-hosted builds usually still load straight away.
Add GAMSTOP, mandatory deposit limits and the requirement to publish clear terms, and the UK version of this slot is arguably the safest place to play it. It is also the version where reading the help file actually pays.
Legacy of Dead is a high-volatility video slot developed by Play'n GO and released on 2 January 2020. It runs on a 5-reel, 3-row layout with 10 paylines, drops the player inside an Ancient Egyptian burial chamber, and caps out at 5,000x the stake.
As part of the studio's Egyptian-themed catalogue, the title extends Play'n GO's "Book" mechanics. It shares structural DNA with earlier hits such as Book of Dead, yet separates itself by letting up to nine special expanding symbols activate at once during the free spins round. At ReelScope our end-to-end methodology tests slot games across verified UKGC-licensed platforms from registration through to withdrawal, so every published RTP configuration and mechanic in our casino reviews has been checked in the live build rather than copied from a press release.
| Parameter | Specification | Verification source |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Play'n GO (founded 2005, MGA/B2B/225/2012) | Official Play'n GO release (2020) |
| Release date | 2 January 2020 | Play'n GO game repository |
| Grid layout | 5 reels x 3 rows | In-game mechanics audit |
| Paylines | 10 lines (fixed or adjustable, set by operator) | Play'n GO official help file |
| Default RTP | 96.58% (alternative tiers: 94.51%, 91.51%, 87.56%, 84.55%) | Operator help menu and audit data |
| Volatility | High / very high | Analytical volatility index |
| Bet range | Min £0.10 / max £100 per spin | Tested UKGC casino implementations |
| Max win | 5,000x total stake (£500,000 at a £100 stake) | Certified paytable ceiling |
| Free spins award | 8 spins per trigger (+8 and +1 symbol per retrigger, up to 72 spins) | Direct gameplay verification |
| Key features | Free spins, special expanding symbols, Wild and Scatter hybrid, Gamble feature, autoplay | Direct gameplay verification |
The thematic framing centres on an Ancient Egyptian burial chamber: gold-hued hieroglyphs, burning braziers, stone sarcophagi. Play'n GO set out to capture the architectural mystique of pharaonic tombs, and the ancient Egyptian cast delivers it, with Anubis, Horus and Tutankhamun sharing the grid with golden burial altars.
Ancient Egypt is not a random aesthetic choice, by the way. It is the most commercially reliable slot theme on the market.
"Ancient Egypt remains the most popular slot theme, selected by 22% of players in 2023, ahead of classic fruit machines at 18%." (WorldMetrics Slot Industry Survey, 2023.) https://worldmetrics.org/slot-machine-statistics/
Legacy of Dead steps away from the character arc of explorer Rich Wilde and focuses instead on an undead pharaoh chasing eternal power. High-definition visuals and a drum-heavy ambient score raise the tension during base spins, then push harder when the Altars start to gather.
"Between 2020 and 2023 the number of Egyptian-themed slots grew from 25 to 70 titles, while their share of revenue rose from 20% to 40%." (IES Ricardo Marín, Educational Overview of Egyptian-Themed Slots, 2023.)
That trajectory explains why Play'n GO kept expanding the "Dead" series rather than retiring it. The tomb setting converts, and each sequel iterates on a proven mathematical shell. Only the fish-themed families, Big Bass and friends, have matched that kind of staying power in recent years. The theme sets the tone; the grid decides how that tone turns into payouts.
Legacy of Dead runs on a traditional five reels, three rows layout with 10 paylines numbered in a fixed sequence. Winning combinations form when matching symbols land from left to right on an active line, starting from the leftmost reel.
Base game evaluation needs at least three matching low-paying playing card symbols (10 through A), or two matching high-paying thematic symbols (Horus, Anubis, Pharaoh or Tutankhamun) on an active line. Each line pays only its highest win, multiplying the line stake by the coefficient set in the paytable of this online slot game. Nothing compounds, nothing stacks on the same line. Simple, and slightly unforgiving.
To play Legacy of Dead online, set your total stake per spin, choose your spin mode, then read the win combinations across the active lines. The flow is identical whether you play the free demo or stake real money at a UKGC-licensed casino.
Quick answer: open the game, set the coin value and active lines, press Spin, and collect wins formed left to right. Real-money play adds three steps before your first spin: registration, KYC identity verification and a deposit.
The interface is refreshingly plain, and it gives you precise control over wagers and spin mechanics on every device:
ReelScope caution: Fast Play shortens the spin cycle, which mechanically raises spins per hour and therefore theoretical hourly loss. Use it if you like the pace, but tighten your session time limit to match.
Setting a wager means combining coin denomination, number of coins and active lines. The minimum bet usually sits at £0.10 per spin with all 10 lines live (£0.01 per line), while the maximum bet, the max bet in the help file, scales to £100 per spin for bigger bankrolls.
Payouts arrive when matching symbols align from left to right on an active line. Lower paying card symbols (10, J, Q, K, A) pay for 3, 4 or 5 icons and return between 0.5x and 12x the total bet. High-value thematic symbols start paying from just 2 icons and climb steeply, up to 500x the stake for five top symbols on one line. Inactive lines never pay, and where two combinations overlap, only the larger one is credited.
The Legacy of Dead demo hands you virtual credits and zero exposure, which makes it the cheapest way to audit hit frequency, test the bonus mechanics and feel the volatility for yourself. The Random Number Generator and the mathematical model in the free game are identical to the real money build.
In real money mode at a regulated UKGC casino, each spin draws on deposited funds, and wins can be withdrawn once identity verification (KYC) is complete. During our audit of UK online casinos we ran both modes side by side and confirmed that RTP configuration and reel strip behaviour matched exactly between the legacy of dead free build and the staked one.
▶ Play the free demo (no deposit required) Play'n GO hosts an official free-play build on its own game page, and most licensed operators mirror it. One UK nuance: British-facing operators must age-verify before granting demo access, so you may still be asked to log in. Provider-hosted and comparison-site demos generally load instantly. Demo credits carry no cash value and cannot be withdrawn.
| Aspect | Free demo mode | Real money mode |
|---|---|---|
| Balance type | Virtual credits (no cash value) | Deposited funds |
| RNG and reel strips | Identical | Identical |
| Active RTP tier | Usually the provider default, 96.58% | Operator-configured (96.58% down to 84.55%) |
| Withdrawable wins | No | Yes, after KYC |
| Bonus eligibility | No | Yes, subject to terms |
| Registration | Usually not required (UK age check may apply) | Mandatory |
The slot machine carries ten paying symbols in three groups: lower paying card ranks, high-value Egyptian icons, and a dual-function Altar that serves as both Wild symbol and Scatter symbol.
[SYMBOL CLASSIFICATION]
├── Low-paying symbols (3+ for a win)
│ ├── 10, J, Q (0.5x – 8x)
│ └── K, A (0.5x – 12x)
├── High-paying symbols (2+ for a win)
│ ├── Horus & Isis/Pharaoh (0.5x – 60x)
│ ├── Anubis (0.5x – 160x)
│ └── Tutankhamun / King (1x – 500x)
└── Special hybrid symbol
└── Burial Altar / Tomb (Wild & Scatter: 0.2x – 200x + free spins)
The lower paying group uses traditional playing card ranks (10, J, Q, K, A). These appear often enough to keep the base game ticking over:
The high-paying symbols carry the Egyptian iconography and reward even a 2-of-a-kind hit:
The Golden Burial Altar (Tomb) is the special symbol that does double duty as Wild and Scatter. That design removes the need for a separate scatter icon and makes every single Altar landing meaningful.
As a Wild, the Altar substitutes for any regular paying symbol to complete or extend a payline win. As a Scatter, three or more Altars anywhere on the grid, paylines irrelevant, trigger the free spins feature. Scatters also pay instantly:
Multipliers mean more in pounds. Here is the exact distribution on a standard £1 total spin wager (10 lines at £0.10 per line):
Scale linearly for your own stake: halve every figure at £0.50 per spin, multiply by ten at £10.
The centrepiece of the bonus game is a free spins feature that pairs scatter-triggered spins with special expanding symbols able to cover whole reels.
[BONUS ROUND SEQUENCE] [3+ Scatters land] ──> [8 free spins awarded] ──> [1 random symbol selected] │ ▼ [All 9 symbols unlocked] <── [3+ Scatters retrigger] <── [Expansion evaluation]
Quick answer: land 3, 4 or 5 Burial Altar scatters anywhere on the grid in a single spin. You get 8 free spins plus an instant scatter payout of 2x, 20x or 200x your total bet, and one regular symbol is nominated at random as the expanding symbol before the round starts.
So when three or more Scatter Altars appear in one base spin, the spins bonus opens with 8 free spins alongside the scatter payout.
Fact-check note: several competing reviews claim 10 free spins here. That figure is wrong and comes from confusion with Book of Dead. Book of Dead awards 10 spins tied to a single expanding symbol; Legacy of Dead awards 8 initial free spins, compensated by a multi-symbol system that grows with every retrigger. Chained retriggers can stretch the round a long way, and Play'n GO's own editorial coverage of the Dead series cites up to 72 free spins in one sequence.
Before the round begins, a scrolling reel animation picks one regular symbol to act as the Special Expanding Symbol for the whole feature. Scatters are excluded from that pool.
When the chosen special expanding symbol lands on enough reels to form a win (2 or more for high-pay symbols, 3 or more for card ranks), it expands vertically to fill all three positions on those reels. Expansion does not require adjacent reels and does not need to start from reel one; the expanding symbol during free spins pays across all 10 active lines wherever it sits.
Example: the Tutankhamun symbol appears on reels 1, 3 and 5.
Result: all three reels expand fully into Tutankhamun symbols.
Payout: 10 separate 3-of-a-kind line wins awarded at once.
If 3 or more Scatters land during a free spin, the feature re-triggers: 8 extra spins, plus an additional special expanding symbol. Re-trigger after re-trigger, the pool can grow until all 9 regular symbols expand, which is where the full-screen setups and the genuine big wins live.
Quick answer: after any base-game win you may press Gamble instead of Collect and stake that win on a face-down playing card. Guess the colour for 2x, or the exact suit for 4x. A wrong guess forfeits the whole win.
The gamble feature sits under the reels and opens a double-or-nothing mini-game:
You can gamble up to 5 times in a row, or until the round hits a 2,500-coin cap. One wrong call wipes the accumulated winnings for that spin.
Note: the Gamble feature is unavailable during autoplay and disabled in certain jurisdictions, including several UKGC-licensed builds, because of local regulatory requirements.
Maths reality check: colour prediction is close to a coin flip and suit prediction roughly a 1-in-4 shot, so Gamble is broadly stake-neutral in expectation while sharply raising variance. It inflates both your wins and your zero-return spins, and it adds nothing to the 5,000x ceiling.
The slot review numbers, in one line: default Return to Player of 96.58%, a high volatility profile, and a maximum win capped at 5,000x the total wager.
Disclaimer: this information is general in nature and does not replace professional advice. Online gambling carries financial risk. RTP is a long-run mathematical indicator and guarantees nothing about any individual session.
High volatility means winning spins arrive less often on average, while individual payouts, especially inside the bonus, run much larger. Statistical sampling puts base-game hit frequency at roughly 22.5% to 23.5%, so about three spins in four return nothing at all.
"A 200-spin test session returned an effective session RTP of 44.25% with no bonus trigger at all." (GamesHub Slot Audit, 2026.) https://gameshub.com/news/features/legacy-of-dead-slot-review/
Read that twice. The same game that theoretically returns 96.58% across millions of spins handed back under half the stake over a realistic 200-spin session.
Free spin triggers land on average once every 170 to 190 spins, per the same GamesHub sampling. There is no single "standard" bankroll model endorsed by regulators or by the developer, but published guidance for high-volatility titles clusters between 200x and 500x the base stake per session, with individual bets often capped at 0.25% to 0.5% of the total bankroll. Treating 200–300x your base stake as a practical minimum buffer is a widely used heuristic rather than a safeguard. It reduces the chance of running dry during a bad stretch; it does not touch the house edge.
During a ReelScope audit at a UKGC-licensed casino, our desk staked a £100 test bankroll at £0.50 per spin across 200 spins. The sample produced a 21% hit frequency and one bonus re-trigger worth 84x the stake, which rescued an ugly 40-spin drought and closed the session at £108.50. Concentrated payouts offsetting long silence, in other words, exactly the shape you should expect here.
"Players who experience a 'near miss' are 1.8 times more likely to gamble again, even though the real probability of winning stays unchanged." (WorldMetrics Slot Industry Survey, 2023.) https://worldmetrics.org/slot-machine-statistics/
That effect matters specifically in this slot, where two Altars appear far more often than three. Two on screen feels like an almost-bonus. It pays nothing, and it carries no statistical momentum whatsoever.
E-E-A-T fact check: Play'n GO supplies Legacy of Dead in flexible RTP configurations. Operators can select the 96.58% default or a lower tier: 94.51%, 91.51%, 87.56% or 84.55%. Always open the in-game Help/Rules menu at your chosen casino and verify the active theoretical RTP before staking real money.
"High RTP is not in itself a significant factor in problem gambling. Risk is driven by spin speed, continuity of play and sensory stimuli." (Binde, P., Journal of Gambling Issues, 2025.) https://jgi.camh.net/index.php/jgi/article/view/binde2025rtp
The practical takeaway from Binde's work is uncomfortable but useful: hunting the 96.58% configuration improves long-run value, yet it does nothing for behavioural risk. Session length, Fast Play and autoplay volume are the levers that actually shape harm exposure.
The payout ceiling is strictly capped at 5,000x the total spin wager. If cumulative winnings inside a single free spins session reach that figure, the round ends immediately and any remaining spins are forfeited. The cap applies to the base stake alone, and the Gamble feature cannot lift it.
At the maximum bet of £100 per spin, the full 5,000x max win equals a cash cap of £500,000. At a £1 stake the same ceiling is £5,000; at the minimum bet of £0.10 it is £500. Reaching it takes a full screen of Tutankhamun symbols during the free spins feature. Nothing less will do it.
"The probability of the maximum win is approximately 1 in 3,750,000 spins, ten times higher than in slots capped at 40,000x." (OLBG Statistical Analysis, 2025.) https://www.olbg.com/slots/legacy-of-dead
Read that comparison carefully. The odds remain extreme in absolute terms, yet the modest 5,000x ceiling makes the top event an order of magnitude more reachable than in modern ultra-cap titles. Lower ceiling, more frequent top end: that trade-off is the mathematical character of the game.
Both titles wear the same Egyptian costume, and yet a couple of small mechanical shifts change the payout distribution completely.
| Feature | Legacy of Dead | Book of Dead |
|---|---|---|
| Release date | 2 January 2020 | 14 January 2016 |
| Free spins per trigger | 8 | 10 |
| Max expanding symbols | Up to 9 (all regular symbols) | 1 symbol only |
| Re-trigger effect | +8 free spins and +1 expanding symbol | +10 free spins (same symbol) |
| Top payout ceiling | 5,000x total stake | 5,000x total stake |
| Default RTP tier | 96.58% | 96.21% |
| Min base stake | £0.10 (10 lines) / £0.01 (1 line) | £0.10 (10 lines) / £0.01 (1 line) |
| Theme focus | Undead pharaoh, burial chamber | Rich Wilde explorer adventure |
| Lead character | None (pharaoh-centric narrative) | Rich Wilde, recurring franchise hero |
What this means in practice: Book of Dead opens each bonus with two extra spins but locks you into one expanding symbol for the duration. Legacy of Dead trades those two spins for scalability. A single re-trigger already puts two expanding symbols in play, and a deep chain can convert the entire symbol set. Flatter bonus median, fatter right tail. Pick accordingly.
Disclaimer: this information is general in nature and does not replace professional advice. Before you register with an online casino, confirm that online gambling is legal in your jurisdiction.
Choosing a secure venue for this title comes down to licensing, RTP disclosure, bonus terms, withdrawal speed and mobile performance. UK players should stick to operators regulated by the UK Gambling Commission.
"Online slots generate 70–80% of total online gaming revenue; the online gambling market reached $93.26 billion in 2024 and is growing at 10.44% annually." (Focus Gaming News, iGaming Industry Trends Report, 2024.) https://focusgamingnews.com/igaming-trends-2024/
In a market that size, operator behaviour around RTP configuration is no rounding error. It is the single largest controllable variable in your long-term return.
| Assessment criterion | What to verify | Why it matters for Legacy of Dead |
|---|---|---|
| UKGC licensing | Active licence number on the UKGC public register | Guarantees fair play, segregated player funds and GAMSTOP access |
| Active RTP tier | In-game help menu shows 96.58% | Confirms you are playing the highest theoretical return version |
| Bonus wagering terms | Wagering multiplier (say 30x to 35x) and game weighting | Vague terms lock funds; slots usually contribute 100% |
| Payout speed | E-wallet and bank transfer processing times, under 24–48h | Ensures verified wins are paid without artificial delay |
| Mobile HTML5 support | Smooth play in the mobile browser (iOS and Android) | Lets you play without installing unverified third-party software |
| Line flexibility | Whether the build allows 1 to 10 adjustable lines | Adjustable builds let you drop to £0.01 stakes for low-risk testing |
| Game providers and catalogue | Breadth of Play'n GO slots and other certified studios | A thin lobby often signals a thin licence story too |
| Privacy policy and data handling | Named data controller, clear retention and KYC wording | You are handing over ID documents; the privacy policy should say what happens to them |
The table below reflects configurations logged by our testers and by independent audit desks at the time of writing. Tiers can be reconfigured at any moment, so re-verify inside the game's Help menu before depositing. Our continuously maintained rankings sit on the UKGC-regulated online casino hub.
| Casino | Licence status | Legacy of Dead RTP recorded | Typical welcome structure | Withdrawal window (e-wallet) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PlayJango | Licensed, independently vetted | 96.58% | Deposit match plus free spins on selected Play'n GO slots | 24–48h after KYC |
| Wheelz | Licensed, independently vetted | 96.58% | Match bonus with 35x wagering on bonus funds | 24–48h after KYC |
| Winz.io | Licensed (crypto-forward, award-rated) | 96.58% | No-wagering cashback model | Same day to 24h |
| Local UKGC operator of your choice | UKGC public register entry required | Verify in-game, tiers vary | 10x to 45x wagering ranges observed | 24–48h via Faster Payments |
Red flag: if a help file shows 91.51% or lower and support cannot explain the configuration, treat that venue as value-negative for this specific title and move on. There is no shortage of alternatives.
Assessing a welcome bonus or a casino bonus for this slot means reading past the headline number. Wagering requirements, max bet limits while wagering, maximum cashout caps and expiry dates decide the real cost.
[REAL COST OF A BONUS]
Formula: (Deposit + Bonus) x Wagering Requirement = Total Wagering Volume
Example: (£20 deposit + £20 bonus) x 35 = £1,400 of required turnover
"85% of online casinos offer a welcome bonus to slot players, and 78% of slots include free spins as their primary bonus type." (WorldMetrics Slot Industry Survey, 2023.) https://worldmetrics.org/slot-machine-statistics/
Across 2026 promotions tied to Legacy of Dead, we logged wagering requirements from 10x on bonus funds in one UK offer up to 40x or 45x elsewhere. Free-spin packages hide a second trap: many cap the maximum withdrawal from spin winnings, commonly £100 or a 4x to 10x multiple of spin value. So a huge hit on a no deposit or bonus spin will not convert into a 5,000x cash-out. Find the "maximum conversion" clause before you opt in, not after.
One more point worth repeating: certified Play'n GO builds carry no native Bonus Buy. In UKGC-regulated markets feature buys are prohibited outright, precisely to prevent rapid loss escalation. Offers promising "legacy of dead bonus buy" access almost always point to offshore, unlicensed sites, or to casino-side clones of the game rather than the certified release. Avoid both.
"Casinos deploying adaptive, behaviour-driven bonuses report a 23% uplift in conversion and player retention rising from 41% to 58% within three months." (Analisi della Scienza degli Slot Online, 2024.)
Which is a reminder to read personalised offers with extra scepticism. An offer shaped by your own session history is engineered to extend your play, not to improve your expected value.
Payout speed belongs to the operator, never to Play'n GO. To close the loop on our £100 test session, the desk withdrew the balance end to end:
| Step | Method | Recorded time |
|---|---|---|
| KYC document review (ID and address) | Upload via account portal | 1h 40m |
| Withdrawal request (£108.50) | E-wallet | Approved in 2h 05m |
| Funds received | E-wallet | Same day, under 3h total |
| Comparison: debit card / Faster Payments | Bank rail | 24–48h at the same operator |
Two lessons. Complete KYC before your first withdrawal request, since verification is what delays most payouts. And where possible, choose e-wallet or Faster Payments rails over card refunds.
The legacy of dead mobile build runs on a mobile-first HTML5 framework, so it works across iOS and Android phones and tablets without any download. The layout adapts to touch: collapsible menus, repositioned bet selectors, optimised graphics that hold a steady frame rate in Safari or Chrome.
"By 2025 roughly 85% of online players use mobile devices, and 70–75% of spins on new slots come from smartphones and tablets." (SlotsRank, Mobile vs Desktop Slot Gaming Trends, 2025.) https://slotsrank.com/mobile-vs-desktop-slot-gaming-trends/
Because mobile is now the default experience, Play'n GO keeps the reels, paytable and free spins mechanics identical on every device. No separate app, no withheld game features, no reduced RTP tier for handsets.
Responsible gambling is the part that deserves more space than it usually gets.
"The intensity and sophistication of gambling advertising is increasing; the boundaries between advertising and neutral content are blurring, and minors are particularly vulnerable." (Singer, Wöhr & Otterbach, Current Addiction Reports, 2024.) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40429-024-gambling-social-media
Set deposit limits, time caps and loss boundaries before you log in, not halfway through a session. Treat play as entertainment, never as income and never as a way to recover a loss. Do not gamble on credit, and do not chase.
Mandatory safety and compliance notice: 18+ only (21+ in some jurisdictions). Online gambling carries financial risk. Play responsibly and within your personal budget. If you or someone close to you is struggling with gambling-related harm, free and confidential help is available from GamCare or BeGambleAware at begambleaware.org or on 0808 8020 133.
If you want to test the mechanics before committing funds, start in demo mode, then compare two or three UKGC-licensed operators on the criteria table above. No rush, and no need to accept the first bonus you see.
18+ · Play responsibly · BeGambleAware · Only stake what you can afford to lose. This review is informational and does not constitute financial advice. Outcomes are determined by a certified random number generator; no strategy can alter the mathematical house edge.