What is RGS and its role in the ecosystem

Full article

💡 18+. The material is engineering-applied, without a call to play. The terminology is unified: "platform" - the core of the iGaming operator (PAM/wallet/cash desk/bonuses/RG), "aggregator" - a proxy for many RGS, "studio" - the creator of games.

1) Definition and place in the landscape

RGS (Remote Game Server) is a remote studio game engine server. Is he:

stores game mathematics (RNG logic, payout tables, round states);
generates outcomes (win/lose, multipliers, freespins, bonus rounds);
gives client assets (sometimes via CDN) and serves sessions;
communicates with the platform/aggregator via a series of API/webhooks to write off the bet, credit the winnings, apply restrictions, participate in jackpots, missions, etc.

If the platform is "bank and accounting," then RGS is a "game plant": it is he who produces the results.

2) What types of content RGS serves

RNG slots (classic, Megaways/Cluster/Lines, Bonus Buy, Hold & Win, etc.).

Instant games (crash, mine, wheels, scratch, dice) - if necessary with "provably fair" modules.

Table RNG (blackjack/tape measure without live video).

Jackpots (often a separate Jackpot/RJP sub-server, but in conjunction with RGS).

💡 For Live-casino RGS, as a rule, not central: there is its own real-time infrastructure and video streaming.

3) Main responsibilities of RGS

1. Mathematics and integrity: implementation of certified rules, valid RNGs and sid management.

2. Round management: start/progress/completion, bonus states (freespins, multi-stages).

3. Financial calls: idempotent debiting/crediting operations (through a platform or direct wallet).

4. Limits and RGs: max bet/win limit, jurisdiction blocks, tournament/bonus tabs.

5. Jackpots and promos: contributions, triggers, missions/achievements, quests.

6. Telemetry and reporting: events for BI and regulators, audit logs, anticore/anti-fraud signals.

7. Content delivery: asset versions, languages/currencies, fallback and migrations.

4) How RGS speaks to the platform: API pattern

Most often - server-to-server exchange + client front (WebGL/HTML5) for the player.

4. 1 Basic endpoints (conditional scheme)

'POST/session/create '- issuing a token taking into account geo/currency/game.

'POST/bet/authorize '- request to write off the bet (from' idempotency _ key ').

'POST/bet/settle '- returns the outcome of the round and requests that the win be credited.

'POST/bonus/state '- freespin issuance/combustion, wager progress.

`POST /jackpot/contribute	trigger '- jackpot installment/win.
'POST/rollback '- compensation for network/cash failures.
'GET/config '- game config (denominations, RTP pools, geo bans).
`GET /ping	health '- monitoring.

4. 2 Webhooks RGS→platforma

`wallet. debit	credit '- debiting/crediting through the platform wallet.
`rg. check '- check limits/self-exclusion.
`fraud. flag '- anomalies of the spin/pattern frequency.
`analytics. event '- telemetry of the round (for DWH).

Key requirements: idempotency, request signatures (HMAC/EdDSA), short SLA responses (p95 <300-500 ms on critical paths), clear error and repeat codes.

5) Money: where is the "truth" and how to avoid takes

The source of truth on the balance is the platform wallet. RGS doesn't keep the money, it keeps the round status.

All monetary transactions with'Idempotency-Key 'and strict unique' bet _ id '/' round _ id '.

Sagas/compensations: if after the outcome the connection with the platform fell - RGS holds the result and resends to a successful'wallet. credit`.

Rollback-contour: a platform collback can initiate a rollback by 'bet _ id' (strictly according to the rules).

6) Jackpots and promotional mechanics

Jackpot wallet (local/online) takes a micro deposit from the bet; trigger - by sid logic or probabilistic.

Promo layer: missions, multipliers of the day, seasonal events, "tournament" tickets - sold on RGS or in a separate Promo-Service subscribed to the events of the game.

Participation in the promo should not change the RTP of the mathematical core of the game (otherwise, new certification is required).

7) Certification and compliance (general)

RNG/Math: Audit of game tables, RTP range, variance, randomness.

Collection of events for the regulator (rate/outcome logs, client versions, integrity control).

Geo-profiles: on/off features, limits, currencies, betting/winning units.

Versioning: Any math change - new version and recertification.

8) RGS architecture: inside the server

Layers:

1. API gateway (mTLS/WAF/limiting, signatures).

2. Session & Auth (JWT/opaque tokens, device/geo checks).

3. Game Engine (core of mathematics, states of rounds).

4. Promo/Jackpot Connector (does not interfere with math, only events).

5. Integration (wallet/platform/aggregator, retrai, deduplication).

6. Telemetry & Audit (bus events, reports, WORM log of crete actions).

7. Assets/CDN (versions, languages, test/battle channels).

Data:

OLTP for sessions/rounds (p95 <150 ms);
Cache (Redis) for hot states and limits;
Asynchronous event stream (Kafka/analog) → DWH/BI;
PII and key isolation by region (data residency).

9) Performance and reliability

Latency: target p95 <150-200 ms on 'bet/settle' (no payment hops).

Horizontal scaling: the state of the game is minimal, sticky sessions by 'session _ id' or completely stateless + external storage.

Back-pressure: queues for issuing outcomes, protection against "betting storms."

Chaos practices: emulation of platform/aggregator drops, checking sagas/retras.

DR-plan: asset-asset by region, RPO ≤ 5 min, RTO ≤ 30 min.

10) Security "default"

mTLS + HMAC/EdDSA at integration level, short-lived tokens.

RBAC/ABAC in the studio admin panel, "four eyes" on changing math/limits.

Secrets in Vault/HSM; at-rest/in-transit encryption; tokenization of sensitive fields.

Antibot/antiabuse: velocity rules, input/bet frequency logs, device-fingerprinting.

WORM audit of critical actions and build versions.

11) Aggregator role and connectivity options

The aggregator provides a single interface to dozens of RGS: game catalog, unified API, routing, reporting, market access (quick reviews/brands).

Connecting directly to the platform gives less "hops" and control, but more expensive in integrations and certification for each market.

Compromise: through an aggregator for widespread distribution and direct integrations for strategic operators.

12) Special cases

Crash/Provably fair: hidden seed/salt publication, client-verified hash; synchronizing outcomes with the server side.

Bonus Buy/Feature Drop: Finance - Atomic; jurisdictional limits (not allowed everywhere).

Adaptive RTP/pools (if allowed): switching profiles only within a certified range; log of change.

Free rounds (operator-driven): Frispin tickets are validated by the RGS, but the wallet is on the platform.

13) What matters to the studio when building their own RGS

Checklist:

The core of the game is separated from the network layers (we are testing desktop/CI).
Idempotency 'bet/settle/rollback', unique round keys.
Sagas, backoff retrays, broker/database deduplication.
Versioning of math/assets; state migrations without downtime.
Event bus and data directories, fields for BI/regulator.
RG hooks and geo-politicians; "kill-switch" in feature.
Observability: p95/p99, error-rate, settle-lag, bets/min, jackpot-latency metrics.
DR/xaoc exercises, load tests and integration sandboxes.
Security: Vault/HSM, key rotation, signatures, WAF, limits, anti-bots.
API documentation (spec + examples) and SDK for platforms/aggregators.

14) What is critical for the platform/operator when choosing RGS

Honesty and stability of math (certification history, RTP ranges, fault tolerance).

SLA/telemetry (real dashboards, alerts, support response time).

Regional profiles (currencies, texts, data residency, compliance with local rules).

Compatibility with bonuses/tournaments (contribution by type of game, max bet, anti-abuse).

Jackpot integration (transparent wallets, reports).

Exceptions and incidents (rollback protocols, company, public postmortems for major failures).

15) Mini glossary

RGS is a studio game server that generates RNG game outcomes.

PAM is a player management platform (accounts/sessions).

Ledger/Wallet - cash accounting from the operator (true on the balance sheet).

Aggregator is an intermediary that combines many RGSs under a single API.

RTP/Volatility/Hit-Rate - slot mathematics parameters.

Saga/Outbox/CDC - consistency and event delivery patterns.

Provably Fair - player-tested honesty (crash/instants).

WORM log - unchangeable log for audit.

RGS is iGaming's production facility. It embodies the mathematics of the game, provides honesty and speed of rounds, connects jackpots and promos, and through reliable APIs connects studio content with platforms and aggregators around the world. Strong RGS is built on idempotence, eventfulness, strict security and certification. This foundation allows you to release games faster, scale traffic without losing money and meet the requirements of any mature jurisdiction.