What is a Remote Gaming Server (RGS)?

A Remote Gaming Server (RGS) is the server-side platform that runs real money casino games. It executes the game logic and math, generates certified random outcomes, records every bet and win, and connects games to operators and regulators. Every regulated online slot, table game, or instant win runs on an RGS; studios either build one in-house or rent one from an RGS provider.

The name is slightly misleading: an RGS is not one server but a full software platform. When a player spins a slot in their browser, the client on their screen is only a visual layer. The actual round, the bet, the random result, the win calculation, and the payout instruction all happen on the RGS. This split exists for a reason: regulators require game outcomes to be produced and recorded on audited, certified server infrastructure that neither the player nor the operator can tamper with.

Where the RGS sits in the iGaming stack

The RGS is not a party between the studio and the market; it is the server side of the studio's own stack. Every game studio has one, owned or rented. It is where the studio's games actually run, and it connects them to the places where players play:

A studio's games consist of a client (what the player sees) and math (how the game behaves). Both live on the studio's RGS, which runs every round and exposes the games to operators (casino sites) directly or through aggregators (distribution networks that bundle many studios into one integration). The operator handles the player relationship: accounts, deposits, KYC, responsible gambling. The RGS never touches player funds directly; it settles rounds against a wallet API on the operator side.

What an RGS actually contains

Certification applies at two levels: the RGS platform itself and its RNG are certified by accredited testing laboratories (for the hizi platform: BMM Testlabs, Gaming Associates, Risk Cherry, and iTech Labs), and each individual game is then tested and certified for the specific markets where it will be offered.

Build or rent?

Historically, every studio built its own RGS, because there was no alternative. Building in-house means developing the engine, RNG, wallet layer, logging, and backoffice from scratch, then taking the whole platform through laboratory certification before the first game can earn money. For a new studio this typically takes a year or more of engineering before launch, and the platform then needs permanent maintenance and re-certification as markets change.

Renting a hosted RGS inverts that: the platform, its certifications, and its operator integrations already exist, and the studio pays a monthly fee to run its games on it. Time-to-market drops from months to days, and the certification burden for the platform layer is carried by the provider. The trade-off is platform dependency, which is why some providers offer a source-code purchase option as an exit path.

As a reference point for what renting costs: hizi.io publishes its full price list, from EUR 500 per month for a sandbox environment to EUR 3,000 per month for the standard production plan, with a one-time source-code licence available at EUR 250,000 for studios that want full sovereignty later. See the complete plan comparison for every feature and limit per plan.

How hizi.io approaches the RGS

hizi.io treats the RGS as the core of a complete Game-Studio Operating System: seven modules covering backoffice, a no-code game-engine builder, aggregation, billing, hosting, compliance, and integrations, rented month to month under online T&Cs. The platform runs a certified RGS and certified RNG, is ISO 27001:2022 certified, and connects to around 100 aggregators, operators, and studios, with every operator integration built by hizi free of charge. A live sandbox RGS is available about 3 minutes after signup, and production setup happens within one business day.