1. Introduction​

Entropy—unpredictable randomness—is a foundational element in securing fairness across blockchain ecosystems. Whether used in games, lotteries, NFTs, or decentralized governance, the generation of truly random values ensures legitimacy, trust, and economic integrity.

Yet, achieving secure and verifiable randomness on-chain is remarkably difficult. Blockchain was not designed for entropy; deterministic by nature, it lacks native tools for non-predictable outcomes. This has led to an arms race: who can provide the most secure, performant, and trustless source of randomness?

➡️ See The Onchain Randomness Problem for more on why Blockchain's were not built for randomness.

"The Decentralized RANDAO Randomness Engine for Web3 Applications"​

🌐 Introduction​

RandAO (RNG) is a project focused on developing decentralized and verifiable Random Number Generator solutions for blockchain ecosystems. RandAO emerges as a randomness solution that is:

• 🔗 100% decentralized
• 🔍 Transparent and verifiable
• 🛡️ Resistant to manipulation

Executive Summary​

RANDAO is a decentralized, tamper-resistant randomness provider for blockchain applications, currently serving the Arweave/AO ecosystem and designed to be portable across all chains. It addresses the core challenge of secure, onchain randomness in applications like games, lotteries, raffles, NFTs, and DAOs. This GTM strategy outlines how RANDAO will drive developer adoption and ultimately become embedded in blockchain documentation and tooling.

Why Randomness Is the Foundation of Fair Digital Systems​

In many blockchain applications, fairness is not just a feature—it is the value. From lotteries and raffles to randomized NFT minting and in-game decisions, outcomes must be unpredictable and provably fair. That fairness relies entirely on the integrity of randomness.

But this is where blockchain systems face a challenge. While they are designed for transparency and immutability, blockchains were never meant to generate secure, unbiased random numbers. Developers know this problem well—and RANDAO is the solution many now trust.

"The Challenges of Blockchain Randomness and How RANDAO Offers a Solution"​

1. Introduction​

• Critical Issue: Randomness is a fundamental requirement in blockchain — from NFT drops 🎨 and gaming 🎮 to DAO proposal selection. However, creating truly random and verifiable randomness remains a significant challenge ⚠️.
• Solution: Introducing RANDAO as a decentralized 🕸️ and tamper-proof 🔐 source of randomness.

“What is scarce is valuable, in a deterministic world randomness is hard to come by.”

🌐 What is RANDAO?​

RANDAO is a decentralized protocol that provides verifiable, tamperproof, and unpredictable randomness — built for onchain use.

It uses a commit-reveal scheme fortified with Timelock puzzles, ensuring every output is not just secure but equally unpredictable to all participants. And it works fast, with just a small fee.

Whether it's for cryptographic keys, fair games, or loot mechanics, RANDAO solves the fundamental problem of randomness on blockchain — without compromising on decentralization or trustlessness.

“There is no truly random. There is only unpredictable.”

In the world of blockchain, randomness isn’t just hard — it’s inherently compromised by the very properties that make blockchains powerful: transparency and determinism.

Randomness in a blockchain context has to be unpredictable — and more importantly, equally unpredictable to all participants. That means no party should have privileged access to influence or predict the outcome of a random event. This is fundamentally at odds with trustless, permissionless systems.

Random numbers are vital: from cryptographic keys to fair games of chance, and even to video game mechanics like loot boxes. But onchain, randomness becomes a minefield of trust assumptions and attack vectors.