Quantum Random Engine & Verification

Ensuring provable fairness and transparency is essential for building player trust and meeting competition compliance standards. Quantum Competitions includes three random number generation engines configured in Competitions > Settings > Random Engine:

1. Wpgenie.org Quantum Randomizer (Recommended)

• Overview: Powered by ANU Quantum technology and provided as a cloud service by wpgenie.
• Cost: Free to use for all licensed plugin users.
• Public Audit Trail & Signature:
  • For every winner drawn, a unique cryptographic signature is recorded.
  • If Show Signature in Frontend is enabled, the quantum signature and generation method are displayed on the product page.
  • If WPGenie Verify Link is enabled, a public verification link to wpgenie.org is displayed allowing anyone to independently verify the authenticity and timestamp of the draw. (Note: On staging/local domains, verification audit data is retained for 1 week).

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2. ANU Quantum Numbers (Direct API)

• Overview: Directly connects to the Australian National University (ANU) Quantum Numbers API (api.quantumnumbers.anu.edu.au).
• Technology: Uses real-time physical quantum vacuum fluctuation measurements in an optical field to generate true quantum randomness.
• Requirements: Enter your ANU QRNG API Key in settings.

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3. PHP random_int() (Server-side)

• Overview: Uses your server’s native Cryptographically Secure Pseudo-Random Number Generator (CSPRNG).
• Speed: Zero latency, entirely offline, unaffected by network outages or third-party API limits.
• Trade-off: Secure and mathematically unbiased, but lacks external 3rd-party cryptographic certificates.

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Using Quantum Randomness for Ticket Numbers

By default, the external Quantum APIs (WPGenie Quantum or ANU) are reserved for drawing winners. In Automatic Random Allocation mode, ticket numbers are allocated at checkout using the local server CSPRNG (random_int()) for instant execution.

Enabling Use for Ticket Numbers routes ticket number generation through the external Quantum engine as well:

1. Use for Ticket Numbers (qcw_random_engine_for_tickets)

• Quantum Ticket Batches: When customers purchase tickets in an Automatic Random competition, ticket numbers (e.g. 4140, 3852, 3775, 3857...) are selected via a live API request to the chosen Quantum engine (QCW_Random::generate_batch).
• Cryptographic Batch Verification: The API returns a cryptographically signed batch hash along with the selected numbers, permanently saving _qcw_tickets_signature_batch_[id] and _qcw_tickets_method_batch_[id] to the WooCommerce order.

Performance Consideration

When active, ticket numbers are retrieved in real time from the external quantum API during order processing.

While this delivers an exceptional standard of cryptographic transparency and player trust, checkout processing speed depends on external API and network latency. For standard stores, this runs seamlessly. If you are conducting ultra-high-speed flash sales with dozens of concurrent checkouts per second, using local server CSPRNG is recommended for maximum throughput.

2. Show Info to User (qcw_random_show_info_to_user)

• Customer Receipt Display: When active, the template order-item-lottery-batch-info.php outputs the RANDOMIZATION DETAILS container directly beneath the ticket numbers on the Order Received (Thank You) page and under My Account > Orders > View Order.
• Audit Elements: Shows the generation method (WPGenie Quantum), the master batch signature hash, and a direct link to independently verify the signature on wpgenie.org.
• Payment Safeguards: If Hide ticket number until order is paid is active, quantum batch info is withheld until payment is confirmed (won’t display for pending, on-hold, failed, or cancelled orders).
• Admin Audit: Store administrators can view and verify batch signatures at any time inside the WooCommerce order edit screen.

3. Public Verification Certificate (wpgenie.org/verify/)

Clicking Verify on wpgenie.org takes the customer or auditor to the public cryptographic verification certificate:

This hosted public certificate guarantees total draw integrity:

• Verification Status: Displays an official Verified status confirming the numbers were produced by physical quantum hardware fluctuations.
• Matching Signature: Authenticates the exact signature hash (9f8d29eabb71c08ee4d40d12084fbec) issued on the customer’s order receipt.
• Assigned Tickets: Lists all ticket numbers allocated in the batch (e.g. 4140, 3852, 3775, 3857, 890, 2321, 1968).
• Pool SHA256 Hash: Displays a cryptographic checksum of the entire available ticket inventory at the moment of allocation, proving no numbers were removed or manipulated.
• UTC Timestamp: An immutable server timestamp recording the exact minute and second of quantum generation.

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Settings Reference

Located in Competitions > Settings > Random Engine:

Setting	Meta / Option Key	Description	Default
Generation Method	qcw_random_engine	Choose between Wpgenie.org Quantum Randomizer, ANU Quantum Numbers, or PHP random_int.	wpgenie
ANU API Key	qcw_random_anu_api_key	Required only when connecting directly to the ANU Quantum Numbers API.	None
Show Signature in Frontend	qcw_show_signature_frontend	Displays the quantum signature and generation method on the product page after the winner draw.	yes
WPGenie Verify Link	qcw_wpgenie_verify_link	Shows a clickable link to wpgenie.org to verify the authenticity and timestamp of the drawn winner.	yes
Use for Ticket Numbers	qcw_random_engine_for_tickets	Use the selected random engine to generate ticket numbers during checkout. (Uses external API during order processing).	no
Show Info to User	qcw_random_show_info_to_user	Show randomization details (method, signature, verify link) to the customer in their order details.	no