diff --git a/WebHostLib/customserver.py b/WebHostLib/customserver.py
index 29f9f0402d..c2d9690a12 100644
--- a/WebHostLib/customserver.py
+++ b/WebHostLib/customserver.py
@@ -210,7 +210,8 @@ def parse_game_ports(game_ports: tuple[str | int]):
 
 def create_random_port_socket(game_ports: tuple[str | int], host: str) -> socket.socket:
     parsed_ports, weights, length, ephemeral_allowed = parse_game_ports(game_ports)
-    port_ranges = random.choices(parsed_ports, cum_weights=weights, k=len(parsed_ports))
+    # try to randomize the order of parsed ports with weights, but don't have duplicates of them
+    port_ranges = list(dict.fromkeys(random.choices(parsed_ports, weights=weights, k=len(parsed_ports)) + parsed_ports))
     remaining = 1024
     for r in port_ranges:
         r_length = len(r)
@@ -342,8 +343,8 @@ def tear_down_logging(room_id):
 
 def run_server_process(name: str, ponyconfig: dict, static_server_data: dict,
                        cert_file: typing.Optional[str], cert_key_file: typing.Optional[str],
-                       host: str, game_ports: list, rooms_to_run: multiprocessing.Queue,
-                       rooms_shutting_down: multiprocessing.Queue):
+                       host: str, game_ports: typing.Iterable[str | int],
+                       rooms_to_run: multiprocessing.Queue, rooms_shutting_down: multiprocessing.Queue):
     from setproctitle import setproctitle
 
     setproctitle(name)
@@ -359,6 +360,10 @@ def run_server_process(name: str, ponyconfig: dict, static_server_data: dict,
         resource.setrlimit(resource.RLIMIT_NOFILE, (file_limit, file_limit))
         del resource, file_limit
 
+    # convert to tuple because its hashable
+    if not isinstance(game_ports, tuple):
+        game_ports = tuple(game_ports)
+
     # establish DB connection for multidata and multisave
     db.bind(**ponyconfig)
     db.generate_mapping(check_tables=False)
@@ -411,8 +416,7 @@ def run_server_process(name: str, ponyconfig: dict, static_server_data: dict,
                 if ctx.port == 0:
                     ctx.server = websockets.serve(
                         functools.partial(server, ctx=ctx),
-                        # convert to tuple because its hashable
-                        sock=create_random_port_socket(tuple(game_ports), ctx.host),
+                        sock=create_random_port_socket(game_ports, ctx.host),
                         ssl=get_ssl_context(),
                         extensions=[server_per_message_deflate_factory],
                     )