Popular Casino Software Providers
Modern day online casinos are almost unrecognizable from
those that were around in the early days of online gambling. If
you ever played at some of the first online casinos, then you’ll
know exactly what we mean but if you’ve only been playing more
recently, then you’ll only be familiar with the high quality
casinos of today.
The fact of the matter is that the software used by online
casinos these days is far more advanced than it used to be.
Technology has obviously evolved, which has led to enhancements
in visuals and audio, plus there has been an array of innovation
also. Game play and the overall experience is way better and
there’s a wider variety of games to choose from as well.
One of the primary reasons why casino software has improved
so much is because it’s generally developed by specialist gaming
companies rather than by the casinos themselves. Some casinos do
still develop their own software, known as proprietary software,
but the majority of them use third party providers. Some of them
use a single provider, while the majority of them use two or
more in order to provide their customers with a diverse range of
games.
In this section we’ve provided details on all the major
casino software providers and the games they have to offer. You
can find a brief overview of each of these below and we’ve
listed a number of other providers too. There’s also some
information on the different types of software available, along
with answers to some frequently asked questions on offer.
The Major Casino Software Providers
Real Time Gaming
Real Time Gaming, usually known as just RTG, is a company
that got in on the online gambling boom very early. They were
formed in 1998, in the American state of Georgia, before moving
their base to Costa Rica. RTG has developed a large number of
games and their range of slots is particularly popular. Plus,
they’re actually one of the biggest companies to supply US
facing online casinos.
Playtech
Playtech is a major player in the online gambling industry.
They operate the successful iPoker network as well as supplying
a large number of online casinos with games. The selection of
games they’ve developed is very diverse but they’re probably
best known for their incredible range of slots. One of their
best known series of slot games are based on the characters from
Marvel Comics.
Microgaming
This company began life owning and operating an online
casino, way back in the very early days of online gambling.
Microgaming consequently moved into supplying other casinos with
software, including an impressive suite of games. They have
developed a huge number of games over the years and continue to
regularly produce innovative and unique games to this day.
Net Entertainment
Net Entertainment, often referred to as NetEnt, has a real
success story. The company was set up in 1996 by a major land
based casino operator in Scandinavia and has steadily been
growing ever since. Their wide range of games, which is made up
predominantly of slots, is now available at many of the biggest
and best known gambling sites around the world.
International Gaming Technology
International Gaming Technology, or IGT, has been in the
gaming industry for many years. Formed in 1971, the company
started out supplying gaming machines to land based venues. They
also developed tools for player management, before diversifying
further into online gaming. This is a huge company that supplies
many sites with software.
Amaya Gaming
Stars Group (formerly Amaya Gaming) is one of the leading gaming software designers globally.
They own well-known brand names such as Pokerstars, Pokerstars Casino, and BetStars.
Their main asset is Pokerstars, the biggest poker room on the internet.
They operate in 17 jurisdictions and are one of the most heavily licensed gaming
companies
Evolution Gaming
Evolution Gaming is a leading specialist in the provision of
live dealer casino games. The company was only founded a few
years ago, but it quickly won some big contracts with major
operators. Demand for their services was soon on the rise, and
they now supply their live games to a wide range of gambling
sites. They were one of the first to offer mobile live games.
WMS (Williams Interactive)
WMS Industries dates back several decades, all the way to the 1940s. They
were involved in the pinball industry back then and have
continued to be involved in some form of gaming ever since. The company
developed several popular video games during the 1980s and 1990s
and recently formed Williams Interactive as a subsidiary to
focus on online gambling games.
Betsoft
Betsoft produces some of the most advanced casino games found
on the internet today. They supply a number of operators and
they’re best known for the incredible 3D graphics and animation
that’s commonly featured in their games. Their slot games are
truly ground-breaking and they develop a range of video poker
and table games as well.
NextGen Gaming
If you’ve played many online slots games, then there’s a very
good chance you’ve played at least one developed by NextGen
Gaming. Formed in 1999, this company expanded at a fast pace and
was soon supplying several online casinos. They have developed
hundreds of different games, winning several industry awards
along the way.
Other Casino Software Providers
There are a plethora of other casino software providers in
addition to those we’ve listed above. Below are some of the more
notable ones. A number of these are also big companies, just not
as widely used as the major ones, while others are much smaller
operations. They all provide some good quality games and we’ll
be adding additional information about them in the near future.
- Aristocrat Gaming
- Rival Gaming
- Wizard Gaming
- NuWorks
- Bally Technologies
- Big Time Gaming
- Electracade
- Play’N Go
- Euro Games Technology
- Thunderkick
- Novomatic
- Realistic Games
Types of Casino Software
Online casino software can be broadly categorized by format.
There are four main formats of casino software which are listed
below.
- Download Software
- Instant Play Software
- Mobile Software
- Live Casino Software
Some providers specialize in developing software in a single
format, although this is now quite unusual as the majority of
them develop software in a range of formats. The exception to
this is providers of live casino software because they do tend
to focus entirely on that specific format.
The majority of providers develop software in a range of
formats though, often producing multiple versions of the same
games. For example, a provider may produce its most popular slot
games in download format, instant play format, and mobile
format. Casinos that develop their own proprietary software
generally do the same.
The reason for this is that most online casinos want their
customers to be able to play their favorite games in a variety
of different formats, according to their own needs and
preferences. Some players prefer to use download software,
others prefer instant play, and mobile gambling has become
extremely popular in recent years as well.
Please note that you can read about the different types of
casino software in detail in our section explaining the basics
of online casinos. This section covers how online casino
software works and a variety of other related topics too.
Online Casino Software FAQ
Is Online Casino Software Fair?
For the most part, online casino software is perfectly fair.
Most online casinos, and certainly the reputable ones, have
their software regularly tested by external companies to ensure
that it is. In fact, if you’re gambling at a casino that’s
properly licensed by a reputable gaming authority, then you can
be confident that you’ll be playing fair games. The major
software providers do their own testing too, giving you an extra
level of protection.
There have been a few cases over the years of online casinos
using software that isn’t fair, but these cases are very rare.
Some such cases have been down to genuine errors, with customers
recompensed for any losses they have incurred while others have
been down to rogue operators whose goal is to cheat their
customers.
Rogue operators are an unfortunate reality of online
gambling. There’s so much money involved in the industry that
they are bound to find some unethical individuals and
organizations looking to make a quick buck. Thankfully, there
are plenty of reputable and trustworthy places to play and it
has become
relatively easy to avoid rogue online casinos.
What are Random Number Generators?
The main reason that casino games work as a form of gambling
is that they all have some element of randomness, such as the
turn of a card or the roll of a dice. This randomness is what
makes outcomes unpredictable and for online games to be
realistic it needs to be replicated in some way. This is where
random number generators come in.
Random number generators (abbreviated to RNGs) are a
specific, and very important, component of online casino
software. They continuously generate complex sequences of
numbers at random, enabling the software to produce
unpredictable results in the same way a live casino venue does.
This is a very simplistic explanation, but for extra information
you can
read more about RNGS and how they work here.
Why Do Online Casinos Use Software Providers?
The main reason why online casinos use software providers is
because it’s an effective use of resources. The standard of the
casino games available online has improved dramatically over the
last couple of decades and it continues to improve today. The
leading providers are at the very cutting edge of technology and
innovation. The games they develop are high quality and are
designed to give players exactly what they want.
For an online casino to keep up with the standard set by
these providers, they would need to dedicate a significant
amount of resources to developing its own software. It simply
makes sense to take the easier (and often cheaper) option to use
external providers. This enables them to focus their resources
directly on other important operational aspects of their
business, such as attracting and retaining their customers.
Using external providers also allows online casinos to offer
a much wider variety of games than they otherwise would be able
to, particularly if they use multiple providers. Many of the top
casinos do exactly that, and it’s part of what makes them so
popular. Most players enjoy trying a myriad of different games,
so the more choice they have the better.
Another benefit is the size of the jackpots they are able to
offer. The biggest progressive jackpots available online are
generally found in games from software providers that supply a
number of casinos. If a progressive jackpot game is available at
a variety of different casinos, then it will be played by more
people which will typically result in the jackpot growing more
quickly and to a higher amount.
Are Casinos Using Proprietary Software Worth Playing At?
They can be, yes. There are some casinos using proprietary
software that are perfectly good places to play. It’s quite
unusual for a casino to only use proprietary software these days
but there are a couple of examples. There’s no reason not to
play at such a place if you like what they have to offer and
enjoy their games.
Does It Matter Which Provider An Online Casino Uses?
Absolutely it does. There are lots of different providers for
casinos to choose from and they aren’t all of the same standard.
It obviously makes perfect sense to play somewhere that uses one
of the top providers, simply because you’ll experience a better
quality of game.
There’s also the matter of personal preference to consider.
Your favorite games might be by a particular provider, so it’s
important to play at a casino that offers that specified
provider. Ideally you should consider using a casino that uses
multiple providers, as this will give you access to a wider
range of games than one that only uses a single provider.
Which Is The Best Casino Software Provider?
This is ultimately a matter of personal opinion. Some players
love the slots from NetEnt, while others prefer those from Real
Time Gaming. Some players like Playtech’s range of table games,
while others prefer Microgaming’s.
Our view is that all of the major software providers we’ve
listed on this page offer top quality games and many of the
smaller companies we’ve listed do too. We have our own
preferences in terms of the games that we enjoy the most but we
wouldn’t state that any of these providers is definitively “the
best.”
The important thing when it comes to choosing where to play
isn’t necessarily which software is the best but which casino
offers the best overall experience. Obviously the software and
the quality of the games is a big part of that but there are
other things to consider too. You can take a look at
our guide
to choosing an online casino for some advice on this subject or
you can simply try out one or more of our recommended places to
play.