Behind every slot machine or a computer-animated deck of cards, there is some software without which it would not be possible to play. The casinos do not develop the software by themselves, but they cooperate with gaming software providers. Even though there are some online casinos that do develop the software themselves, most of them use third-party software providers.
The software providers are the base of the online casinos and the most important segment. Starting from the number of games, the design, graphics, gameplay, special features of the games, it is all thanks to the provider.
In order for the casino to be appealing to players, must have a good selection of games in quality and quantity. This is why many online casinos use more than one software provider. The competition nowadays is huge so these software companies have to really step up in order to prove that they’re the best in the industry.
There are many different companies that develop casino game software. Here we will review some of the biggest and most popular gaming software providers.
Software Platforms
Online casinos have changed a lot since the first online casinos were launched, mostly because of the developments in technology. As technology advances rapidly, online casinos have to develop and grow, so they’re not left behind. They need to please customer’s needs in terms of the number of games and the quality, more handy features, security and accessibility.
Being able to play casino games on any device, is one of the key reasons why players choose a certain casino over another. there are three main online casino software categories – downloadable, instant play, and mobile. The top software providers have games available in all three formats, and that is why they’re among the top ones.
- Download Software – You need to download the casino software on your computer and install it in order to play
- Instant Play Software – You can access the casino directly from your browser, on the casino’s website
- Mobile Software – Casino software developers created fully-functioning mobile apps for any device
Types of Games
The software providers for online casinos deliver much more than what you can find in a land-based casino. In a land-based casino, you are mostly limited to slot games and table games. The online casino software providers focus on that, especially on slot games. Every provider has hundreds of different slot games, with different themes, paylines, bonus features. The number of online slot games is amazingly huge and often players have a hard time choosing one.
Table games are the second most played category of games in an online casino. You can play the most popular Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Poker games, but in many different variants that were created over the years.
Lottery-like games are also part of every online casino such as bingo and keno, scratch cards with different themes and interesting arcade games.
Finally, the software providers that have launched a live casino platform are now on the rise as they have taken over as the preferred way of online casino gaming for many players who are into table games.
RNG Games VS Live Dealer Games
The games that have been the base of every online casino ever since the beginning, are the RNG games. Random Number Generator is the process that guarantees completely random sequences on numbers with every spin. This means that the casino cannot control the odds of the slot machine and how often a winning combination is hit. All RNG games undergo heavy testing by independent companies before are even released, and that guarantees their fairness. The RNG games are the ones you play by yourself, that feature quality graphics, sounds and gameplay.
With the advancement of technology, it was just a matter of time before someone developed something additional. As many players enjoy the feeling they have when playing in a land-based casino, the software providers launched live casino platforms so that players can play from home and still enjoy the excitement of a real casino. These live casino games happen in real-time, include real dealers and are live-streamed to your screen. Plus, you get to play with other players that happen to be on the same table, just like in a land-based casino.
Popular Software Providers
The gaming industry is growing so fast that is becoming one of the world’s major industries. The fact that there are over 2.5 billion gamers around the world is fascinating. As the main part of this industry, the numerous gaming software providers are competing to be the best. Below we present the best online casino software providers, based on their popularity and reputation.
Microgaming Software Provider
Microgaming is the oldest online casino software provider in the industry that launched the world’s first online casino in 1994. It is also the first company to develop a progressive jackpot slot in 1998, Cash Splash. They are without a doubt the most experienced online casino provider. Their games portfolio consists of over 850 different types of games, from slots, table games, live casino games and some lottery-like games and scratch cards. The most popular games developed by Microgaming are the jackpot slots with the highest payouts, the Mega Moolah slots. All the games are available in desktop and mobile devices, making it easy for a player to play whenever they want. They cooperate with almost every online casino there is, which means that their games are available in almost any online casino in the world.
NetEnt
NetEnt is another provider that has been around for more than two decades. Founded in 1996, the provider has been the first to ever develop an online casino software based on Java. At this point, they are probably the online casino software provider that releases casino games with the highest quality. The slot games selection is numerous, with branded and progressive jackpot slots that are simply among the most played. For example, in 2019 they released the Narcos slot game based on the Netflix series which became a hit among players. NetEnt also has table games, video poker, and some other games. In addition to the online casino software, NetEnt also created a live dealer casino platform known as NetEnt Live Casino. To find out where you can play NetEnt games, click on this link.
Playtech
Playtech is is the world’s largest online gaming software supplier founded in 1999 in Estonia. The company provides software for online casinos, online poker rooms, online bingo games, online sports betting, scratch games, mobile gaming, live dealer games and fixed-odds arcade games. They have a contract with Warner Bros for developing DC-branded games. Due to this, they have the best-branded slot games, and by far they are the provider with the most branded slots. Also, they have a series of progressive jackpot games Age of the Gods, that has some of the biggest jackpots. Furthermore, they founded the world’s largest poker network, iPoker and built the world’s largest next-generation Live Casino. All in all, Playtech is the provider that has accomplished most since it was founded.
Play’n GO
Play’n GO is another popular name in the industry that provides high-quality games. Even though their portfolio is not as big as some of the other providers, their games have top graphics and are available in many languages. They created a sophisticated, simple-to-use game management tool GMT. This tool allows you to customize your games just how you like them. Play’n Go’s diverse range of games are also available on iOS and Android devices, as is expected from a world-renowned company.
Betsoft
Betsoft is considered a leader in the creation of 3D slots since their first collection of games was released, Slots3™. Their slots have a wide range of themes, quality graphics and unique storylines. While the slots in the Slots3™ Arcade collection are focused on high-impact and fast gameplay, Slots3™ Interactive collection features slots where player’s choices impact the flow of the game’s story. Another characteristic of their games is the high RTP percentage, which is never below the recommended average. Apart from slots, they have a very good table games collection with all the popular table games in various variants.
EGT
EGT are experts in land-based casino games, but they successfully transferred their knowledge into the online casino world. The EGT Interactive portfolio includes video slots, roulette, video pokers, keno and a new variety of games. The EGT’s jackpot slots are among the best jackpot games. This is thanks to the Jackpot Cards feature that can bring some valuable prizes.
Pragmatic Play
Pragmatic Play is a software provider that was founded in 2007. At first, the company was named TopGame and rebranded in 2015. Since then, they have developed games in HTML5, which makes them accessible to all devices, mobile and desktop. Like many other software providers, they focus on developing online slot games. Still, they also developed live casino games, bingo, table games, scratch cards, video poker etc. Pragmatic Play’s games are available in many online casinos, especially the ones that are part of the Drops & Wins concept. It is a concept that includes weekly tournaments and daily prize drops for players who opt-in.
Other Software Providers
Evolution Gaming is the provider that has the best live casino platform in the industry.
Yggdrasil Gaming is among the newer providers that create games with great graphics and animations
Endorphina is a software provider that develops games with interesting features.
Playson has some of the best slot games in the past couple of years. 22Bet Casino has great promotion 7 days of the week. By playing certain games by Playson, you get free spins.
