Every casino game or slot machine is created by some sort of software. Without it, these games wouldn’t be functional. Casinos don’t create the software themselves but rather employ online casino software providers who build the games. There are certain casinos that do develop software themselves; however, most of them use third-party providers. These developers are likely the most important part of every casino. The reason is simple, they create everything, from the website design to all the special features, gameplay, and graphics of the games. The only way for a casino to be relevant on the market is to offer a vast selection of games. Also, the games need to have good quality or players will avoid them. For that reason, most online casinos have games from more than one software provider. Keep reading to learn more about online casino software providers.
Nevertheless, there are a lot of providers at the moment and the competition is immense. These companies need to step it up and create better and more entertaining games in order to remain relevant in the market. There are a lot of online casino software providers that create games at the moment. However, only a dozen of them have been around for a long time and have been part of the gambling market. Below, we are going to share a few words about all the most popular developers in the world.
Software Platforms
Technology moves quickly, especially over the last two decades and online casinos are forced to adapt. Games today look much different from what we used to see in land casinos and gambling parlors. Online casino software providers have created a whole new world where casino games look as good as real PC or console games. However, there is one more thing that’s more important and that’s customer care. These companies cater to what customers want by giving them high-quality titles filled with interesting features. Also, they have improved casino security and accessibility. The idea is to be able to play any game on different devices. This is one of the reasons why players prefer certain casinos. At the moment, there are three software categories for games – downloadable games, instant play, and mobile games.
- Downloadable Software – Players can download the casino software on their computers and then install it to be able to play.
- Instant Play – The most common casino software which allows you to play their games on the casino website.
- Mobile Software – Mobile apps that can work on any phone device as well as mobile versions of desktop games.
Types of Games
You can notice the domination of online casino software providers when you look at the number of games they offer. In land-based casinos, players are pretty much limited to slots and table games. Also, you get only a couple of variants for each table game. Online casinos on the other hand focus on slots. Software developers create thousands of slots and every provider offers various themes, different paylines, bonus features, and more. The number of online slot games is amazingly huge and often players have a hard time choosing one.
Table games are the second most popular category in online casinos. However, unlike in land-based casinos, online casino software developers offer different variants of each popular table game. Players will see a dozen different versions of Blackjack, Baccarat, Roulette, Poker, etc. New versions are created all the time.
Last but not least, players can enjoy lottery-type games in online casinos. There are titles like bingo, keno, arcade games, and more. Some of these games come with huge jackpots just like a real lottery.
There is one more category that we have to mention and it’s one that has been around for about 10 years. Software developers managed to create a live-casino platform and every successful online casino has one at the moment. Through the live casino, players get a real casino experience from the comfort of their own homes. Live casino games are usually table games.
The difference between RNG games and Live Casino games
All the standard casino games that we know are known as RNG games. A random Number Generator is a process that guarantees that every sequence, every spin, etc. is completely random. There is no way for the casino to control the outcome of a slot machine or table game. Also, you can’t beat the RNG. Just because a certain outcome has happened a couple of times in a row, doesn’t mean that something opposite that will happen during the next round. All RNG games undergo heavy testing by independent companies before are even released, and that guarantees their fairness. These are the games that you play by yourself on the computer. They tend to have amazing graphics, bonus features, catching gameplay, and soothing background sounds.
On the other hand, advancement in technology has brought us what we today call Live Casino or Live Dealer games. The idea behind these games is for the player to feel like he is playing at a real land-based casino. You can play from the comfort of your own home while getting the full casino experience. Unlike the RNG games, these happen in real-time. Real dealers are involved and the game is streamed to your screen. You can play titles where it’s only you against the dealer or you can play against other casino players, just like in a real casino.
The Most Popular Online Casino Software Providers
As we already said, the gaming industry is growing with every passing day. It’s becoming one of the largest industries in the world. The reason for this growth is the online casino software providers who improve their games constantly. On top of that, new developers appear all the time and they are competing with the companies that we already know. Below, we will write several sentences about the most popular developers in the world.
Microgaming
Back in 1994, Microgaming launched the first online casino in the world. They are the oldest online casino software provider and have been one of the best consistently. In 1998, they were also the first company to develop a progressive jackpot slot, known as Cash Splash. At the moment, Microgaming has more than 850 games in its portfolio. Most of them are slots but there are also table games, live casino titles, lottery-like games, and scratch cards. Their most popular titles are jackpot slots that tend to have the highest payouts. The Mega Moolah slots are known around the world as the slots that have the biggest jackpots. Players have often won millions through these slots. All Microgaming titles are available on both desktop and mobile devices. Players can find Microgaming games at almost every popular online casino in the world.
NetEnt
Here we have another name in the online casino software providers list that’s been in the business for more than 20 years. Founded in 1996, NetEnt was the first developer to create online casino software that was based on Java. NetEnt is currently known as the developer that creates games with the highest quality. Looking at their portfolio, they have a vast selection of branded and progressive jackpot slots. For instance, in 2019 they released the Narcos slot based on the Netflix series and it was an instant hit among players. However, their portfolio also holds table games, video poker, and some other random titles. It’s important to note that NetEnt also created its own live casino platform. It’s called NetEnt Live Casino and players can enjoy all types of table games there.
Playtech
Founded in 1999, Playtech is known as the biggest supplier among online casino software developers. They create software not only for online casinos but for poker rooms, online bingo websites, sports betting, mobile gaming, fixed-odds arcade games, live dealer games, and more. Playtech also has a contract with Warner Bros which allows them to create branded slot games based on the DC superheroes. Because of this contract, they are the biggest provider of branded slots and are currently creating the best-branded games. Just like Microgaming, they also released a series of progressive jackpot games. They are known as the Age of the Gods slot titles and offer some of the biggest payouts in the industry. Lastly, we have to mention that Playtech is the creator of the largest poker network known as iPoker. They also created the largest next-generation Live Casino.
Play’n GO
Another developer is known for creating high-quality games. Play’n GO doesn’t have a vast portfolio like the names above, but their games always have great graphics. What’s best about them is the game management tool – GMT which was created by them. It’s a tool that helps players customize games to their own liking. We also have to mention that Play’n GO games are available on both iOS and Android devices which are expected from a company with their credentials.
Betsoft
Betsoft is also one of the oldest names in the industry. Among all the online casino software developers, they are leaders when it comes to creating 3D slots. Their Slots3 arcade collection is one of the best in the world. Their titles come with various themes, unique stories, and gameplay, as well as excellent graphics. All the games in the Slots3 collection have fast and high-impact gameplay. On top of that, the player’s choices in these games actually impact the flow of the story. Nevertheless, the most important thing about Betsoft is the RTP of their games. They are known as the provider with games that have the highest RTP percentage. All their titles are above the 96% RTP which is the industry average. Even though the biggest part of their portfolio is slots, Betsoft also has a vast selection of table games.
EGT
As a developer, EGT was an expert when it comes to land-based casino games. In recent years, they perfectly transferred all that knowledge into the creation of online casino titles. At the moment, they are offering roulette games, video poker, video slots, keno, and some new unique games. We have them on this list because EGT offers some of the highest jackpot prizes. Their Jackpot slots come with a Jackpot Cards feature which can bring players large rewards.
Pragmatic Play
Compared to the other names in the list, Pragmatic Play is a relatively newer name among online casino software providers. They began their work in 2007 and were known as TopGame. A rebranding took place in 2015 and since then we know them as Pragmatic Play. They create games in HTML5 which makes these games accessible by all devices. Just like most of the names above, Pragmatic focuses on online slots. However, they also create table games, live casino titles, bingo, video poker, scratch cards, and more. The most popular online casinos often have games from Pragmatic Play, especially when it comes to slots that belong to the Drops & Wins concept. With Drops & Wins, players enroll in weekly tournaments and daily prize drops by opting in while they play these slots.
Other Online Casino Software Providers
Putting the most popular providers aside, there are other names that we also have to mention. Evolution Gaming is one of those names. Among all the online casino software providers, Evolution Gaming runs the best live casino platform. Endorphina is another name that deserves a mention. They have a large selection of games where the focus is on interesting and unusual features. If we want to look at excellent graphics, then we must talk about Yggdrasil Gaming. Their titles always look great and have some of the best animations in the industry. Last but not least, we will mention Playson as they have been rising through the ranks in the last couple of years. Casino players have deemed some of their latest titles as the best slot games currently available.