When it comes to software, there is a classic thought by the French man Rochefoucald from the seventeenth century, saying that the only constant thing in our lives is change. This can be easily applied to our modern times, especially to the online casinos. There is tremendous speed by which the industry has been recently developing.
It is really difficult to grasp that before nineteen ninety-four, there were no online casinos. Gambling online has already become so common that we feel it has existed forever. Despite that it was already technically possible before nineteen ninety-four, there were several major events that launched gambling online for real. The first basic event was the gaming software’s development. Gaming software that was computerized had already existed since the beginning of the nineteen seventies and the traditional brick-and-mortar casinos used it.
On the other hand, the home personal computers in that period were primitive and the normal house computer did not possess enough processing power to provide a decent internet casino experience. As the technology advanced more, even inexpensive computers became capable of processing millions of calculations for seconds. The technology got faster and cheaper and available to the average consumer.
The second important development was the launching of technology enabling a central nodal server to talk to various computers allowing the talking of the gaming software to the host and thus enabling two-way communication.
The final major step was the appearing of a regulatory body – this happened in nineteen ninety-four. In the Caribbean, the Free Trade & Processing Act was passed and as a result, there was a great surge of interest and investment. One of the top online software providers Microgaming was essential in the act of opening of the first real internet casino in nineteen ninety-four.
Which are the top online providers?
In this article where a lot of casino software reviews are included, you will see that there is a great choice for all internet casinos when it comes to who is their choice for powering their games. There are companies relying simply on one provider and there are others that have a more selective approach. For example, such companies can choose a few slots from Playtech, a few more from NetEnt and supply their table games such as roulette and poker by Microgaming. The flexibility and variety are welcomed by both the customer and the casino.
A lot of casino operators online utilize what is popular as white label offerings, which means that the online casino chooses the branding and their games are tweaked according to the requirements of the casino. From small features such as the poker table’s cloth color to personal settings such as the return to a player percentage – all of these can be adjusted.
The great majority of casino software houses do not run a casino, one of the very few exceptions is 888 casino, which also runs Random logic and Dragonfish. This strategy gives the game makers the opportunity to truly concentrate on their offers’ quality and some game developers such as Playtech normally make fifty games in excess each year. Another positive aspect for the user is the fact that progressive jackpots can be included on various websites and the sum offered can be gigantic at times.
One of the disadvantages of casino software providers supplying various casinos is that in some cases a certain casino comes with a quite similar package of games to another casino. On the other hand, with the great jackpots offered as well as the enhanced choice for the users, we think that the advantages far outweigh the negative aspects.
The best three gaming software providers
We have selected our top online software providers, and we start with the best three – the ones that consistently create the top games and are respected in the casino online world. Microgaming, NetEnt, and Playtech: these are the true giants of the software online industry.
Playtech
It was launched in nineteen ninety-nine and is one of the most popular casino software providers in the internet casino industry. Playtech features a gigantic selection of more than five hundred poker, casino, and sportsbook games and everyone can find something in their huge portfolio. And the great choice has become even greater with the acquisition of Ash Gaming by Playtech.
Microgaming
Microgaming was one of the very first companies to be involved in the burgeoning internet casino market back in nineteen ninety-four. Since then, the company has created a mind-blowing seven hundred and fifty unique games and not only this, it has also made more than a thousand and two hundred variants of the games, thus making sure that their products are always appealing and fresh to the casino users.
NetEnt
This giant of the casino software world provides more than forty table games with a high quality. And this is only the start. NetEnt was founded in nineteen ninety-six and it was one of the first providers producing gambling software with a high quality. They employ more than five hundred full-time employees and are a company having their finger on the internet gaming’s pulse.
Our top online casino software providers have invested in licensing the most popular names in tv shows, films, and entertainment. From BBC sitcoms to Hollywood blockbusters, everyone can find something appealing. A lot of the games are available in practice or free play mode so you can enjoy them without having to spend a single cent of your hard earned cash in order to discover your new favorite one.
List of software providers
We have selected the three top online software providers that we prefer as players of casino games. There are certainly many more software houses we have listed on this page and included information about. There are various reasons why these providers are not on the top three list, one, for example, is if they do not have the appropriate licensing, or if their selection of games is kind of limited. On the other hand, make sure you check this page from time to time because the list of software providers is regularly updated.
Aristocrat
Aristocrat is THE company for slots for the players in Australia that are informed about this industry. There might be some people out there in the land down under who will not recognize the name instantly, but all internet casino gamers have heard of their worldwide popular games. The Pokies with titles such as five Dragons, Where’s the Gold and Queen of the Nile are among the most common games in both traditional land-based and online casinos.
Being always an Australian based company, the connection between the Aristocrat games and the Aussies is a way deeper than just the appeal of the lovable characters, fun themes and the wonderful graphics. Many Australians feel a true pride of the fact that Aristocrat has produced some of the world’s top casino games and most Australians will exclusively want to play the newest games by Aristocrat as well as their already classic titles.
Betsoft
Betsoft has already become one of the most common providers of online slots for casinos worldwide. And that is quite understandable. The internet casino software by Betsoft is popular for the 3D like the feel and the truly cinematic internet gaming experience. If to play other slots could be like reading a glossy magazine, to play the casino slots online by Betsoft is pretty much like seeing a 3D movie.
Betsoft also has a strong commitment to the compatibility of cross platforms. The instant play casino software they provide is as good as the download option, and they have also enhanced their experience for users that have slower connections so everyone can be a part of the game and experience the casino online quality delivered by Betsoft.
Boss media
This company has existed in the gambling casino software industry for over ten years, and they were one of the very first to launch and run their own gaming portal and casino – casino.com. They took a leave of the business of retail casino in order to concentrate on providing white label casino offerings to parties that have an interest in them – for about three hundred thousand dollars and also a revenue share.
Boss media has been able to use its running casino experience to a great use by creating a very decent variety of products. Available at a somehow tiny amount of internet casinos, the offerings of Boss media are quite nice but suffer from occasional slow gameplay.
Novomatic
Despite not being as popular to the overall audience as some other software providers, Novomatic is a truly large company that has an annual turnover of more than three billion dollars. They not only produce an excellent casino gaming software, but also physical slot machines that are used in clubs, pubs and traditional land-based casinos. Novomatic has more than two hundred and thirty thousand slot machines operating and should be included in every list of software providers.
Chartwell
This company used to provide the giant Betfair’s casino offerings a long time ago, but since the discontinuation of this practice in 2010, there is in fact little likelihood that they will have again such glory days. Their game choice is average at best, and the games by Chartwell are flash-based. The quality of the games is average, and there are games suffering from quite bad design and some flaws like pop-ups. Let us proceed with our casino software reviews.
Cryptologic
This company started off quite humbly, first founded in the basement of Mark and Andrew Rivkin’s house in nineteen ninety-five in Toronto, Canada. Cryptologic has had quite an interesting history, for example, being a partner with William Hill and enabling William Hill to become the first traditional casino operator that also launched an online casino.
When it comes to their software, Cryptologic is, in fact, one of the best providers today because of their general quality and wonderful graphics. They provide unique games and all the normal content expected from a casino platform. Sometimes their gameplay can be a little slow when it comes to some table games, but undoubtedly not the worst. Their jackpot at the Millionaire’s club is more than a couple million. Cryptologic is a company that has already gained high respect and should be observed closely.
IGT
This company was popular as Interactive Gaming Technology and has actually been designing slot machines since long before the advent of online casinos. In two thousand and five, they bought the brand Wagerworks and entered the online casino industry. With a truly special mixture of genuine world business connections and several decades experience, IGT is a truly formidable casino operator.
They offer pretty much everything you could want. From no download, streaming casino software, to mobile gambling options, you are covered with their technology. However, their basic strength is in their games’ quality. They are truly mind-blowing from a technical perspective and they also have an affiliation with all large franchises in the industry, such as the Wheel of Fortune and Monopoly.
Gale Wind
This company is a small software developer, only used in a few somehow obscure casinos. Their specialty is flash based software and despite that, they are quite a small company, they offer an above average quality at this point. Their game selection is a little strange, having just a few unique games on offer and some very popular games are entirely missing. Slots are actually below average quality, and the video poker selection is quite limited. Let us proceed with our list of software providers.
Merkur
This company for casino software development is German-based, and it is a small branch of the huge Gauselmann Group business. They are very popular for producing casino games at a top level and have created some very popular games such as Sentinels of Dawn and Odin.
Merkur specializes in top quality cabinets and video lottery systems that group together their most prominent games. You can find their physical solutions in the casinos worldwide, and they are truly synonymous with high quality.
NYX/Next Gen Gaming
NYX or Next Gen Gaming is a company that is one of the most prominent software developers in the field. They have over a hundred professional partners all over the world, and their offices are in Sydney, Las Vegas and Stockholm.
Next Gen Gaming run an extensive library covering lottery style games, bingo and casino games. The company also possesses one of the most prominent social gaming libraries in that field. They provide over three hundred games in their library, so their partners have a truly comprehensive selection at their disposal.
Orbis
Orbis OpenBet is probably more popular not for their casino options but for the flash casino games, or otherwise popular as instant win games. A lot of popular casinos provide Orbis games in their games tabs that you can play while playing other games.
Orbis also offer table games, and despite that the graphics quality is decent, gameplay is in many cases too slow, which could be pretty annoying. A lot of casinos have chosen to pick and mix games by Orbis with other games by various suppliers. Orbis are known for suffering from glitches and software bugs.
Random Logic
This company differs from the other software providers on our list of casino software providers because they are a part of the 888 group running and owning 888 Casino. Random Logic is under the Dragonfish, 888’s subsidiary and supplements Casino-on-net and 888 Casino with forty-three exclusive and unique games.
Despite that normally their games are a high quality, they certainly are lacking the cutting edge of some prominent titles from Playtech and Microgaming. But still, there are some slot games for example, such as Party Pigs and Millionaire Genie that are quite fine to play and are used for luring players to sign up for the 88 dollars free offer by 888 Casino.
Real Time Gaming
RTG or Real Time Gaming were established in nineteen ninety-eight and Hastings International took it over in two thousand and seven. Real Time Gaming hit the news headlines in two thousand and four when one of their customers won more than a million dollars from a thousand dollars deposit when he was playing Caribbean twenty-one at the Hampton casino.
In addition, the same player won almost a hundred thousand dollars at Delano casino, another casino powered by Real Time Gaming. This player was accused of cheating and the casino alleged that he was using an automated program.
When it comes to the RTG online casino software, it is a high standard in general. Graphics and game quality are above average in general, but still below Playtech and similar. The table games come with fast speed and the slots have a good look. The progressive slots do not come with the abundant amounts of some of the other competitors and the jackpot increases slowly, so it could be the reason why Real Time Gaming is not so popular. In addition, there are some dodgy casinos that are using the Real Time gaming software and this has worsened the reputation of the provider.
Rival
There is one basic positive thing about Rival, their games’ speed, especially when it comes to blackjack. A good player can complete some substantial card action in a very short time. There are a few exclusive and unique games produced by Rival, and in general, the games are pretty good standard. The levels of payout are high and comparable to some of the larger casino software makers.
When testing their software we stumbled on a few glitches that were not affecting the games but were nonetheless annoying. Some of the internet casinos that use Rival software have suffered from a high amount of payout disputes and have got a bad reputation. Despite that,Rival is a pretty promising software company that has the chance to deserve being recommended soon.
Vegas Technology
This company was first founded in nineteen ninety-eight but completely left the online casino business at the end of two thousand and eleven. Then it reemerged like a phoenix from the flames in two thousand and fourteen and at the moment powers more than a hundred casinos that cater for players from the US, UK, and Australia. Despite that their software is not the best, it works well, with fluid and fast gameplay and average graphics. Vegas Technology deserves to be observed closely for positive future developments.
Wagerworks
This casino software provider is used by quite a few large casino names and should be observed in future. They provide great quality games and offer some interesting games that are not featured anywhere else, for example, power blackjack. It is very nice that they are truly transparent when it comes to their return to player rates and the top online software providers can learn from this approach.
The major downside of Wagerworks is their history of problems related to their servers that caused timeout issues. Other than that, a quite promising software provider. With such an abundance of various features and options in internet gambling casino software we can easily say that users are well provided when it comes to their preferences – whether it is the Microgaming’s technology and convenience, the Real Time Gaming playability and real-life quality, the Vegas Technology’s high speed and power or the Playtech’s superb quality visuals and the real-time feel. Everything is available for the various players, and it all comes to choice. You should just make that choice.
Is the use of Bots allowed by the software providers?
If you have been looking for online casinos on the web, you may have stumbled on advertisements for casino “bots” claiming to be able to make you great amounts of money. The software asserts that it will automatically pay all the games for you. You can simply sit and wait for your millions to roll in. It does sound too good to be true.
As a beginning, let us explain what a bot is what is the reason for someone to use them. “Bot” is short for robot and it is a software piece that serves to automate the process of playing particular casino games such as slots and video poker. The basic premise is that the human players are likely to make mistakes and even the most careful and focused player over a long session can take actions that are not the most optimal way of playing viewed mathematically.
However, a bot does not make mistakes (as long as there aren’t any in its coding), a bot does not have emotions and would not be pressured to seek for a win. In addition, a bot can distinguish patterns in the actions of the other players when it comes to poker and the bot will study when another player raises and folds and when he or she bluffs. The bot can be a very tough opponent because it never gets tired or hungry and never deals with an adrenaline rush. Let us continue with our page about software.
So after you have read all these things about what the bot can do, do you think it is good news? Because, for example, when you are playing poker online and have taken advantage of a nice welcome bonus it may take too many hours of playing to clear the betting requirement. So it can be too many hours of boring manual play.
However, the use of bots is severely forbidden by the great majority of casino websites. And in case you get caught, you will lose your winnings, your deposit also in some cases, because it breaks the terms and conditions of the site.
And kicking you out of the site would not be the only thing. Despite that to use bots is not illegal, all get rich schemes attract suspicious rogues and if you are not a computer programmer who have studied lines of code thoroughly, you can never know what is installed on your computer.
We have heard a lot of scary stories of people who have installed software containing malware infecting their computer and then sending their individual information to criminals who then use it for committing identity theft. So after all, it is not worth risking.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can all the games be played in my browser?
A: A lot of us love to be able to play games in their browser and since the technology becomes better and better it has already become less popular to download client casino software than it was before. On the other hand, to download casino software is not such a bad thing. There are games that are only available through the download client and this is because of many reasons, for example, the website can detect the broadband speed is not enough for guaranteeing optimal performance, so when you download many files you can ease your connection.
Another case is when the size of the game is pretty big and the client software can be used for downloading a big catalog of titles in the background making them faster to play if you switch between titles regularly. Let us proceed with our page about casino software reviews.
Q: When I play casino games, do I have to download software?
A: As already mentioned, you do not have to always make a download, it depends on the device you are using – in some cases you do not have the option for a download. Most of the games can be adapted and they use HTML5 technology meaning that they “know” what your device is and would optimize themselves for providing the top gaming experience. And this is just great for the user who can access one game on various devices.
Q: Is downloading casino software free?
A: Yes, it is completely free. We should mention again that it is not normally a mandatory thing to download, but you would not be charged by an operator if you download their software.
Q: If I want to play casino games on Android, what is the most suitable casino software?
A: This is normally related to individual choice, depending on the kinds of games you want to play. As we have already said on this page, a lot of providers choose games from various software developers, so it is not unusual at all to find the same names at various casinos. Read more about mobile casinos
Q: What is the most suitable casino software for iPad and iPhone?
A: At the end of our page about casino software reviews including a list of casino software providers and the top online casino software providers, we should say that similar to Android, it is all about to individual choice. A few years ago many casino games were Adobe flash-based. This was really bad for Apple users because Apple took the decision not to support the flash technology. The good thing is that flash technology has been replaced by HTML5 technology and HTML5 has been designed to be used on all new devices and also provides abundant, full multimedia experience and even utilizes the bigger size of the iPad screens and the iPhone six plus.