Whenever you play at a casino, the games you play are mostly not specific to any one, single casino. Instead, each casino will set up an agreement with various software providers to deliver you the best games to play on.
This is why you’ll often see the same game available at multiple different casinos. Although some casinos develop their own exclusive games, and some will only use games from a single software provider, for the most part, online casinos use a range of different providers.
Casino software providers are the companies behind the games you play. They are the ones that come up with the ideas, design the graphics, set the payout percentages, and code up the game to ensure it plays fairly and within the rules set by the regulators.
Software providers will often arrange their own licensing agreements with media companies to offer games themed on popular TV series, movies, and board games.
The online casino simply provides the website for which you can play the game and handles all of the payments, withdrawals and customer support. As each casino will usually end up with the same, or very similar, games to its competitors. It becomes harder and harder for new casinos to stand out. That’s why you are offered massive bonuses as an incentive to sign-up and play at each casino.
Athough each software provider is responsible for almost every element of the design and production of a game, including the software behind it. Not all software providers produce the same level of quality in a game.
Some are known for creating eye-catching 3D graphics; others focus more on the actual gameplay or unique, innovative features like progressive jackpots and bonus rounds.
Only a select few software providers achieve a combination of these things.
Importantly we also look at the games they offer, the casinos using them, their history, and their attitude to new technology. Before giving you the low-down on which software providers to look out for and which to avoid.
You’ll also find recommendations as to the best casinos to play each software providers games at and which are the best games they offer.
With hundred’s if not thousands of gaming software providers available in the online gaming industry only a fair few are at the forefront. Although, the below isn’t an extensive one, you’re 90% likely to be be playing one of their games when entertaining yourself on the casino, slots or live dealer.
Understanding the software providers behind the games you’re playing is important, particularly when you’re looking for trusted, audited and licensed entertainment.
Playtech is a market leader in the gambling as well as the financial trading industries.
Founded way back in 1999 and best known for running the iPoker network alongside over 500 different casino games. With revenues of over €708 million in 2016, they are one of the largest software providers in the industry and employ over 5,000 people.
As specialists of well-known franchise games such as Little Britain, Monty Python, and Gladiator, PlayTech are hugely popular with online gamblers. But, it’s not just immensely playable slots they are known for, their extensive product range including in bingo, sports betting, and even lottery games.
With over 850 different games in more than 45 languages, it’s no surprise that Microgaming casinos are behind some of the best-loved casino games across the world.
From classics such as Thunderstruck and Girls with Guns, through to big media franchises like Terminator 2 and Tarzan, the chances are, if you have played more than a handful of online slots, you’ll have played a Microgaming casino game.
Perhaps the most famous Microgaming casinos game, Mega Moolah once held the record for the biggest ever online slot payout at a whopping €6.37 million in 2009.
Since then, Mega Moolah has paid out even bigger jackpots including a £13.2 million payout that went to a British man called Jon Heywood.
Net Entertainment, commonly known as NetEnt have been around since 1996 and over that time have built up a reputation as one of the best casino software providers around for NetEnt Casinos.
With over 200 games currently available to play, they have won multiple awards and boast popular games like Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest and Mega Fortune among their portfolio. With a particular skill at creating highly detailed 3D graphics, there’s no wonder over 170 of the world’s best online casino operators feature their games.
NetEnt have another claim to fame. One of their progressive slots, Mega Fortune, boasts the record for the highest ever online slot jackpot payout at a whopping £13.2 million, won by a former British soldier in 2015.
When compared to other software providers, Evolution Gaming Casinos, are the best in the business at offering a live dealer experience. Providing you with the ability enjoy the beauty of playing in a real-life brick-and-mortar casino all from the comfort of your own home or even your local pub.
Pretty much every casino that offers live tables and live dealers use Evolution gaming. However, all the casinos listed within the Evolution Gaming Casinos chart are the best places to spend your time.
A growing area which is applying Evolution Gaming Software is perhaps the Esports Gaming industry, whereby Evo Tournaments are held each year.
The team over at Yggdrasil have been churning out high quality online slots since their formation back in 2013.
Gone are the days of watching grapes and lemons spin around on pub fruit machine reels, the modern slot world is changing quickly and Yggdrasil are very much at the forefront of that with a number of their games being used by some of the top operators in jurisdictions across the world.
With crisp graphics and clever gameplay, their slots are right up there with some of the best in the industry and it is little wonder that Yggdrasil have received a number of accolades in their relatively short journey so far.
From collecting Innovator Of The Year twice in a row in the International Gaming Awards to being recognised at Slot Provider of the Year in the EGR Awards, it’s safe to say they are going about things the right way.
Play’n GO is the all-rounder of the casino world offering a little bit of quality in every department. Whether you’re after slot games or table classics, check out our list of Play’m GO Casinos.
Roulette or Japanese festival slots, blackjack or slots about Irish leprechauns; Play’n GO Casinos have you covered for anything you’d like to play.
Play’n GO Casinos offer a decent mix of both slot games and traditional table classics, and it’s a feature of their games that they offer both stunning visuals and magnificent graphics across all of their titles.
Book of Dead is currently their most popular game and is considered by most experts as a top five game in the industry, while other titles like Golden Ticket, Cloud Quest, Gemix and Matsuri show off their stunning ability when it comes to creating aesthetically beautiful games.
Blueprint Gaming Casinos, have been in the online gaming industry for over 10 years now and claim to have an “ever-growing portfolio of successful online slot titles are unrivaled in the range of game styles on offer.”
Based in the UK Blueprint Gaming Casinos are part of the German Gauselmann Group offering games in 18 languages, 30 currencies, and in countries around the world at over 100,000 land-based gaming terminals and online.
To note, Blueprint don’t offer the biggest selection of games in the world, less than 50 in all, but they do offer very high-quality slots including one of the very best games out there in Ted which not only has awesome bonus rounds but excellent graphics and visuals too.
They do though offer progressive slots and have paid out over £1m on a number of occasions including £2.2m on Boxing Day 2015 which is their highest payout to date.
NextGen Gaming Casinos, or Next Generation Gaming to give them their full name, have been around since 1999, based in their native country of Australia. Now a subsidiary of NYX Interactive, they have released over 600 games (primarily online slots) but remain a relative unknown behind the other giants in the industry.
Despite releasing over 600 games, you might be disappointed to learn that NextGen Gaming Casinos aren’t as recognisable as its peers in the casino software world. Perhaps their most famous offering is the Foxin’ Wins slot which spurned a sequel called Foxin’ Wins Again. The only other slot games of note are King Kong, Merlin’s Millions, Doctor Love, and 300 Shields.
IGT (International Game Technology) are a well-known online casino game provider that were acquired by Italian Lottery company GTECH in 2015. So strong was the IGT Casinos brand name that GTECH took on the name of it’s acquisition and the name GTECH was dropped.
So popular are IGT Casinos that you’ll find them powering games for some of the world’s biggest casino brands including the likes of Mr Green, bgo, PaddyPower, and Betfred.
If you ever visit the Las Vegas strip, you’ll recognize many IGT Casino games on the casino floor, as there is a big crossover between their online and offline offering.
Fans of IGT Casinos and games cite their impressive range of classic slots that include the likes of Cleopatra, Rainbow Riches, Wolf Run, and Kitty Glitter. They also have a good range of media-related games such as Ghostbusters, Monopoly, Star Trek, and Transformers.
Having spent years testing and playing online slots, we’re happy to confirm the above casino software providers are some of the best in the industry. Albeit vary in terms of market share, they have brought some popular online casino games to people across the World.
You might also want to look at the software providers main website for in-depth information regarding online slots you’re considering of playing or progressive jackpot slots (should they offer them). Information should include rtp percentage, the them as well as storyline of the game, symbols and much more.
All casino software providers listed on whichcasinos.co.uk are audited and licensed by relevant bodies to ensure security and fairness.
So, with that said, should you read about a particular casino software provider that captures your attention, simply click on the provider list and find out which top recommended online casinos offer their games.