Casino software providers are the backbone of the iGaming industry, providing the games that make your playtime so memorable. In this guide, we have compiled some of our favourite providers by category, with a selection of their best games. In addition, you will find factors to help you pick the right providers for your gambling needs.
Casino software, or gambling software, is a set of sophisticated programs and solutions that power digital and physical gambling establishments. It is not limited to a single type of game; instead, it spreads itself across slots, virtual table games, and live games. Our focus is on software that powers digital gambling establishments.
There are hundreds of software providers in the iGaming industry. However, some stand out more than others, whether due to special features like Megaways or innovative game solutions. We have compiled a list of our top 10 online casino providers and why we chose them.
NetEnt took its first step into the casino industry in 1996 in Stockholm, Sweden. It rode the waves of the internet boom and was one of the first companies to shape the iGaming niche. With its creativity and unique game content, NetEnt stays true to its “ultimate gaming experience” course and has earned its place amongst the best iGaming companies worldwide. The provider has over 200 games available at more than 170 NetEnt online casinos.
Microgaming is one of the pioneers in the casino game software industry, licensed in over 20 jurisdictions. It was established in 1994, making it one of the longest-standing developers. Microgaming is a true software powerhouse, with over 800 games in over 25 languages. One of its most popular creations, the Mega Moolah jackpot slot, is still the biggest online jackpot win ever and is a favourite at most Microgaming online casinos.
Playtech started its historic path in the casino industry in 1999 and holds 140 licenses on a global scale. Its catalogue is diverse, including poker, live dealer tables, and even sports betting. The provider has developed more than 700 games, approximately 100 of which are progressive jackpots. Although it is renowned for its high-quality table and live dealer games, its series of slots are favourites at most Playtech online casinos.
Evolution Gaming was founded in 2006 with a lineup of over 35 live games, over 300 tables, and more than 200 slot machines. It is considered one of the market leaders in the live dealer niche. The developer was the first to offer mobile live dealer games. These games are available in several different languages at Evolution Gaming online casinos, owing to the fact that the provider has bases in countries like Malta, Canada, the USA, Georgia, and Latvia.
The Swedish company was founded in 2007 under the slogan "We Are Game". Despite coming later than other top providers in the industry, Play'n GO has built a strong name for itself with its high-quality and high-definition slots and bingo games. The slot games are known for being very interactive. One of its most popular series is Rich Wilde, which includes the famous Book of Dead slot. It is a staple at most Play’n GO online casinos.
BetSoft was established in 2006 and has developed around 200 slot machines, many of which are known for their 3D cinematic features. It is considered to be the pioneer software company in ToGo, a technology through which players can enjoy an equally good experience on desktop and mobile devices. In addition, the company is committed to cross-platform compatibility, meaning its instant-play software competes with its downloadable version. BetSoft online casinos feature slot machines with beautifully designed 3D graphics and animations, making them some of the most modern casino games.
Although it only started in 2015 in Gibraltar, Pragmatic Play's portfolio is already quite developed, with over 300 titles. In a short span of time, the company has become one of the top names in the industry thanks to the many awards it has managed to win. Globally, this casino online software provider has over 20 licences, including from the UK Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority. Pragmatic Play specializes in the development of slot machines, table games, poker, live dealer tables, and bingo. These games are available at hundreds of Pragmatic Play online casinos.
Launched in 2010, iSoftBet is a relatively new casino software provider. The provider has two development studios, London and Luxembourg. In addition to traditional slots, the provider has developed modern 3D games with over 200 mobile-friendly titles. It has a platform for aggregating games where iSoftBet online casinos can be provided with games from 50 other providers. This has the potential to offer over 2,000 games, enough to make up an online casino’s library.
The software casino industry saw the birth of Red Tiger in 2014, the result of a collaboration between people with a lot of experience in this market niche. Since its inception, it has been one of the fastest growing and best online casinos. Proof of this lies in the awards it has won in less than a decade. Some of them are GIA Casino Supplier of the Year in 2019, EGR B2B Innovation in Slot Provision in 2020, and EGT B2B Mobile Gaming Software Supplier in 2020. In 2019, the provider was acquired by NetEnt. Red Tiger online casinos that want to offer its slots and table games can do so through NetEnt.
Playson debuted in the industry of online casino software developers in 2012. Since then, it has partnered with Quickfire, Bet Construct, Leander Gaming, and 1x2 to develop high-quality games. In addition, Quinel regularly tests each game to make sure they are safe for distribution at Playson online casinos. Games from this software provider are licensed by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission and can be played in most European countries.
Our top 10 list of software providers is just a nip in the bud. There are hundreds of other software developers in the industry providing quality entertainment. Here are some that stand out in no particular order.
The Australian company Aristocrat Leisure Limited was established in 1953 in Sydney. It is synonymous with slot machines that have diverse themes and impressive graphics. Among Aristocrat’s most popular games are 5 Dragons, Where's the Gold, and Queen of the Nile.
Bally was founded by Advanced Patent Technology in 1968 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Initially, it focused solely on developing slot machines for land-based casinos. When online casinos started gaining traction, Bally started developing online slots known for their impressive mechanics, unique gameplay and juicy bonus rounds. Some of them are Vegas Huts, Cash Spin and Golden Pharaoh.
The Australian company Big Time Gaming was launched in 2011 by a team of experts in the field of casino software development with more than 30 years of experience. This is very clear as the company quickly joins the list of developers who present innovative technologies. Rasputin Megaways, Christmas Bonanza, and Survivor Megaways are some of their most famous titles.
Elk Studios is also a relatively new player on the market, appearing in 2013 in Stockholm. Since its inception, it has been "pushing the boundaries" of the industry. A characteristic feature of its games is that they are developed so that there are many possibilities for the formation of winning combinations. Some popular titles are The Lab, Electric Sam, and Avalon Gold.
NextGen Gaming, also known as NYX, was founded in 1999 in Sydney, Australia. The provider has more than 100 partners worldwide and has developed more than 300 casino games. Slide a Wild and Dynareel slot technologies are the work of NextGen, and some of their most popular titles are Medusa, Foxin Wins, Gorilla Go Wild, and Irish Eyes.
Novomatic is an old-school Austrian software provider founded in 1980. Originally, its purpose was to develop games for land-based casinos. However, the technological advancements pushed it down the online casino games route. Some popular Novomatic titles include Dolphin's Pearl, Lord of the Ocean, Sizzling Hot, and Lucky Lady's Charm.
Push Gaming became part of the casino software industry in 2010. In recent years, it has received recognition by winning several awards. The provider develops mobile-friendly online slots with engaging animations and exciting bonus rounds. Some of Push Gaming's most famous slot machines are Tiki Tumble, The Shadow Order, Golden Farm, and Wild Swarm.
Quickspin debuted in 2011 in Sweden under Playtech. The company focuses on developing slot machines with creative design, innovative gameplay and unique features. For example, the Swooping Reels feature implemented in the Big Bad Wolf slot inspired competitors to create Cascading Reels, Avalanche Reels, and Tumbling Reels. Among the best slots developed by Quickspin are The Three Musketeers, Rapunzel's Tower, Sakura Fortune, Goldilocks, Treasure Island, Pied Piper, and Panther's Reign.
Relax Gaming was founded in Finland in 2010 with one major objective: become a pioneer in the online casino software world. The company relies on high-tech solutions to create casinos, bingo, and poker games. Relax Gaming has about 100 games in its portfolio and has contracts with over 50 European suppliers. The Great Pigsby, It's Time, Tower Tumble, Let's Get Ready to Rumble, and Epic Joker are among its best games.
Founded in 1998, Real Time Gaming has been involved in the online gambling boom since its inception. It was initially based in the US state of Georgia but moved to Costa Rica in 2007 - 2008. Real Time Gaming uses specific algorithms in the development of games to recreate real-time animations that are as close as possible to real actions. Among its most popular titles are Caesar's Roman Empire, Aztec's Treasure, Megasaur, and God of Wealth.
Software provider StakeLogic was founded in 2014 in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Its goal is to innovate and "revolutionise" online gambling through game development. It has more than 10 gaming licenses that allow it to operate in over 20 markets. Currently, it has contracts with over 500 operators, to which it offers more than 250 slot machines, table games and live dealer offerings. Mystical Santa, Black Gold 2, Giants Fortune, Candyways Bonanza 2 and Super Joker are some of its best slot machines.
Thunderkick was launched in 2012 in Sweden and has rapidly become one of the most cutting-edge graphics studios. Its uniqueness is its strength, and this is apparent through the games it has developed. Some of its most famous games are remakes of blockbuster movies that other developers have made, but Thunderkick offers a different reading of them. Turning Totems, Babushkas, Luchadora, Midas Golden Touch, and Pink Elephants are among their best titles.
Wazdan was founded in 2010 in Malta and quickly established itself as a developer of high-quality HTML5 slot machines. A few years later, it was also licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and has already won several awards. Wazdan releases about a dozen new slot machines every year and currently has about 140 titles in its catalogue. Let's mention some of its most famous projects: Great Book of Magic, Captain Shark, Black Horse Deluxe, Sonic Reels, and Beach Party.
WMS Industries is one of the oldest software companies. It has existed since 1943, with headquarters in Chicago. In the 1980s and 1990s, it developed some of the most popular land-based casino games and later spun off its subsidiary Williams Interactive to focus on developing only online casino games. 2013 is the year WMS Systems started working as part of Scientific Games. The provider is behind a number of industry hits such as James Bond – Casino Royale, The Lord of the Rings Rule Them All, and James Bond – Thunderball.
Yggdrasil Gaming was founded in 2013 with headquarters in Malta and offices in Poland and Latvia. Although it was more of a niche software developer in the beginning, these days, Yggdrasil creates high-end casino games. Some of its most famous creations are 3D slot machines with features such as Boost, Super Free Spins, Brag and Infinite API. Some top titles from the provider are Joker Millions, Vikings Go To Hell, Vikings Go Berserk, Vikings Go Wild, Blood Moon Wilds, Beauty and the Beast, and Sahara Nights.
Live casino options offer a more immersive way of gambling. In the table below, we have listed top live solution providers, some of their best-known games, and casinos where you can play them
Software Provider | Top Live Games | Where to Play |
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Evolution Gaming |
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Pragmatic Play |
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Playtech |
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Hundreds of online slots are released yearly, with providers scrambling to launch the next big thing. We have included our top picks in the following table, along with sites to try out these games.
Software Provider | Top Slot Games | Where to Play |
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NetEnt |
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Big Time Gaming |
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If blackjack and roulette appeal to you the most, we have detailed providers for these games in this section. Find some of our favourite titles below:
Software Provider | Top Titles | Where to Play |
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Playtech |
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Play’n GO |
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If you prefer alternative games like bingo and video poker, we’ve got you! Here are a few titles you might enjoy:
Software Provider | Top Titles | Where to Play |
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Playtech |
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There are hundreds of software providers in the iGaming industry, so how do we know which ones are the best? At 20x20.ie, our fool-proof review method lies in specific factors, which we have outlined below:
An important factor for us is how many new titles a provider releases annually. Another good sign is that the provider's portfolio contains a variety of games but, at the same time, has a specific production niche. We prefer providers that offer great services in one niche instead of average production over a variety of niches.
This is one of the conditions that every game produced by the supplier must meet. RNG stands for Random Number Generator. This is a sophisticated algorithm that generates random results for each casino game, ensuring that the outcomes are fair and unpredictable.
The Return to Player (RTP) percentage is another important factor. This number represents the amount of money paid back to players over a long period of time. If the RTP of a game is 95% and the player wagers €1, the player could get back €0.95 theoretically. The RTP for regular slot games ranges from 94% to 99%. Progressive jackpots, on the other hand, have significantly lower percentages.
Game volatility is one of the most important features of any game. This is a term that reflects how likely you are to land a winning combination as well as what size it would be. Games are divided into three groups: high volatility, medium volatility, and low volatility. With low volatility, the game is more likely to pay out more frequent but smaller winnings. With high volatility, the opposite is true - the game is more likely to pay out infrequent but larger winnings. It is good for a provider to have both low and high volatility games to have titles suitable for a wider range of people.
Game features are another very important factor in evaluating a provider's portfolio. Games should be developed with high quality, even if they have a classic structure and simple gameplay. This includes the overall layout of the game, the production of the graphic design and sound effects, and whether they correspond to the theme of the game. We favour slots that have at least one or two bonus features
How players experience the game is important. So, we prefer titles that have clear and unambiguous instructions. Also, all features should be easily accessible from the menu, and each button should have an explanation attached.
Games must be designed in such a way that, first, they can be played on both desktop and mobile devices. Secondly, there is no loss of quality when playing on different screen sizes. Finally, they must be compatible with both Android and iPhone users.
Just as gambling sites need a license to operate legally, so do software companies. A licence issued by an official regulatory body ensures that the company complies with certain standards and is subject to regulation. If a provider does not have a license to operate in a particular region, casinos operating in that region cannot offer their games.
Casino software, or gambling software, is a set of sophisticated programs and solutions that power digital and physical gambling establishments.
There are many software developers in the gambling market. Each of them excels in different niches. For example, Microgaming - slots, Playtech - table games, Evolution Gaming - live dealer tables. Which is the best online casino software provider depends on the specific niche.
Casinos use gambling software developed by external providers. The casino’s game offerings depend on the providers it is partnered with.
There are four types of online casino software:
There are many good slot providers out there. Some of the best, however, are Big Time Gaming, Blueprint Gaming, NetEnt, Microgaming, Novomatic, etc.