Online Casino Software Providers
All games that you can find in online casinos are designed and developed by companies specializing in that type of entertainment. In other words, most slots, table games, live casino games, video poker titles, and more are developed by a handful of software providers.
Some of them are more popular than others, and we’re going to cover the leading ones in this article. By the time you finish reading this guide, you will have a better understanding of how software providers work and how to choose a suitable casino for you.
Leading software providers in the US
Let’s look at the leading software providers that offer their games via online casinos available in America.
Evolution Gaming
Evolution Gaming is the current leader in the live dealer games industry. The company was founded in 2006 with the idea to revolutionize the world of live casino gaming, which it did by introducing various novelties to the online gambling sector.
Apart from the standard live options, such as baccarat, blackjack, roulette, and more, Evolution offers a wide array of game shows which have been played by thousands of players around the globe. Most online casinos that offer live dealer games feature titles from Evolution Gaming.
Evolution has offices, as well as professional studios, all around the world. The company’s headquarters are currently located in Riga, Latvia.
The company became available in the US in the past couple of years, after some of the states legalized online casino gambling. In other words, all the platforms that feature Evolution titles are licensed and regulated inside the US, and some of them are already big in states such as NJ and PA.
RTG Casinos
RTG stands for Realtime Gaming, and RTG casinos are some of the oldest gambling platforms in the US. RTG mainly focuses on making online video slots, but you’ll find a decent selection of games such as baccarat, blackjack, roulette, video poker, and some random gambling games.
RTG is also one of the oldest companies in the US to start providing casinos with special content. It was founded in Atlanta, Georgia, back in 1998 but moved its development to Costa Rica in 2007. The company was eventually bought by Hastings International, which is registered in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles.
RTG isn’t as popular as Evolution Gaming, but you’ll find plenty of small casino sites that are focused on the US market and offer only games by this provider.
Betsoft Casinos
Betsoft is also one of the most popular providers in the world. It was founded in 2006 and has released plenty of titles since then, mainly focusing on online video slots. However, it also offers plenty of table games, video poker games, and more. Like RTG, it doesn’t feature any live dealer options now.
Betsoft was awarded for excellence on numerous occasions, and its games are available in many countries around the world, including the US. There are also plenty of Betsoft casinos out there, but not all of them accept US players, so you’ll have to check which ones do.
The company is registered and headquartered in Malta.
Saucify Casinos
Saucify was established back in 2006 under the name Betsoft but shortly after that rebranded to Saucify, as there were already many competitors with a similar name. The company offers a wide array of games, including slots, table games, video poker, and more. There are currently no live dealer options.
The company is headquartered in Curacao, and its games are part of several casinos that are available to US players. Still, compared to some of the giants, such as Evolution, it’s safe to say that Saucify isn’t that popular, as the number of gambling sites where you can find games by this provider is relatively small. However, the quality of its games has been consistent, attracting many fans from the US.
Rival Casinos
Rival Gaming is perhaps one of the least popular providers on our list. Still, it offers a decent selection of games, including slots, video poker, and table games. There are plenty of online gambling platforms featuring titles by Rival, and US players are often welcomed on them.
The company was founded in 2006 and currently offers more than a hundred games. Like RTG and Saucify, Rival has been available to US players for a long time via offshore-licensed casinos.
Unfortunately, there’s no concrete information on the internet regarding the company’s current headquarters.
Types of casino software
There are many ways you can play online casino games in the US. In this section, we’re going to list all the popular types of software and how you can use it to maximize your online gambling experience.
Download software
Some online casinos require you to download their software to your PC or mobile device to play games. However, they are a dying breed, as most online casinos are now focusing on the instant play option. Some platforms offer both, so you can choose the way you want to play.
Instant play software
Instant play software is browser-based. Therefore, all you have to do is load the site in your browser, register, and start playing games right away. This is also available for mobile browsers, meaning you can load a casino on the go and play games that way, thanks to HTML5 technology.
Mobile software
Sometimes, casinos make separate apps that you can download to your iOS or Android device as an app and play games that way. Some people prefer downloading mobile apps as they can be customized for a full-mobile experience, while others prefer loading the site in mobile browsers and playing that way.
Live casino software
This is perhaps the most complex type of software as it blends the real with the virtual. Live casino software features a live-streamed live dealer who uses real cards and other game props. However, players still get to place virtual bets and interact with the dealer using the interface that’s part of the live casino software.
What value does a casino software provider bring?
There are several “roles” in the online gambling industry, and the two most important ones are operators and providers. The term operator mainly refers to the companies running casinos. However, they do not develop games of their own, which is quite costly and takes a lot of time. Instead, they make deals with game providers, such as the ones we covered in this article. Providers are the ones doing the development of games and offering them via operators’ sites.
In other words, operators save time and money for operators, and that’s one of the main reasons you can find identical games in many online casinos. Some casinos go one step further and sign deals with providers to offer some games exclusively, meaning you can find them only in one online casino.
Since games are available in many casinos, providers can make huge jackpot networks and offer millions of dollars in prizes to the luckiest players — something that wouldn’t be popular if they only offered games via one casino.
Live casino developers
We already mentioned that designing and developing live casino games is a delicate matter. Namely, developers need to make games look and feel like the real thing, except that they aren’t 100% real. They must blend the interface with the live video stream of a dealer and make players feel like they are inside an actual casino.
They pay a lot of intention to immersion, which is why they often allow users to interact with the game in many ways. For example, you can switch camera angles, adjust the interface colors, tip the dealer, and more.
Developing this type of game is not all about coding. Designers must come up with the studio setting, educate live dealers, and take care of all other equipment, such as live streaming cameras and more. It’s perhaps the most complex type of online casino game, but it’s worth the effort.
Slot machine developers
Slots are the most popular type of online casino games, as most providers focus on developing online slots. There are literally thousands of games out there and developing them is always a challenge.
Developers need to come up with a theme that players are going to like and stick to some of the standard designs that the industry is used to. However, they need to innovate with every game they release to make it more appealing to the players and sell it to online casinos. Right now, the most popular online slot developers are NetEnt and Microgaming. However, NetEnt was acquired recently by Evolution Gaming, so we could say that Evo is the market leader in the video slots sector as well.
What makes a great software developer?
Let’s look at why some software developers are better than others in the online casino industry by covering the top five things that make a great developer.
- Regular publishing schedule — Every developer release new game all the time. They understand that the market is in constant need of fresh content, and that’s why they do their best to keep up with it and create new slots and other games regularly.
- Understanding the market — Great developers understand how the market works and how players behave. They can analyze the market from all perspectives and apply that knowledge to make innovative and immersive online casino games.
- Game variety — Great developers don’t just focus on making one type of game. Even if they do, they make sure to add new features and options all the time and create a diverse experience. For example, if they focus on video slots, they will change grid structure, special features, and more.
- High RTP — Let’s be honest here for a second: nobody likes games that don’t have a high payout percentage. That’s why some of the most popular developers can offer high return-to-player ration, meaning you can expect to win lucrative prizes if you’re lucky.
- Trustworthiness — It’s no secret that players trust some developers more than others, as trustworthiness plays an essential role in the industry. That’s why the greatest developers work on making their brand more popular.
Your Questions Answered
Legality and safety of casino software
There are many scam sites featuring unlicensed software out there, and you must be extremely careful with choosing the right provider. The best way to determine whether a provider is legitimate is to look for its licenses. Every provider in the US needs to be approved by an official regulatory body and publicly display all the certificates and their numbers so that everyone can examine them properly.
To obtain a license, the provider needs to collect all the necessary documents and submit them to the official regulatory body. The regulator will then review the application and approve it if everything is in order. Providers will receive a B2B (business-to-business) license and will be able to offer its games via casinos that are also licensed and regulated.