Casino Software Providers

On the list of things prospective players need to know when choosing an online gambling destination, software is among the most important considerations. Online casinos don’t usually create their own games. Instead, they play host to software created by companies that specialize in creating and supporting slots, card games and more. More often than not, respectable casinos in English speaking countries will call on one of the four major software providers outlined below.

Biggest Software Providers

Microgaming: Experience can be hard to come by in an industry that’s only about two decades old, but for Microgaming, industry experience is a true strength. Microgaming claims to have released the first genuine online casino in 1994 and has been one of the leading software providers on the planet ever since. Microgaming powers more than 600 games of varying types, including progressive slots like Mega Moolah , The Dark Knight, Tomb Raider and Thunderstruck, and boasts quality products for download, flash and mobile use.

Mega Moolah’s jackpot is one of few online casino jackpots that can compete with national lottery draws’ jackpot prizes, and regularly tops its 1 million starting value in your currency (US$ / € / £). In fact, the average jackpot win exceeds $5 million, and the record Mega Moolah jackpot is £13,212,882, won online at UK based Betway on 6th October 2015 (worth more than $20 million at the time).

The biggest mobile casino jackpot win ever, at €7,968,311 (or almost $9 million), was set on 28th August 2016. A lump sum win, the lucky player won the Mega Moolah jackpot at Zodiac Casino, also in the UK, having taken advantage of a single €1 bet and the casino’s 80 Chances to Become a Millionaire promotion. See our dedicated page for a list of Microgaming’s casinos and more about the company

Playtech: Founded in 1999, Playtech is another industry standard that supports online casinos, online poker rooms, online bingo, online sports betting, scratch games, mobile gaming, live dealer games and fixed-odds arcade games. While all of its products boast strong reputations, the company is perhaps best known for its iPoker platform, as well as its Marvel licensed slot games, like the Incredible Hulk, or Hollywood-influenced titles like Gladiator.

Just like Micrograming’s Mega Moolah, Playtech progressive jackpots offers players the opportunity to become an instant millionaire, often on small wagers. Playtech’s record jackpot was claimed back in February 2012 at £6.2 million (worth just shy of $10 million at the time) on the Beach Life progressive slot machine. The company had set a new mobile casino jackpot at €5.9 million (or $6.4 million at the time) on 25th January 2016,  after a Glaswegian librarian bet just £4 to start the winning bingo sequence going. That record lasted just 8 months, before Microgaming’s almost $9 million Mega Moolah jackpot was won on a smartphone in August 2016.

Playtech has long boasted strong downloadable and flash versions of its casinos, and has also made progress with its Mobile Hub platform of late. See our dedicated page for a list of Playtech’s casinos and more about the company.

Net Entertainment: Net Entertainment entered the online casino industry from Sweden in 1996, and after nearly a decade of running its own casinos, it sold off its parlors in 2005 to focus exclusively on casino software development. Net Entertainment prides itself specifically on its high-payout strategy, with games typically generating 95 percent payouts, as well as a rich graphics system heavy on impressive animations. Some of its top titles include South Park and Scarface. Net Entertainment features downloadable and flash casinos, and was one of the first to jump into the mobile gaming world. It’s Touch system is now one of the most advanced for mobile gaming. See our dedicated page a list of NetEnt’s casinos and more about the company.

Net Entertainment reset the standard for online gaming jackpots in 2011, winning a Guinness World Record with an €11.7 million jackpot (worth $15.8 million at the time) won on its flagship Mega Fortune slots game. It took just 16 months and a one quarter dollar wager for a 40 year old Finnish man to win the current world record jackpot of €17.9 million (or $6.4 million at the time), playing on the same Mega Fortune game.

888: Founded in 1997, 888 is a slightly different beast than its competitors, as its software is used to support its own brand of casinos. The 888 family began with 888casino and now includes a number of relatives, including 888poker, 888ladies, 888bingo and 888sport, among others.

Today, 888’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) provides the gaming software provider with regular million dollar plus final table first prizes. The first ever WSOP jackpot was worth $30,000 and won by American Johnny Moss in 1971, and more recently, Jamie Gold’s 2006 final table win of $12,000,0000 set the current WSOP main event record. However, the largest single poker win goes to Antonio Esfandiari, who won $18,346,673 at the pro-am $1 million buy in Big One for One Drop at the 2012 WSOP.

It’s poker room and sportsbook are especially popular, while the 888casino boasts a truly unique slate of slots and other games, like Monopoly or The Price is Right. 888 is available for download, flash and mobile use.

Modern Online Casino Software Model

Like most trades transitioning from early practices into a major industry, the online casino community has had to adjust strategies over the years. Specialisation was inevitable, and the result is that very few online casinos now generate their own software systems. This means that, although there’s an endless supply of casinos for players to peruse, many of those casinos are using software provided by one of only a few companies who specialise in creating and supporting games.

We suggest visiting our casino reviews page to learn more about the different casinos available online and choose the one best suited to your preferences.