Online Casino Software

Everyone knows about online casinos. We also know that all you need to do is download the software, register an account and you can begin to start playing any casino game in a matter of minutes. What most of us don’t know is how these casinos actually run and operate. Read on to learn more about the online gaming industry.

In this article you will find
• Casino networks
• Casino software companies

Casino networks

Many people think that each site develops its own casino software and is run as its own entity. Its easy to understand why most people think this has every site has a unique name, look and feel, together with a multitude of other factors setting them apart.

In reality almost every casino brand is affiliated with a larger company. Most sites are part of a network of other casinos that can feature a couple of other partner sites, all the way up to tens of other sites. These networks of sites, often referred to as casino affiliate networks will offer the same support and will co-ordinate their marketing efforts etc along with a number of other shared activities.

Casino software companies

To make things even more interesting is that these networks don’t even use their own software most of the time. They will purchase a software license one from one of the online gaming software houses and use it as their own. This means that different networks may even be using the same software. 

There are few top names that supply most of the software to the online casino industry. Here is a quick rundown of who they are:

Microgaming (In business for 15 years and a leader in gaming software.)
Playtech (Established in 1999 and have become one of the leading game creators.)
Wagerworks (A US company acquired by IGT.)
Cryptologic (Founded in 1995 and has won numerous awards for its software.)
Net Entertainment (Founded in 1996 and became a public company with an IPO in 2007.)

There are other companies such as RGT (Real Time Gaming) and poker sites such as Merge and The Winning Poker Network which have their own proprietary software.

In reality therefore whilst there may be hundreds of online casinos, there is really only a small percent that are truly unique. The big sites such as 888 and Poker Stars have their own custom software, but it’s rare to find a casino with its own unique software operating alone.

Advantages for the online gamer

This may sound bad, but it’s actually an upside for players themselves. These software companies not only produce the software, they create games for their clients. They are like any other business who seeks to gain more customers and make money. If they offer a poor  product, no other casinos will want to use their software. In a sense we are the software companies’ customers, so they are looking to keep us happy. Thus far they have done a good job in my opinion.