Powering the Slots

While we think of the virtual slot machines we play to be different to those in land-based casinos, today slot machines are basically just machines built inside cases and differ a lot from the slots of the past. As such you may notice the same slots software online as at land-based locations. Online you don’t get the casing but the slot machines are fundamentally the same.

Slot machines vary from game to game, and there are many, many software suppliers that provide the software for the games we love to play online. In the early days of the online casino industry, just a handful of different slots software packages were seen online. As the industry has grown, there are now hundreds!

Software Suppliers

It’s game developers who produce slots software. As online gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry, it relies on the best game developers to bring customers the very best online slots, progressive jackpots and exciting new games. You are likely to encounter a great many games while you play online, and here are some of the software packages you are likely to come across on the way:

Top Game

They joined the industry around seven years ago and offer some fantastic games with quick play speeds. The brand doesn’t quite have the variety of games we see across many platforms. They are a rising name in the industry though with multi-currency, multi-language slot games.

Nuworks

A relatively new name in the industry. This company has managed to secure a serious niche in visually beautiful themed slot games. The video bonus round is the supplier’s speciality, and they offer penny coin size on most of the brand’s slot games.

BetSoft

If you like wilds, scatters and plenty of bonus rounds in your Internet slots, then BetSoft Gaming are some of the best around! The brand takes great pride in their 3D animation and if you love games with big extras, here’s your brand!

1X2gaming

Established in 2003, 1X2gaming offer a selection of virtual games. While slots aren’t their speciality, they are fantastic for casinos players who are looking for the all-round package of games.

888

These guys have to be one of the biggest all-round software packages on the Internet. They create bingo software, casino software and included in that is a huge range of slots too. They are graphic-rich and fun to play with some brilliant prizes to boot.

2By2 Gaming

Claiming a 100-year history, the brand used to provide land-based casino slots and games, now they produce a huge selection of graphic-rich, heart-stopping video slots with exciting themes and features.

Amaya Gaming

Based in Canada, Amaya Gaming provide games for both Full Tilt and Poker Stars and are considered one of the leading names in the industry. Although the brand specialises in poker software, they also produce some fine slot games too, available at many an online casino. Originally a small brand, after swallowing up another software supplier, Chartwell, the brand has gone from strength to strength.

Ash Gaming

Since the turn of the century Ash Gaming brings some famous and well known online slots to the market. These including the Viva Las Vegas jackpot slots, Cleopatra and many other famous games. While the software provides a range of slot games right across the market, there can be no doubt that the brand’s progressive games are the ones that shine out.

Bally Technologies

Some slots suppliers have been around longer than others. Bally Technologies has been creating games for the Las Vegas casino industry since the 1960s! The company is still going strong and still produces a range of virtual games, slots, casino systems and interactive products. It is considered a leader in the casino industry.

BGO Entertainment

We’ve all seen the brilliant advertising campaigns from BGO Entertainment, but they aren’t only a casino brand, they produce their own software too! BGO has only been around since 2012, but they have taken the industry by storm. Although they produce and provide software for several casinos and many games, they are best known for their BGO Casino brand, a huge gaming platform.

Big Time Gaming

The industry has changed, and HTML5 software has become more standard. We’ve seen many software producers change the way games are made, bring much innovation to the industry. One of these is Big Time Gaming, who provides some brilliant interactive slots and themed games across a variety of online gaming platforms. The company has a special interest in online games. These graphic rich slots with exciting free spins, multipliers and more are likely to keep you going back for more.

BluBeri

Another Canadian software supplier, BluBeri brings some excellent themed slots and technology to the market. The brand produces exciting themed video slots such as Lucky 5 Jackpot, and Lihwah’s Fortune and are considered a leader in the industry.

Cozy Games

They have been taking the bingo market by storm for several years now, but it’s not just because of their bingo software! The brands exclusive range of slot games and casino games is huge. While you might not get some of the big named games you see with more specialised software suppliers, there are plenty of exciting slots within the platforms.

ELK Studios

Then there are the lesser-known suppliers. ELK Studios, for example, are brand new to the iGaming industry. They are already carving a name out for themselves with some exceptional slot games.

Gamesys Limited

Best known for bingo brands such as Sun Bingo, Jackpot Joy and others. The exclusive slots, multi-player games and fun, interactive games also available on the brands using this software are what set them apart.

iSoftBet

One of the specialists when it comes to mobile gaming. They provide innovative and exciting games for a busy market. The company specialises in premier Flash games, and if you want some pulse-pounding play, then you won’t go far wrong here.

Mazooma Interactive Games

The industry is changing all the time, and that means we often see new players in the market. These newcomers are bringing a very different edge to what we’ve always expected to be traditional games. Mazooma Interactive Games have been rewriting the industry for casinos such as Casumo.

Net Entertainment

Many casinos draw in several different software platforms for a rich experience for players. Companies such as NetEnt are always getting their games in this way. NetEnt is one of the best-known suppliers around but has no lead casino. If you’ve played at any big named casino, then it’s likely that you’ve played one of Net Entertainment’s exciting themed video slots. They combine realistic games with great features!

NYX Gaming

And as we’re talking big names, you might have heard of a big name like Ladbrokes Casino but you may not have heard of say NYX Gaming. They provide many of the brand’s slot games and specialise in 3-reel, 5-reel and progressive slots with some exciting games to boot!

Play'n GO

When mobile gaming first hit our screens, Play'n GO as well as Probability PLC Gaming looked like they had the software market sewn up both being specialists in early mobile slots. As the smartphone has changed the game again, many other software suppliers have taken a wedge of the market too.

Quickspin

A European gaming company, once known for producing land-based slot games. Based in Sweden the company has truly moved with the times and now claim to ‘create the world most awesome video slots’. With casinos such as Bet Victor and CasinOnNet as their clients, we can see why they are held in such high esteem.

RTG

We all love progressive and high-octane games. This means there’s always a place in the industry for brands such as RTG (Realtime Gaming). The software suppliers specialise in some fantastic games and provided software for the first real money casino back in 1996. As a brand who have been around a while, they know a thing or two about games!

Rival Gaming

If you’ve played the exciting ‘Da Vinci’ slots then you’re well versed in what Rival Gaming can offer. The brand has been providing brilliant slots software, and power many online casinos with exciting games, big bonus features, and great jackpots, these iSlots take some beating.

SkillOnNet

Similarly, SkillOnNet offers casinos customisable platforms and many state-of-the-art games. In addition to slots, the brand offers the entire casino package with an extensive range of sophisticated games. Not just slots but many casino games including a live casino platform too! If you’re looking for a big name, SkillonNet might be it as they are a leading name in the industry.

Slotland Entertainment

You might associate this company with mobile casinos, but it is actually an entire software organisation. It develops the best and most fun mobile and online games for you! The brand has become a specialist in the mobile casino industry. They focus on smartphone slots, and they offer some exciting and innovative games.

This is just a selection of the slots brands available on the market, not even covering the very most popular ones. Other brands such as Genesis Gaming, GTECH, Leander Games, Merkur Gaming, Neogames Technologies, NextGen Gaming, Novomatic, Odobo, Oryx Gaming, RabCat, Saucify, Thunderkick, WGS Technology, WMS Gaming and others, provide some of the best games we see at some of the leading online casinos. Those casinos don’t stick to one slots software, but rather bring in games from many different software suppliers. They want to give you the casino player the very best experience.

What do You Need to Know?

As a player, the names of the software packages may not mean much to you. We tend to remember the names of the games and the casinos we play them at. While it’s almost certain that any player worth their salt will have played games by Ash Gaming, Net Entertainment and others, they might not even be aware of it. However, different suppliers specialise in different games and by knowing these, you can usually get a fair idea of the gameplay and quality you can expect when you play online.

As you hop from site to site, you may notice that games are repeated, and this is because casinos and bingo sites license games. So while a casino software package may be provided in the main by one supplier, not all the games will be. Your average online casino may have drawn in games from five or six different software suppliers. This ensures you have a good range and variation of games while you play. There’s no exact science and that’s why games vary so much from casino to casino.

Advantages of a Diverse Market

The casino market is competitive and cut throat too, and that means suppliers are appearing and disappearing all the time. Brands fail, suppliers get outplayed, and bigger suppliers often scoop up smaller firms. The competitiveness is generally good for casino players as it keeps the software companies on their toes. That means that we’re getting the very best, and most exciting games to play every time we log on!

If you want to find out the software of a particular game you are often told on the load-up screen. Alternatively it is likely to be in the casino list of games, along with the software package it uses.


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