Unmasking Online Casino Software
Online gambling is a multi-million dollar industry and, behind every successful online casino operator there’s a software company who developed the back-end. Here’s a closer look at the biggest software companies behind some of the world’s leading online casinos.
Microgaming
Microgaming takes credit for being one of the first online casino companies founded back in 1994. Today, they’re still one of the largest online casino software companies providing gaming and slot machine software to hundreds of operators – including a recent collaboration with band The Smashing Biscuit for a slot machine.
They offer a wide variety of products available on their website. Online casino operators such as the Carmen Media Group, Fortune Lounge Group, 32Red, and the Palace Group are among those who use Microgaming’s software.
They seem to handle sportsbook, land-based, live dealer and multiplayer casino software. The MPN (or Microgaming Poker Network) is their poker software equivalent. And of interest to VR gamers, in May 2016, Microgaming launched Virtual Reality headset games using Oculus Rift technology with a focus on VR Roulette.
NetEnt
NetEnt is currently one of the largest online casino software providers and was started just a little bit after Microgaming in 1996. More than 200 different games are offered, with a lot of officially branded slots including Jumanji, Narcos, Jimi Hendrix and more.
According to statistics from their website, more than 41.2 billion gaming transactions were measured for 2017 across NetEnt gaming systems across the board.
More information and their financial reports geared to investors can be found at this link.
PokerStars
The giant that’s today known as PokerStars first started as Rational Enterprises in 2001, and the software behind it was put together by a company originally known as PYR Software.
Later, the company behind PokerStars software changed to Amaya Software and is today called The Stars Group, estimated to be worth as much as $1.3 billion in revenue.
According to a Quora user, the software for the first versions of the platform was put together in C++ (a leading programming language), while later ones use Chromium Embedded Framework (or CEF).
Speaking of software, PokerStars keeps a list of secondary software that’s prohibited from the poker room.
Others
It’s pretty obvious that the software companies we’ve mentioned here aren’t the only ones. There’s also IGT, Playtech, Betsoft, Novomatic and others that build software for land-based gaming machines and online casino use.
Novomatic was notoriously sued and had to fork out a payment worth more than two million Euros after a gambling addict took them on in court for the amount of bonuses they had continuously offered.
Wizard of Odds is a great website that gives genuine reports on casinos and software. Recently they posted articles on two betting software companies that might interest you – Gameplay Interactive Casino Software and Mascot Gaming Software.
Avoiding Rogue Casino Software
Stick to online gaming websites that have a good reputation, and ones that are registered with the gambling commission in your country. It’s easy to double-check, and it can potentially save you thousands.
Casinos using rogue software will use rogue techniques, and you might have to deal with payout refusals and random number generators that are stacked against you when you don’t realize it. Sometimes, you might even come across things like keyloggers and serious malware.
If you feel like the online casino operator’s software you’re using isn’t being honest or random enough, report it to your national gaming commission – or take a look at the developing software company behind the casino and make sure they’re legit.
See Great Bridge Link’s article about blacklisted casino websites for a list of rogue casinos and games that are using pirated software.