Online Casino Providers
- New Online Casino Providers
- Online Casino Providers
- Online Casino Software Providers
- Online Casino Software Providers India
- MuchBetter Casinos – MuchBetter is a relatively new payment provider in the online gambling world. It’s an e-wallet app and with it, you can store, convert, deposit, withdraw, and transfer money. Neteller Casinos.
- Net Entertainment. Net Entertainment is one of the Swedish online casino providers.
Online casino games may be magical, but they don’t just appear out of thin air. Somebody has to create these enthralling games that we love to play on our phones and lap-tops, and there are dozens of game providers based all over the world who do just that. Most online casinos will have a relationship with one or more game providers, and you will be able to see a list of which providers service which casinos.
Online casino software providersEach platform comes with unique games, features and different online casino software providers licensing terms The Best Casino Software Providers. NetEnt is a leading provider of premium gaming solutions to the world’s most successful online casino operators. They have been a true pioneer in driving the market with thrilling games powered by their cutting-edge platform. NetEnts talented people take pride in delivering flexible digital casino.
Once you’ve been playing for a while you will soon start to recognize your favourite game developers. The Casino Gorilla has a habit of falling head over heels for one developer, only to develop a new love affair with another one the next week. That’s just how gorillas are. Read on to find out his current faves and discover some new names to look out for.
Best online casino game providers
Not every game provider is the same, and you will soon discover that the quality and quantity of their output differs wildly from one developer to the next. Although there are dozens of developers out there, you will soon come to recognize the biggest names once you are signed up with a couple of casinos.
The Casino Gorilla has had plenty of favourites over the years, but for 2021 he has chosen NetEnt as the number one casino games provider. Here is a list of some of the other big-name developers to look out for:
- NextGen Gaming
- NetEnt
- Quickspin
- Play`n Go
- Williams Interactive
- Betsoft Gaming
- Genesis Gaming
- Elk Studios
- Thunderkick
- Cryptologic
- IGT
- Yggdrasil Gaming
- 1X2 Gaming
- iSoftbet
- Leander Games
- Rabcat
- Playtech
- NeoGames
Best live casino providers
Live casinos have grown hugely in the past number of years as improvements in technology have allowed more people to access them. Playtech were the first to come up with live casino rooms in the mid 2000s, but other developers have taken up the baton since those early days. Now just about every online casino worthy of the name will have their own live casino rooms offering a selection of quality games to their players.
Live dealer casinos bring players the perfect blend of real casino atmosphere from the comfort of home. Cards are dealt and wheels spun by real life professionally trained dealers, normally working from a custom-designed live dealer studio.
Players can place bets just as they would when playing a random number generated animated game, but here you get to see the action unfold in front of your eyes. Cards can be read using scanning devices which allow the interaction between the physical cards and the virtual versions on your screen.
Let’s take a quick look at three of the biggest live dealer game providers operating today:
NetEnt Live Casino
NetEnt are one of the biggest names in the industry, and they provide a range of casino games outside of live dealer varieties. NetEnt Live produces high quality live dealer games, as you would expect from such a famous and highly-respected name.
These include blackjack and roulette of course, as well as baccarat, casino hold ‘em and Caribbean stud poker. You will find NetEnt live dealer games in many casinos, including Dream Vegas and BGO.
Best NetEnt Live Casino | First Deposit Bonus | Read Review |
---|---|---|
Energy Casino | No Bonus (UK) |
Extreme Live Gaming
Unlike NetEnt, Extreme Live Gaming has focused solely on the live casino market since its inception in 2013. This developer was purchased by Pragmatic Play from Novomatic in 2018 and aims to set new standards when it comes to live online gaming.
Extreme games include blackjack, roulette and baccarat. Extreme were the first to introduce side bets to live roulette games, and you will find their tables on casinos like Slots Magic, The Online Casino.
Best Extreme Live Gaming Casino | First Deposit Bonus | Read Review |
---|---|---|
The Online Casino | 200% / £50 + 50 Bonus Spins |
Evolution Gaming
Evolution Gaming have been around since 2006 and have picked up numerous awards for their live casino products. Their wide range of games includes blackjack, baccarat, roulette, hold ‘em poker, caribbean stud poker, 3 card poker and the Dream Catcher wheel of fortune game.
Evolution Gaming are widely regarded as one of – if not the – top live casino game providers today. You will find their games at Leo Vegas, 32red casino, William Hill and many other respected online casinos.
Best Evolution Gaming Live Casino | First Deposit Bonus | Read Review |
---|---|---|
32Red Casino | 150% / £150 |
Best casino platforms
Casino platforms have been developed to allow faster loading times when you access online casinos via your browser. These platforms aggregate games from a number of developers into one player to make it easier for online casinos to offer a range of different games from different providers.
Importantly, these casino platforms are good for the players as they allow instant play via the browser with no delays. Two of the most famous casino platforms are Quickfire and NYX Gaming
NYX Gaming
NYX Gaming was recently purchased by Scientific Gaming to expand the range of products on offer from the latter. The NYX Open Gaming System allows access to more than 2,000 games (over 600 on mobile) and won awards for the Best Casino Platform Supplier at the North American EGR Awards in 2017.
NYX supplies 80% of New Jersey operators and Paf is just the latest online casino to come on board with this award-winner.
Best NYX Platform Casino | First Deposit Bonus | Read Review |
---|---|---|
AHTI Games | 100% / 50 Super Spins |
Quickfire
Quickfire is a platform which was developed by industry giant developer Microgaming. Initially this platform only featured Microgaming titles, but it has expanded to take on games from other developers like NetEnt, Quickspin and Rabcat, to name but a few.
This platform is used by some of the biggest online casinos around, including bet365, Unibet, Betsson and Royal Vegas.
Best Quickfire Platform Casino | First Deposit Bonus | Read Review |
---|---|---|
PlayOJO | 50 Free Spins + 30 Extra FS |
New Online Casino Providers
Online casino game providers’ history
Online casinos have been around since the mid 1990s, with Microgaming the first game provider to develop a functional online casino. Microgaming, along with Net Entertainment and Playtech have long been at the forefront of this developing industry. NetEnt have produced some of the all-time classic slot games like Gonzo’s Quest and Starburst.
Meanwhile Playtech were the first ones to come up with online live dealer casino rooms. These three names remain the biggest of the bunch, but new developers like Yggdrasil and Thunderkick are challenging the old order with their creative and innovative contributions to the gaming world.
Progressive jackpot game providers
Progressive jackpot slots are the big daddies of the online casino world, attracting players in their droves thanks to those massive prizes on offer. Depending on the game and the provider the jackpot at stake could range from around £100 up to millions of pounds. There are plenty of game providers offering hefty jackpots, with games like Millionaire Genie from Random Logic and Millionaires Club from Cryptologic with jackpots which have extended well into the millions.
Playtech have created some monster jackpot slots like the Age of the Gods series and Jackpot Giant. However, the biggest of them all have to be Microgaming and NetEnt. Mega Moolah from Microgaming holds the world record for the biggest ever jackpot payout, but Mega Fortune is only slightly behind in second place. Games like Arabian Nights, Major Millions and Hall of Gods further demonstrate why these two providers are the biggest in the business.
Mobile games at online casinos
The Casino Gorilla is old enough to remember a time when a mobile phone was one with an extra long extension cord. Times have changed since the big guy was a little guy, and today’s smartphones are a world away to what was available just a generation ago. Casino game developers have not been slow to keep up with the smartphone revolution. Today more casino players use their phones over any other device to play real money games, and developers create new games first for mobiles and then for computer screens.
Classic games like Starburst have been updated to allow for a touch-screen element to enhance mobile gaming, and many others have followed suit. We are living in a mobile world where people want to be able to play the best games no matter where they are.
Future of online casino games
The Casino Gorilla has a wise head on those enormous shoulders, and if there is one person to ask about the future of online casino games then it’s that giant hairy ape-person currently demolishing a bucket full of bananas. Technology is the driving force when it comes to online casino gaming and has been for the last few years.
Leaps in tech have seen casino slot machines change from a 19th century machine with spinning drums full of playing cards to the incredible online video slots we play on our smartphones today. It has allowed for live streaming casino games and linked progressive jackpot slots.
With that in mind, we can be sure that tech will define the new boundaries of online casino gaming. For sure virtual reality headsets will have a role to play, allowing for an immersive casino gaming experience as close as possible to actually visiting a physical casino The Pokemon GO craze showed the power of augmented reality which has yet to be harnessed in casino play.
And of course we expect game designers to push the limits of what is possible to create bigger and better casino games. Even the Casino Gorilla doesn’t know exactly what the future has in store, but we can be sure that there is a bright future ahead for casino gaming.
Choosing the perfect online casino for yourself has become much more difficult these days. The reason is because you literally have thousands of options to pick from.
This task is made more difficult when considering that choosing good casinos is a subjective process. One player may value bonuses above anything else, while another only wants to play at sites with premium slots.
But despite how many factors and casino options there are, you can quickly whittle down your choices by focusing on five different aspects.
I’m going to cover each of these factors in depth, along with why they’re crucial to choosing the internet casino that best suits you.
1 – Is the Online Casino Available to Your Country?
I begin here because you don’t want to do a bunch of research on an internet casino, only to find that the site doesn’t accept players from your country.
The best way to figure this out is by looking at a casino website’s terms and conditions page. This section will list all of the casino’s restricted countries and territories.
Sometimes you’ll have to scroll through a large amount of text before finding the section.
This is why it’s easiest to use a PC and select the “Find” function on your web browser’s options. You can then type words such as “restrict,” “restricted,” or “countries” into the Find box to quickly reach the list of banned countries.
Casinos not only restrict countries, but also certain states or territories within the nation. For example, offshore casinos might accept all Americans except those from Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington.
The reason is because these states have regulated online gaming markets and/or strict felony laws on unlicensed operators. In any case, you can’t place bets at a casino that restricts your country/territory.
Why Do Some Online Casinos Accept US Players and Others Don’t?
Some countries are a grey area when it comes to online gambling. And the United States is the most lucrative grey area in the world.
You’ll commonly see Caribbean-based casinos offering services to American players. Meanwhile, licensed casinos in Europe steer clear of the US.
The reason for this divide is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which prevents American banks and financial institutions from processing online-gambling-related transactions.
The UIGEA isn’t a federal ban on online gaming. But it is a major roadblock for offshore casinos who want to serve Americans.
In the past, some offshore gaming sites set up dummy corporations and disguised casino deposits as other products (e.g. golf clubs, clothes, shoes).
The best example can be seen prior to 2011, when the CEREUS Network (Absolute and UB Poker), Full Tilt Poker, and PokerStars worked with sketchy payment processors and laundered money to get around the UIGEA.
Eventually, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) cracked down on these poker sites in an operation called “Black Friday.”
Black Friday made many offshore casinos, sportsbooks, and poker sites think twice about serving Americans. But nowadays, the same sites accept decentralized cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Litecoin to bypass the UIGEA.
For example, Full Tilt was using player deposit money to pay lofty executive salaries and enter into expensive sponsorship deals. When the US DOJ came calling and forced Full Tilt to exit America, they were unable to pay back an estimated $350 million in player funds.
This is the best example of how you take your chances with offshore sites.
Licensed Markets
Ideally, your country or state will have a regulated online gaming market with licensed casinos. The United Kingdom has the top licensed market in terms of options, freedom, and player protections.
UK residents have access to hundreds of licensed gaming sites, and the UK Gambling Commission protects players from rogue operators.
Many other European countries have set up regulated online gambling jurisdictions. Examples include Greece, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Spain, and the Netherlands.
Other nations, like the US and Germany, are grey areas, but have certain states with regulated iGaming.
American states with legal online gaming markets include Delaware, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. The German State of Schleswig-Holstein has also legalized and regulated the activity.
Given that these countries and states have strict laws in place for iGaming operators, they ban offshore casinos from operating within their borders.
2 – Game Selection and Number of Gaming Providers
Casino games are the sole reason why people join internet casinos in the first place. And this makes game selection one of the most important aspects of selecting a casino.
Many gaming sites tout how many slots they have, because these are the most popular games. But you’ll need to look further if you enjoy table games, scratch cards, video poker, and/or live dealer gaming.
It’s up to the individual to decide how many games they need to be satisfied. Personally, I like playing at online casinos that have at least two hundred slots and fifty or more other games.
But you can find casinos that have even more options than this. For example, SPiNiT Casino prominently advertises that they offer over 1,000 games.
Anybody who jumps back and forth between numerous casino games will love a site like this. But again, I’m fine with a casino that has around 250 games, provided they check off other important aspects on my list.
Why Is the Number of Gaming Providers Important?
Along with the number of games, it’s also good to find a casino that has multiple gaming providers.
The reason is because each casino software company has their own unique twist on games.
I prefer casinos that are supplied by at least three different software companies. But I’ve seen sites that have over a dozen providers, which is perfect for those who love variety.
Popular Gaming Providers
The online gambling world features dozens of software companies. Here are some of the most popular ones to look for:
- Actual Gaming
- Amaya
- Betsoft
- Cryptologic (under Amaya)
- Elk Studios
- Endorphina
- Evolution Gaming
- Ezugi
- GamesOS
- High 5 Games
- Merkur Gaming
- Microgaming
- NetEnt
- NextGen Gaming
- Novomatic
- Nuworks
- Play’n GO
- Playtech
- Pragmatic Play
- Quickspin
- Rival Gaming
- RealTime Gaming
- Saucify
- Thunderkick
- Visionary Gaming
- Yggdrasil Gaming
3 – Welcome Bonus and Promotions
Everybody likes earning money on the side of their casino play. And internet casinos give you plenty of opportunities to do this through the welcome bonus and other promotions.
The welcome bonus is a reward that casinos offer when you make your first deposit, or first series of deposits. Here’s an example:
- Welcome bonus worth up to $10,000 over three deposits.
- First deposit – 200% match up to $2,000
- Second deposit – 100% match up to $3,000
- Third deposit – 50% match up to $5,000
The match percentage dictates how much bonus money you stand to win based on your deposit. For example, depositing $100 under the 200% match gives you the chance to win a $200 bonus.
Obviously, players want to maximize the amount of free money they can earn. But you also must consider that most casinos put time restrictions on how long you have to earn the bonus.
If you’re a low roller with only thirty days to meet bonus wagering requirements (discussed next), then you don’t want to deposit $1,000.
Bonus Wagering Requirements
Casinos don’t allow you to cash out bonuses immediately after depositing. Otherwise, many players would simply make a deposit and withdraw the bonus right away.
Online casinos impose wagering requirements to keep this from happening. And the requirements are expressed in terms of a multiple of the bonus, or the bonus plus deposit amount.
Here’s an example:
- Wagering requirements of 20x bonus plus deposit
- 100% match bonus
- You deposit $100
- You’re eligible for a $100 bonus
- 20 x (100 + 100) = $4,000
- You must wager $4,000 to cash out your $100 bonus
Obviously, you want the wagering requirements to be as low as possible so you can earn the bonus quicker.
The industry standard is 40x the bonus, or 20x bonus plus deposit. I’ve seen casinos with wagering requirements as low as 30x the bonus and as high as 80x the bonus.
If you can find 40x wagering requirements or lower, then you’ll be in good shape with regard to earning your bonus.
Volume of Promotions and VIP Rewards
Another important factor to look for is how many promotions a casino offers. This ensures that you have other rewards to chase long after your welcome bonus offer is gone.
Casinos that have a different promotion every day of the week are great in this regard. For example, some casinos offer deposit bonuses, free spins, and more throughout the week.
You can also find casinos that offer different promos each month. These casinos usually feature really good seasonal promotions during Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.
The other aspect you want to consider is the VIP program. Loyalty rewards include cashback, free spins, special deposit bonuses, birthday presents, anniversary (join date) gifts, and more.
The amount of rewards you receive increases as you continue playing and moving up the VIP ladder. Those at the top of the pyramid receive the highest deposit bonuses, cashback rates, and number of free spins.
4 – Customer Support and Reputation
Customer service and reputation are factors that go along with each other when choosing a casino. This is because reputable casinos normally offer good customer service.
But I’ll discuss each of these separately, because they differ from each other in many ways.
Customer service holds great importance since there’ll inevitably be a time when you have an issue or want to ask a question. The last thing you want to hear is crickets when contacting the casino.
One way to find out if a casino has good support is by contacting them yourself. You email or use live chat to ask a simple question on the wagering requirements.
Online Casino Providers
Of course, this may not tell you the full story on the customer support department. This is why you should also consider looking for complaints on the casino.
AskGamblers is a good resource for this, because they have a section below each casino where players can leave comments.
The more negative feedback you see about the customer service, the worse their department may be. Likewise, fewer negative comments means that most players are satisfied.
One important thing to consider in this regard is that no casino is perfect. This means that you’re probably going to find at least a few negative incidents regarding every gaming site.
Contact Methods
You should only pick casinos with live chat, because it’s the quickest way to contact customer support. This allows you to get your questions and issues answered in the fastest manner possible.
Of course, some players prefer email or phone support. Every online casino has email support, but not all of them take phone calls.
Whatever your preferred contact method, visit a casino’s customer service page to see how they can be reached.
Visit Casino Watchdog Sites
Certain websites have developed reputations as watchdogs for the online gambling industry. Examples include CasinoMeister, ThePogg, and WizardofOdds.
These sites blacklist nefarious casinos or label them as “rogues” (CasinoMeister). Common reasons for blacklisting casinos include poor customer service, failing to honor bonus terms, and running unfair games.
The latter is the most serious offense, because you should never play at a casino that runs faulty software. Luckily, this is a rare problem within the gaming industry.
Poor customer service can be the result of one or two bad employees. But when you see a history of bad service, then you know to avoid the blacklisted casino.
Sometimes players complain about not receiving bonuses when they’re in the wrong. But in other cases, the casino may be trying to use a loophole or even outright cheat players during disagreements.
The overall key is to use discretion when figuring out if a blacklisted casino should be completely avoided.
5 – Available Banking Options
Much like restricted countries, you need to check what banking options are available at an online casino before doing any more research.
This is especially the case when you live in grey area countries like the US. American players don’t have many online casino banking options due to the UIGEA.
This is one example of why players need to check out a casino’s cashier section beforehand. The goal is to find at least one banking method you can use.
If all else fails, you can always use a decentralized cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Litecoin.
These are peer-to-peer currencies that aren’t regulated by a central bank or governments. This allows internet casinos to get around laws in countries like the US and Canada.
Available Online Casino Banking Options
Here are some different deposit methods you can use across the internet casino industry:
- Abaqoos
- Amazon gift card
- American Express
- AstroPay Card
- Bank wire
- Bitcoin
- Check
- Click2Pay
- Diners Club International
- Discover Card
- EcoPayz
- eKonto
- Euteller
- GiroPay
- iDeal
- JCB
- MasterCard
- Moneta
- Neteller
- PayPal
- PaySafeCard
- QIWI
- Skrill
- Sofort
- Visa
- Visa Electron
- Zimpler
Withdrawal Wait Times and Cashout Limits
Online Casino Software Providers
One of the biggest complaints about online casinos is slow withdrawal processing. If you want to get your money off an online casino, you shouldn’t have to wait weeks to get it.
Check out reviews or industry watchdog reports on how quickly casinos process cash-outs. No online casino should take more than 24 to 48 hours to process a withdrawal.
Another factor to consider is withdrawal limits. Some casinos set these low so that they don’t have to pay big winners all at once.
The industry standard for cashout limits is $5,000 per week.
This might sound reasonable, but let’s say you win a progressive slots jackpot worth $20,000. Chances are that you won’t be happy having to cash out $5,000 every week for four weeks.
Withdrawal and deposit limits can be found on a casino’s cashier/banking page.
Conclusion
It may not sound appealing to do everything outlined in the steps above. After all, it takes time to look at a casino’s terms and conditions, banking methods, and game selection.
But how much time would you spend to find the perfect casino? One that has great games, solid customer service, and processes withdrawals in a timely manner?
Personally, I’d spend at least one hour after I’ve zeroed in on a specific casino.
Of course, you also have to whittle down the numerous available options. I suggest checking out the top recommended casinos in order to speed up the process.
Again, remember to check whether your country is accepted at a specific casino and look into the banking options first. This will show if you’re able to actually play at the casino before you put any more research into the matter.