Casino Software

Casino Software Platfroms

What is casino software?

In the past, this was a much easier question to answer as everything in an online casino generally came from the same provider. Let’s take Playtech as an example. Until quite recently Playtech casinos only offered games by Playtech and wholly owned subsidiaries, and conversely they were the only places where Playtech games could be played. So “Playtech casino” meant both a casino managed by Playtech and a casino full of Playtech games and these were essentially the same thing.

The same was true of Microgaming, until the advent of Quickfire. This innovative product did two things:

1. It allowed Microgaming slot games to be supplied to non Microgaming casinos
2. It allowed smaller games studios to sign a distribution agreement with Microgaming to supply their games to new markets worldwide

As Games Global have now taken over both the Microgaming back catalogue and the games distribution, “Microgaming casino” no longer really means anything.

Playtech now has a similar product and this has enabled Playtech games to be rolled out to non Playtech casinos. For instance, Jumpman Gaming sites now offer a range of Playtech slots, but this doesn’t make them Playtech casinos.

What’s the difference between a casino software platform and a games software provider?

• Casino software platform is the infrastructure of the casino which enables deposits & withdrawals, bonusing, promotions etc. It also affects which games are available as it depends on which games software providers the casino platform provider has a relationship with.
• Games software providers create and supply the actual games.

In the case of the Jumpman sites as discussed above, Jumpman Gaming is the casino software platform and Playtech is one of the many games software providers they use.

It’s not always that cut and dried though – there’s often some overlap as several casino software platform providers write their own games as well as bringing them in from 3rd party games software providers.

Almost all casino software platforms power multiple sites, either as

1. Multiple sites all owned by the same operator who also owns the platform, or
2. White label sites, where the platform is provided as a turnkey casino solution to small time operators, or
3. Some of each

L&L Europe

L&L specialise in niche products, whether they are looking to fill a geographical niche as with All British Casino or a different type of niche as with the now defunct Free Spins Casino. The platform has recently undergone some big improvements in terms of both usability and range of games, and is now being offered as a white label solution whereas it was previously confined to house sites.

Dazzletag

Dazzletag are known for quirky design and peak gamification. All of their sites are house owned, and some have bingo as well as slots.

Betable

Betable was a platform that powered various apps as well as a few casinos such as Temple Slots. Players were only allowed to have one Betable account and once you’d signed up at one Betable site you had access to all of them.  For quite a while there were no Betable casinos that still accepted new players but they have now found a fresh solution via a collaboration with Grace Media.

Gamesys

Gamesys are both a platform provider and slot game provider, but only to their own sites. The Gamesys proprietary bingo, poker and slot games are complemented by a dazzling array of slot and casino games from other providers.

Playtech

Playtech too are both a platform provider and slot game provider, but the Playtech-only casinos that used to be so common are slowly disappearing. Even giant bookies such as Paddy Power that used to have a Playtech casino as one of their many products are moving away from that, integrating the Playtech slots into a more comprehensive games tab rather than ghettoising them in a separate area.

Microgaming aka Games Global

Microgaming as a platform provider dates back to the days when you had to download the casino games to your computer – a far cry from today’s world of mobile phone compatible browser games. For a while after that, Microgaming-only casinos offered a fuller range of slots than were available via Quickfire but those days too are largely gone.

Rank Digital

These sites are the result of iGaming giant Rank taking over Stride Gaming, who took over Daub Alderney.  The Daub branding remained on many of the sites until recently. The proprietary bingo software has been retired but they still have some proprietary slot games as well as many from other providers including Novomatic.

Entain

Entain is the new name for giant iGaming company GVC (who own Bwin Party and Ladbrokes Gala Coral). The Entain platform is based on the old Cozy Games platform which was acquired in 2017.  Since then it has been massively improved in terms of the number of slot game providers on board; Entain have access to more than 3000 games including Playtech slots as well as many exclusives.  All Entain sites have the High level of player funds protection which provides complete reassurance if you ever have substantial sums in your account.

Playbook

Playbook is a relatively new sportsbook and casino platform which can be supplied either under a white label arrangement (in which case the licence holder is Playbook Gaming Ltd) or just as a platform (with a different licence holder).

 

Casino platforms that are no longer available in the UK

Over the last couple of years we’ve seen many online casinos exit the UK market, whether voluntarily or whether they lost their UK licence, and in some cases entire casino software platforms have said goodbye.  If one of these was your go-to, you’re out of luck!

MT Securetrade

MT Securetrade casinos were heavily gamified, drawing on themes such as fantasy, gangsters and even the infamous video game character Leisure Suit Larry. Almost all of the theming and gamification ended up having to be hidden from UK players for regulatory reasons and it came as no surprise when they surrendered their UK licence.

EveryMatrix

EveryMatrix is not so much a white label solution as a whole suite of casino, sportsbook and payments management products from which a bespoke solution can be offered, including licensing and payment processing. As a white label supplier, they lost their UK licence in summer 2019 but some UK licensed platforms still use EveryMatrix technology for payment processing and other account management functions.

Gaming Realms

The platform originally developed by Gaming Realms and subsequently run by River iGaming powered a whole series of TV tie in sites including X Factor Games but these all closed suddenly in December 2019. A few have since resurfaced as Skill On Net or Jumpman sites.

BGO

BGO is short for bingo and the original BGO site had proprietary bingo software. BGO’s subsequent deal with Playtech enabled them to run games by many other providers alongside Playtech slots and bingo, and in 2017 they started rolling out more sites on their proprietary platform (minus the bingo). For a while they were well known for their No Wagering style of welcome offer, which had to be introduced following their first run-in with the UK Gambling Commission in 2017.  This was later replaced by a spin the wheel style offer.  BGO had a second run-in with the UKGC in 2020 which resulted in a £2 million fine and ultimately led to their licence being suspended, then surrendered in October 2021.

Genesis Global

Genesis Global casinos including Sloty and Casino Joy were based on an EveryMatrix back end and had massive numbers of slot games. They were house owned with no white label availability. After having a run-in with the regulator in 2021 that resulted in their UK licence being suspended for months, they left the UK permanently at the end of 2022 and declared insolvency soon afterwards.

InTouch

The InTouch platform was intended for use on mobile phones and they developed all their own games.  InTouch had a run-in with the Gambling Commission in early 2023 over historical social responsibility failings and were fined £6.1 million.  It wasn’t their first fine either; they had previously been fined in 2019 and 2021. In September 2023, the Gambling Commission took further action and suspended the InTouch operating licence in order to carry out a licence review.  Parent organisation Skywind decided the best course of action was to surrender the licence and close the sites (it’s worth noting that all of the issues relate to a period prior to the acquisition of InTouch by Skywind).  The games themselves live on as the in house studio Slot Factory continues to make games and newer Slot Factory games are now available at a number of other sites.