Published on 29th January 2016 by Becky Mosley

The online gaming market has grown incredibly over the past two decades and with it there has been a sharp rise in the number of companies offering casino software. Go back twenty years and you’d only find two major slot software companies operating. Fast-forward to 2016 and that number has dramatically increased with the rise in demand for online slots and casino software.Slot software companies provide web-based casinos with the technology and programming they need to run online slots. In an industry that is forever moving forward these companies are known for pushing boundaries in design, graphics and entertainment value.Here we take a look at some of the biggest casino software companies (in no particular order) operating in the industry today.

Microgaming Software Systems Ltd

If you’re a fan of contemporary online slots then the chances are you will have played a Microgaming slot. One of the gaming industry’s biggest names, Microgaming was founded in 1994 and claims to have created the first ever online casino. Since then Microgaming has become synonymous with innovation and development. This casino software company has over 600 unique titles under its belt including both classic slots and modern story-led slots such as Avalon II and Immortal Romance.

Net Entertainment

Another big player on the online gambling market is Swedish based casino software development company Net Entertainment AB, more widely known as NetEnt. NetEnt has also been around since the mid-1990s and is behind many of the world’s most popular slot games including the likes of Starburst and Gonzo’s Quest. The company has also worked in partnership with other entertainment companies, such as Universal Pictures, to create branded games that have proved to be a hit with players. Many NetEnt powered games have generous payback percentages ranging from 95-98%. This along with the range of bonus features within games, makes NetEnt games popular with players.

International Game Technology PLC

Better known as IGT, this casino software company has its holding company headquarters in the United Kingdom with offices across Europe and the US. IGT has a long background in land-based slot machines and made the leap into casino software design when it bought over one of its competitors, WagerWorks in 2005. Since then IGT has become a well-known name in the industry providing a large portfolio of slot titles including Monopoly, Lord of the Rings and Ghostbusters to over 100 casinos around the world.

Playtech

Playtech is one of the world’s leading providers of online gaming software with offices in nine countries and almost 3,000 employees. The company offers a wide range of gambling services including bingo, sports betting, lotteries and of course casino games. The software provided by Playtech tends to be extremely user-friendly and the extent of their work appeals to a wide variety of players. Over 500 different Playtech games are available and agreements with the likes of Marvel and MGM allows the software developer exclusive rights over branded games. This has led to the extremely popular Marvel Slots series, featuring characters like Hulk, Iron Man and X-Men. There are also loads of progressive jackpots run by Playtech, which draws in both players and casinos choosing to use the company’s software.

Aristocrat

Again having started out in physical casinos, Aristocrat jumped on the online bandwagon in the early 2000s and began to release internet titles. They have successfully adapted many land-based games into online slots but also have a strong catalogue of games specifically developed for web-based casinos. Aristocrat is now turning its attention towards mobile gaming as demand for on the go slots increases. Popular Aristocrat titles include The Big Bang Theory, Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead.

Betsoft Gaming

Betsoft may not be quite as famous as many of its competitors but what this online gaming software company lacks in exposure, it more than makes up for in impressive graphics and design. Betsoft slots come in pretty much any theme you could come up with and many have the added bonus of the company’s innovative 3D cinema grade graphics. The quality of the Slots3 series of interactive video slots makes them indistinguishable from contemporary animated films and video games. At the time of writing Betsoft has over 150 casino games under its belt with more being released all the time.

RealTime Gaming

Founded in the late 1990s, RealTime Gaming, or RTG as it’s better known, has plenty of experience in developing casino software. New releases are regularly launched and the company has a reputation of high quality games. Though the company is most well known for its slots, it does provide other online casino games including poker, blackjack, roulette, keno and craps. RTG boasts a huge collection of online slots and have deals with some of the biggest names in entertainment to provide film, television and video game tie-ins.