The online casino software industry has exploded over the last years with many new niche developers building fantastic games, resulting in incredible choice for players.
About UK Casino Platforms
On this page we discuss the top software powering the best UK casinos. On this page you will find:
- A list of many of the best online casino software providers.
- Tips on how choose the right casino software.
- A comparative analysis of some of the top providers most suited to UK residents.
Back in the early 2000's there were but a handful of casino software providers but that has changed over the years because of the huge popularity that online casinos enjoy. More and more software providers have joined the fray. The exciting thing for players is that to survive, new entrants have to innovate. This in turn has forced the established developers into their own cycle of innovation over the last few years. The net result for players is an amazing range of games to suit every palette.
Top Online Casino Software Providers Powering UK Casinos
Click on any of the software providers listed below to learn more. For each of them we will recommend a list of casinos with the best bonuses for UK players that use software from the provider you have clicked on. We have also reviewed the casinos listed to ensure all the information you need is at your fingertips. For each provider we also recommend our top three in a shortlist.
Choosing the Best Casino Software Provider - Factors that Matter
One of the keys to choosing the right UK casino to play at is looking at the software that powers the casino. That itself can be quite difficult given that there are quite a few top quality providers around. What it finally comes down to is being able to determine what your requirements are and which software fulfills those requirements the best.
Sometimes all the things you are looking at may not be available with one provider. There is thankfully a way out of that one: there are quite a few casino operators who offer casinos that use software from multiple providers, giving you a chance to experience the best of them all at a single location. Regardless of all this, there are a few key things that go into deciding which software works best for you. These include, among others:
- Reputation
- Game quality
- Security and reliability
- Licensing and regulation
- Customer support
- Payment method support
Reputation
The single biggest factor when it comes to choosing the right software provider is, in one word, reputation. A good reputation is a guarantee of all the things that players usually look out for. A software provider that has been around for 2 decades is a sure bet for fair play because they would not be able to last that long if their software was flawed.
Quality of Games Offered
For a player, the quality of games that a casino software provider offers is likely to be the single biggest factor when it comes to choosing the right casino with the right casino software; this is true for casino operators as well. While all the top casino software providers offer high quality games, there are differences among the offerings as well.
You will come across providers that are known for high quality or 3D graphics, while there are some that are known for frequent payouts. There are some who are known for more bonuses features in the games, while there are others that are known for the progressive jackpots on offer. There are also some who have a bad reputation that precedes them. What you are looking for will determine to a large extent which software you go for.
Security and Reliability
Security is one thing every player looks for in an online casino, especially considering that the environment is virtual and you are transacting with and interacting with people or parties who you have never seen or met. All major software providers are known for providing highly secure play environments through the use of the latest and state-of-the-art online security technology, including secure socket layer (SSL) encryption.
That is not all; these software providers are reliable too. Testimony to their reliability is in the different certifications that they obtain from various reputed independent third party auditors and testing agencies for reliability, including organizations like eCOGRA, Technical Systems Testing (TST), which is now part of Gaming Labs International (GLI), iTech Labs, and more. These agencies test the randomness of the random number generator (RNG) that the casino uses.
Licensing and Jurisdiction
Licensing and jurisdiction are 2 major indicators of how good a particular casino software provider is. All the best UK casinos using software from the top providers are licensed in some of the most recognized licensing jurisdictions, including:
- Kahnawake
- Isle of Man
- Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) of Malta
- UK Gambling Commission
- Alderney Gambling Control Commission
- Government of Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles
Customer Support
Another factor that determines the efficiency of a specific software provider is the level of customer support that it enables. A good casino software provider will offer support in multiple languages to make it easier for even those players who are not proficient in English to play the games available. Access through live chat is another indicator of how good and how player-centric a specific casino and the software powering it is.
Payment Support
The level of payment support also helps determine how good a casino and the software powering it is. Payment support happens at 2 levels:
- Currencies supported: A good online casino software provider will allow players to transact in multiple currencies, one of which could even if their local currency. This works great for the player as it saves them the hassle of dealing with foreign exchange rates and currency conversion.
- Payment methods supported: Some casinos offer lesser payment methods while some offer more. The more the number of payment methods available the wider the spread for you to choose from.
Comparison between Major UK Casino Software Providers
So which are the major software providers that cater to the UK market? There are quite a few of them actually, all big names and with fantastic games and features. The biggest among the lot by far are:
| Software | Key Features | No. of Games | No. of Slots | No. of Progressive Slots | Biggest Single Win to Date | Live Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Cutting edge software Huge cache of games Progressive jackpots in the millions |
850+ games, 1200+ variants | 650+ | 40+ | €17,879,645 | Yes |
 PLAY NOW |
 |
500+ games, including the exciting Marvel and Hollywood slots Amazing 4-tier Marvel jackpots Runs the largest online poker network, the iPoker network |
500+ | 350+ | 35+ | $8,211,861 | Yes |
 PLAY NOW |
 |
Over 200 high quality games Only instant play Flash mode available Millions of dollars' worth of progressive jackpots |
200+ | 120+ | 12 | €17.8 million | Yes |
 PLAY NOW |
 |
One of the oldest casino software providers High quality online and mobile casino games Largest minimum progressive jackpot payout in the industry |
130+ | 80+ | 6 | $3 million | No |
 PLAY NOW |
Microgaming
Microgaming was launched in 1994 and is based out of the Isle of Man. Right from the beginning it has been at the forefront of the online casino software industry. Its Viper software, launched in 2002, is considered among the best in the industry even today, and it continues to maintain its dominant position through its cache of high quality games and services and associations with different service providers like Quickfire.
Today more than 500 brands use this award-winning software provider's cache of 850+ online casino games available in download and instant play Flash modes. Other products include multi-player games, poker, bingo, land-based casino games, a sportsbook, live dealer games, and also mobile games (350+ in all - 135+ developed in the HTML5 platform and more than 250 native apps).
Playtech
Playtech was established in 1999 and is today the largest online casino software provider traded on the London Stock Exchange Main Market. It is headquartered in the Isle of Man and is known for its fantastic range of products, including:
- Casino games
- Poker
- Bingo
- Live games
- Sportsbook
- Social gaming
- Lottery
- Casual and fixed odds games
- Mobile games
Playtech has a range of high quality casino games, including the amazing Marvel slots developed in association with Marvel Comics. It also has a number of Hollywood slots that are based on Hollywood blockbusters thanks to its association with some of the biggest production houses in Hollywood. It offers its mobile game portfolio through the Mobile Hub that it developed together with Mobenga in 2012. It also offers a range of back-end services, including hosting and support, financial services, fraud prevention, and much more.
NetEnt
NetEnt is a top-notch online casino software provider that was founded in 1996 and is based out of Sweden, with offices in Ukraine, Malta, Gibraltar, Poland, and USA. It is licensed in multiple jurisdictions, including Malta, Alderney, Gibraltar, UK, Spain, Romania, Belgium, and New Jersey, and listed on NASDAQ OMX. Its popularity is apparent from one simple statistic - in 2014 it conducted 21.4 billion transactions.
NetEnt launched its first casino in 2002 and its first mobile game in 2011. Today, more than 100 casino brands use the 200+ exciting online casino games, which include casino games as well as live dealer games, not to mention pooled jackpots. All its games are powered by innovation, which is why you find unique and eye-catching features in each of them.
IGT
International Game Technology (IGT) is one of the leading providers of end-to-end gaming solutions in the world today, catering not just to online casinos but also the mobile casino space and the land-based casino industry. The company is based out of the UK and has offices in Rome, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Providence (Rhode Island) in the USA. The company has over 12,000 employees today.
Overall, IGT has one of the largest caches of games, a significant number of which are directed to the online casino industry. It acquired Wager Works in 2005 and made its foray into the online casino industry. Its offering of games now includes games for the mobile casino industry as well.