Casino Software Providers
The gambling industry in the UK is an exciting, ever-evolving landscape. At the heart of all online casinos lies the game you play - and these games come not from one, but many different software providers.
These tech-savvy pioneers constantly push the boundaries with cutting-edge software, game mechanics and bonuses and promotions - and on this page, we'll look into the best casino game providers in the UK. From industry veterans like Microgaming to rising stars like Nolimit City, we'll cover all the names you’re likely to come across when gambling online in the UK - so, let’s get started!
Top Casino Game Providers UK
The top casino game providers in the UK is somewhat of a subjective term; for example, you may love games from Microgaming, but hate those from Play’n Go. Still, regardless of personal preference, there’s no disputing the fact that several game developers stand out from the rest. Below, we’ll be showing you some of the top casino game providers in the UK today.
Microgaming
As one of the oldest and most well-known casino software providers, Microgaming has been shaping the online gambling landscape since its creation in 1994. It proudly holds the title of developing the first true online casino software and later, the first mobile casino software.
Microgaming's vast gaming library includes iconic slots like 'Mega Moolah' - famous for its record-breaking jackpots - and non-jackpot games like Immortal Romance, Thunderstruck II, and Avalon II.
While Microgaming’s slots have seen a slight decrease in popularity in recent years (due to the large number of competitors now entering the market) their games remain classics within the online gambling industry. Plus, here’s an interesting fact for you: Microgaming holds a Guinness World Record for the "Largest Jackpot Payout in an Online Slot Machine Game", which resulted, of course, from Mega Moolah!
Pragmatic Play
Pragmatic Play burst onto the scene in 2015, although their roots go long back, to the time when they were known as Top Game. While, at first, their games were seen as pretty low-variance and uninspiring, they’ve rapidly turned this around in the last few years, and now offer some of the most popular games in the world.
Some of their best-known games include Wolf Gold and The Dog House - and they’ve also partnered up with Big Time Gaming, so many of their most popular video slots have been re-released in a Megaways format.
One of the notable features you’ll find in Prahmatic’s slots is their 'Replay' function, enabling players to replay a visual display of their winning spins. With online gambling licences all around the world, their games aren’t just found at UK casinos, either - so it’s no wonder they’ve become somewhat of a household name in the iGaming industry.
Nolimit City
Nolimit City is a Sweden-based software provider that was founded in 2013. The company may be relatively young, at least when compared to some of the industry giants like Netent and Microgaming, but they’ve done an incredible job producing highly-volatile games that offer maximum wins worth tens of thousands of times the stake.
Some of their most popular titles include 'San Quentin xWays' and 'Deadwood', both of which are famous for their immersive storylines and high volatility. In fact, the former is capable of producing wins worth more than 100,000X your stake - so that means a £2 bet could return a staggering £200,000!
What Nolimit City is most famous for, however, is introducing advanced mechanics like xWays and xNudge in their games. These are brand-new concepts that we haven’t seen in other casino games before - and they’ve proven to be incredibly popular with players, working well with the high variance nature of their games.
Play’n Go
Launched in 1997, Play'n Go is one of the best-known casino game developers in the world, and their video slots and casino table games can be found at virtually every online casino in the UK. They’re known for their mobile-optimised games, and many consider them, alongside Netent, as a key pioneer in mobile gaming.
Their rich portfolio, including fan-favourites like 'Book of Dead' and 'Reactoonz', both offer a perfect blend of great graphics and captivating narratives. One thing that’s pretty unique about Play’n Go is that they’ve generally strayed away from the ultra high variance games we’re seeing from many software providers. This means the win potential in many of their games is capped at 5,000X - but this suits many players, and they have, essentially, carved out their own niche in today’s online gambling environment.
Evolution
Evolution - previously Evolution Gaming - was founded in 2006, and they revolutionised the live dealer games sector with their immersive, television-quality broadcasts. They’re one of the only software providers in the world that focuses exclusively on live dealer games, so you won’t find any virtual casino games or video slots from them.
They offer a huge range of live dealer games, including many variations of classics like Roulette and Blackjack, along with more creative titles like Monopoly LIVE and Crazy Time. Evolution won the 'Live Casino Supplier of the Year' award for more than ten consecutive years, and it’s pretty rare to find an online casino offering live dealer games without seeing Evolution’s portfolio.
Wazdan
Wazdan entered the online gambling market back in 2010 and have since released more than 120 unique video slots. Some of their better-known titles include 9 Lions and Larry the Leprechaun - and one of the hallmark traits of Wazdan’s games is their incredibly high quality and lifelike graphics.
Another major benefit of playing their video slots is their 'Volatility Levels' option, which allows you to adjust the volatility of the games you play, according to your own personal preference. While Wazdan isn’t the most popular game developer in the world (they only received their UK licence fairly recently) they’re slowly beginning to receive the credit they deserve - and we expect to see them become much more mainstream in the coming months and years.
Elk Studios
Founded in 2013, Elk Studios is a Swedish game studio that focuses on developing fun to play, user-friendly and exciting video slots. While they generally focus on protruding low-variance games, the last few years has seen them move into creating high-variance titles, too. Some of their most popular video slots include Ecuador Gold and Taco Brothers - both of which have had a number of spinoff games made.
Aside from their distinct artistic style, one of Elk Studios’ most unique concepts is their “betting strategies”. This allows you to pick one of four betting options which automatically changes your next bet amount depending on the result of the previous spin; for example, you can set it to increase your bet after a winning spin, and vice versa.
Big Time Gaming
Big Time Gaming, established in 2011, is the creator of the innovative Megaways mechanic that offers up to 117,649-ways-to-win on every spin. This Australian-based software provider is widely considered to have changed the online gambling landscape forever after they released Dragon Born and Bonanza Megaways - and they essentially kickstarted the wave of high variance video slots we’re seeing so often today.
In addition to their Megaways mechanic, Big Time Gaming also helped popularise the bonus buy feature - although, unfortunately, due to UKGC regulations, this is no longer available to players in the UK.
Barcrest
With a history dating back to 1968, Barcrest is the oldest casino game developer we’ve covered on this page, and they have a deep-rooted presence in the gaming industry. Initially, Barcrest developed fruit machine games for arcades, bingo halls - and, later, video slots for bookmakers - in the UK. However, they were also one of the early adapters to the online gambling world, porting many of their offline games over to the online world.
Barcrest’s claim to fame came with their 'Rainbow Riches' series of games which is, arguably, the most popular video slot in the UK. It’s found in almost every arcade in the country, and over a dozen spinoff games have been released around the theme. They introduced the “Big Bet” mechanic to players - which proved hugely popular - and continue to be a leading name in the UK’s gambling scene.