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A gambling legend like John Montagu would not be able to recognize today’s online gambling world. Today, access to all manners of graphics, and high-tech gaming options are not only standard but a necessity. From live dealer roulettes to Hollywood-themed video slots with immersive sounds and HD graphics, casino software developers have exceeded the expectations of many players in the gambling industry.
As technology advanced, so has the innovation and creativity of developers behind the software that runs our online casinos. Their efforts have resulted in many casino software helped transform the traditional gambling industry. Thus, positioning the casino gambling industry for dominance in the twenty-first century and the future. However, things have not always been this way. As John Montagu would bear witness, going back to the beginning of online casinos will help you better appreciate the exploits of casino software developers.
The Genesis of Internet Casinos
By the mid-90s, the internet revolution had already taken off. During this period, three occurrences ignited the industry of casino game developers simultaneously. Firstly, the people’s republic of Antigua and Barbuda passed a law in 1994. This legislation authorized the appropriate institutions to issue licenses to operators from around the world who desire to start online casinos.
Around the same time, a pioneering software development company called Microgaming started operation. The following year, a company called CryptoLogic began with the aim of introducing several online money transactions. Together, these three events mark the genesis of the multibillion-dollar online gaming industry. Thus, several of the best online casino games developers roll licensing, software development, and payment processing features into their product offerings.
Today, Microgaming has risen to the forefront of the casino software development industry. To better understand the full impact of this company on the online gambling games and the gambling industry at large, let’s take a closer look at these developers.
Pioneer Casino Software Developers
Despite the long-standing dispute about which casino was the first one online, generally, Microgaming receives this honor. In 1994, the company set up a Gaming Club with a license obtained from Antigua. However, a website couldn’t launch for online players without a casino gaming program. This was a great software engineering feat since there were no prior versions at the point to emulate. Hence, Microgaming, in a sense, deserves this honor as the pioneers of the move to online gambling.
Also, this company of casino software developers was the first to develop a progressive jackpot game. Microgaming launched this new breed of internet casino games in 1998. Its name was Cash Splash, and it allowed a particular percentage of the wagers to be collected into a common pool for a bigger jackpot.
Though all these were great achievements, Microgaming’s most significant contribution to the online gambling industry was their exploits as standalone casino software developers. From experience gained through the operation of their casino, the company discovered that the main potential lay in creating epic casino games for the ever-growing audiences. Thus, their developers concentrated their efforts on setting new standards in the casino software arena. By doing so, they released the first online three and five-reel slots for the gambling audiences around the world. Today, you can find many such slot games for sale, and the rest is history.
The Titans in the Industry
As Microgame left a trail of significant achievements, others followed in its footsteps. Thus, a lot of the companies that did so went on to become titans in the online gambling industry. For instance, a company called Wagerlogic was started by Cryptologic. Cryptologic noticed the potential for casino software developers and decided to create a separate business entity to tackle meet the anticipated software demands in the online gambling industry.
The parent company of Cryptologic has in-depth knowledge of online payment security and communication encryption. As such, these experiences and expertise translated into very sophisticated and secure online casino software which Wagerlogic developed.
Following this was Net Entertainment began business in 1996 and later changed its name to NetEnt. The company is Sweden-based and believes in innovation on all fronts. Today, NetEnt is rivaling Microgaming in many aspects of industry leadership. The company launched the first animated and themed 3D slots, as well as many casino mobile gaming products. Right after this, began another remarkable developer company called Playtech. They were among some of the first casino software developers to combine expertise from game designing and multimedia into creating Live Dealer gaming technology.
Since the birth of these popular names to date, other significant companies have emerged to contribute to their share of the overall growth of the industry. Some of these include names like Stallion Gaming, Skillmine Games, Real Time Gaming, International Gaming Technology, and Evolution Gaming. In some cases you’ll find than your standard casino software, there are also internet cafe sweepstakes software and games of all kinds to be bought from these developers.
Innovators of Mobile Casinos
If the recent sudden boost in the online casino market can be attributed to any single development, this will be the development of mobile technology. By 2020, the mobile phone had gained worldwide popularity. However, it didn’t dominate the gaming space until the release of Java Micro Edition. With this new release, developers could take full advantage of mobile technology. Hence, develop games and applications of all kinds. The year 2005 saw the launch of the first Java mobile game.
It was in this same year that the early casino games like Downtown Texas Hold Em and Pub Fruity hit the gambling market. They instantly became favorites for gamers around the world. However, Java had its limitations, and this became more apparent as different mobile platforms began to emerge.
Thus, the industry needed a solution. This solution arrived in 2008 in the form of a new software language called HTML5. For the first time, casino software developers could combine Javascript, HTML5, and CSS & HTML to develop more compatible games. Now casino games like online mobile slots could be played with any operating system and on any device.
In this regard, NetEnt led the charge to create hundreds of casino titles for smartphone players. However, the innovations were far from over. Other vital contributions like the Live Deals casinos will forever alter the course of the casino industry.
Live Deals in Online Casinos
The introduction of Live Dealer games is another significant curve in the casino software developers’ timeline. The earlier mentioned company, Playtech, produced the first Live Dealer title about seventeen years ago in 2003. However, this feat didn’t come in isolation. The company leveraged the improvements in streaming technology to put together a more authentic gaming experience for players. Thereby providing the closest thing to a real-life casino environment.
In addition to this, other significant casino gaming innovations like bitcoin casino software and virtual reality gaming are also gaining popularity online. The advent of cryptocurrency is slowly but showing changing the way people all over the world transact business. Hence, some major players in the casino gambling arena are taking advantage of this shift with casinos that accept cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ether, Ripple, etc.
The Trend Going Forward
The story of casino software developers is a long and upward one. With many names added as the years go by. By the 2010s, the casino industry online witnessed fierce competition among rival companies. This proved useful for the industry since it led to innovations, and the creation of multiplayer games, Free to Play games, themed slots, and many more. You can expect more amazing titles and technologies for the online casino industry going forward. Also, players today find some of their favorite titles in cafes and game shops all over the world. This is due to a diversification in the tasks of developers who now create internet cafe software and other apps associated with the profitable running of the casino industry.
