Top casino picks for this page
A quick shortlist before the full guide below.
Betfred Casino
Get 200 free spins when you stake £10
TermsNew customers only. Opt In required. £/€10 min stake on Casino slots within 30 days of registration. Max bonus 200 Free Spins on selected games credited within 48 hours. Free Spins expire after 7 days. iOS app restrictions may apply. Email/SMS validation may apply. Not available in NI. Full T&Cs apply.- UK licence checked
- Fast withdrawals
- Withdrawal-friendly cashier
Genting Casino
100% up to £25 + 50 Free Spins
TermsAutomatically credited upon 1st Deposit (min £10). Max Bonus £25. Game: Big Bass Bonanza, Spin Value: £0.1. WR 10x Bonus (only Slots count) in 30 days. WR 10x free spin winnings (only Slots count) in 30 days. Max bet is 10% (min £0.10) of the free spin winnings and bonus or £5 (lowest applies). Bonus Policy applies.- UK licence checked
- Trusted payments
- Free spins included
Pub Casino
Deposit and wager £10 for 50 cash spins (at 20p)
TermsNew players only | Deposit & wager at least £10 to get free spins | Free Spins winnings are cash | No max cash out | Eligibility is restricted for suspected abuse | Skrill deposits excluded | Free Spins value £0.20 per spin | Free Spins expire in 48 hours |- UK licence checked
- Apple Pay ready
- Free spins included
50 Wager free Spins when you stake £50
Terms18+. New players only. Opt-in required. Min deposit £20. Offer is 50 wager free spins on Big Bass Splash when wagering min. £50 on slots by 23:59 GMT on the same day as your first deposit. The wager-free spins must be used within 72hrs. Winnings from free spins credited as cash funds and capped at £50. Cash funds are immediately withdrawable. Affordability checks apply.. Terms Apply. BeGambleAware.org- UK licence checked
- Cash funds
- Withdrawal-friendly cashier
Deposit and wager £10 for 100 cash spins (at 10p)
TermsNew players only | Deposit & wager at least £10 to get free spins | Free Spins winnings are cash | No max cash out | Eligibility is restricted for suspected abuse | Skrill deposits excluded | Free Spins value £0.10 per spin | Free Spins expire in 48 hours |- UK licence checked
- Cash spins
- Free spins included
100% Bonus of up to 100 Bonus Spins on Big Bass Bonanza
Terms18+. New players only. Opt-in required. Min deposit £20. Welcome offer is 1 Yoo Spin for every £1 deposited up to 100 spins. To claim the offer, you need to wager min £20 on slots from your 1st deposit by 23:59 GMT. Spins are credited in proportion to your deposit amount and are valid on Big Bass Bonanza. Winnings from bonus spins are credited as bonus funds and are capped at an equal number of spins credited. These bonus funds can be used on slots only. Bonus funds are separate to cash funds and subject to 10x wagering on the bonus amount. Only bonus funds count towards wagering contribution. £5 max bonus bet. Bonus funds and spins must be used within 72 hours. Affordability checks apply. Full Terms apply. BeGambleAware.org.- UK licence checked
- 10x wagering
- Free spins included
Welcome package up to £1000 + 100 Free spins on star burst and Buffalo Blitz.
TermsNew Players Only. Min Deposit £10 required. Wager from real balance first. 10x wager the bonus money within 30 days and 10X wager any winnings from the free spins within 7 days. Contribution varies per game. Available on selected games only. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Bonus offer and any winnings from the offer are valid for 30 days / Free spins and any winnings from the free spins are valid for 7 days from receipt. Max conversion: £50 the bonus amount or from free spins: £20. Limited to 5 brands within the network. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Full Terms apply- UK licence checked
- Large package
- Withdrawal-friendly cashier
100% up to £25 + 500 Zee Points
TermsNew players only. Min Deposit £20 Max Bonus Bet £5 Winnings from spins capped at £50 100 Zee Spins valid on Starburst (first 10 credited immediately upon first deposit; rest credited at 07:00 GMT at 10/day). Spins must be used by 23:59 GMT of the day on which they are credited to player account, any unused shall be removed. Bonus funds must be used within 30 days. Bonus funds are separate to Cash funds, and subject to 35x wagering (bonus + cash). BeGambleAware.org , 18+ T&C's Apply- UK licence checked
- 10x wagering
- Free spins included
100% match bonus up to £50
TermsFirst deposit only. 100% Bonus Match up to £50. Min deposit £10. Credited within 7 days. 10x wagering, £50 max conversion. Max one claim per player. 18+. Full T&Cs apply.- UK licence checked
- 10x wagering
- Clear wagering terms
Play £10 get 100 spins on Big Bass Splash
TermsNew players only. 18+. UK only. Min deposit £10 and £10 stake on slot games required. 100 Free Spins on Big Bass Splash credited automatically. Free Spins value: £0.10 each. Free Spins expire 48 hours after crediting. No wagering on Free Spins; winnings paid as cash. Eligibility restrictions apply. Full Terms of Welcome Offer, General Bonus Terms, and General Terms and Conditions.- UK licence checked
- Cash winnings
- Free spins included
However, we hope we will help you to become a wiser online casino consumer, and we’ll do what we always do: give you the knowledge you need to navigate your way around this exciting and engaging world. And to do so safely!
In fact, that’s always our first and last point – always play safely, for yourself and for your money!
And, now we’ll make you the Yoda of casino software!
Best Casino Software & Game Developers in the UK
Here is our list of the best casino software providers and best game studio developers in the UK. All of the listed casino providers are tested, fair and deliver the best experience in the UK:
What Does Casino Software Do?
We can’t do anything without software these days. For some people, who seem to be stapled to their smartphones, this might be literally true in meatspace as well as online. But all of us online casino players are slaves to the software. As soon as you fire up a device, a whole load of processes and processors kick into action to help you get the most out of your machine.
And so it is in the online software world.
You’ll use a browser, and we recommend you use a good, secure one, maybe with some extra software installed to keep you away from dodgy sites, and certainly the latest updated antivirus installed.
That’s your end of things.
When it comes to casino play, we generally divide software into two big piles: the games, and operating systems in which the games sit and with which you interact to navigate between games, deposit and withdraw cash, and contact the site.
In reality, things are much more complicated than that.
There may be multiple companies involved in all of these processes: help desks may use a chat client; payment processing almost always means using an outside service, whether it’s your bank’s payment system or an e-wallet.
But the industry has put these things into those two big baskets, and that’s the easiest way to understand things.
This is despite the fact that there is a very large overlap between companies that produce games and those that produce the operator software.
This makes sense, of course, and it raises something that is a problem not just in the casino industry but in capitalism in general.
Those problems are monopolies and cartels, and vertical integration. Again, don’t worry about these seeming like technical terms, and you don’t need to think about them too much, as common sense is likely to give you all the answers you need.
So, if a company produces games, and also produces operating software, and you use their casinos… do you think you’ll be given a completely open playing field from which to choose games from all developers?
It’s also true that online casino software providers often run multiple sites that are not obviously branded with their name. This is fine, and many of them run as franchise systems, with relatively small businesses buying in a package from the casino software developers that they put their own branding on. This is why you see many sites offering the same games, the same bonuses, and the same promotions.
It’s a particular problem in the bingo software scene, where newly branded bingo sites pop up all the time that are really just the same site with new clothes on. It can also mean that once you’ve cashed in a bonus with one software provider, you might find yourself unable to claim another one at a site you thought was unrelated because you already have an account with that software provider.
Game Developers in the UK
Casino gaming is a much bigger and badder – and perhaps better – universe than the casino operating software world. There are lots and lots of UK game developers, and the numbers keep growing all the time.
The reason is that the barriers to entry for casino gaming software are relatively low. Modern online video slots look wonderful. Most of them also provide a fantastic experience to players. But in the context of what is possible with modern computer technology, they are relatively simple, particularly in their operation, which amounts to little more than generating random numbers.
We’re not trying to do down online gaming software developers here. There is a lot of great work going on in this area, and particularly among new developers who are willing to push the envelope with visual design and gameplay – a special vote to the wizards of Scandinavia.
There’s also an interesting point about how the industry operates here.
That is that there is a certain amount of consolidation going on. You’ll quite often see games credited to different companies at different review sites. This is no mistake, it’s usually a function of new partnerships springing up, with smaller game design studios being snapped up by, or working in some sort of partnership with, big companies – often the companies that make the most popular online casino operating software.
Such relationships aren’t corrupt. We’re neither idiots who believe that capitalism currently provides some sort of magical market mechanism that rewards the “best” products, nor are we idiots who believe in Santa Claus. However, it can be useful for players to know about these relationships, as they are likely to impact their gameplay experience.
Companies that have a good working model on game pay-outs or promotions might well bring that into partnership with a company that produces great graphics, say. And as we’ve mentioned, companies that run operating software may showcase games and promote titles to their members that are produced by companies that are in partnership with them.
Casino Operating Software
The second big basket of casino software is the operating software.
This stuff is much more complex, and much of it is out of sight and out of mind for players. There’s no need to get too worried about this stuff. You really don’t need to know how it works to enjoy a good casino experience.
It is a good idea to get a good idea of who the main online casino software operators are, and what options you have when you choose online casinos.
In reality, almost all of the online casinos you see will be using software from a small number of big casino software providers. This makes perfect market sense: once someone has gone to all the trouble of solving the big problems of managing the very complex set of operations (payments, help systems, customer service, and so on) that go into running an online casino site.
These big companies operate on something like a franchise model, in which they provide the software to smaller businesses – you can even try to set up your own casino if you fancy it – who pay a licence fee and probably a slice of their profits to use the systems.
In return for that, they get a fully functioning casino, stacked with games, probably with licensing attached and customer service support.
Chief among the services provided by online casino software is the payment software. This will collect card details or e-wallet accounts and put the cash into the casino.
Casinos must be licensed – never play at one that isn’t – and UK casinos must have a current, valid licence from the UK Gambling Commission.
Players also – rightly – want to see a good customer service offering from their casino sites. All this costs money, particularly if you need to employ staff to answer phones around the clock.
Last but not least, online casino software must work properly and be completely secure.
Many of these functions will be handled by the casino software provider, and the casino owner is then left free to market, promote and brand their site. Some players find it frustrating that a sector that apparently provides almost limitless choice is, in fact, slightly limited in this way.
You can save yourself a lot of time-wasting if you check out reviews that will tell you which software a particular site is running. If you hate Brand Z software, then you don’t want to sign up at a site running it and stocking the games that come with it.
Independent Casino Software Providers
There are other options. Some companies are big enough to run their own software. Others work with smaller, cheaper companies to produce a more no-frills casino. You might not find the range of games that you will in some of the bigger casino sites, but you are likely to encounter some more imaginative promotions and communication and maybe even a real sense of community.
This is particularly true in the online bingo software world, where genuine communities have built up in chat rooms, and there are a decent number of sites, particularly in the UK, that are genuinely independent or part of small groups.
The truth is, it is expensive and complicated to set up a casino. Using existing software – even with the costs inherent in paying the casino software developer – is always going to be the most efficient option.
New entrants to the market are not as uncommon as you might imagine; the online gambling world is something like a gold rush boomtown at the moment, so there are plenty of opportunities out there.
There are also technological innovations in social gaming, mobile gaming, 3D and more graphics and so on to encourage new products and even company launches.
Casino Software Downloads
Most casino software products are now interacted with by the customer in situ on a website. The days of the download seemed to be in the past.
Customers had shown pretty definitively that they preferred playing at sites with browsers rather than by downloading a big piece of online gambling software to their PC.
However, the massive boom in mobile gambling has given the download market, in the shape of home screen apps, a big boost again.
There are pluses and minuses to downloads, and you must consider carefully what works for you. Factor in the convenience of a single-tap gambling experience against the potential inertia of always going to the same site. And don’t forget to only ever download official, approved, licensed and certified safe products.
The Wide World of Casino Software
There is a huge and ever-growing world of online casino software.
What we’ve covered here so far is largely online video slots-related. However, casinos are called casinos, so it’s no surprise that they’re also full of classic casino games.
That means that you’ll be interacting with baccarat casino software when you play that game, video poker software when you load up that game, keno software when you play that one and so on. The online casino software is more than just slots software.
These games are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and more and more of them are now live-dealer games. That means that roulette software, for example, has to not just replicate something like a wheel spin’s randomness, it also needs to deal with cameras (perhaps many of them) and handle live interaction from multiple people, including staff members.
Different games have different levels of complexity, of course. Blackjack is a relatively simple game, even in its live-streaming format, where it is often played as a one-on-one game. That means that online blackjack software can be relatively simple too, and therefore relatively low cost. The game is – we think – genuinely popular, but its relative simplicity is undoubtedly a reason why casinos can provide many man blackjack games and just a couple of poker tables.
Change is Going to Come
As keen watchers of the online casino software world, our advice to consumers remains constant, as do our predictions for the future.
Consumers don’t need to know all the ins and outs of online casino software, but they do themselves some favours if they do. Whatever their level of knowledge of the systems that run the games they play, they have only themselves to blame if they’re not properly up to date on how to spot a safe, legal site and how to manage their own gambling behaviour safely.
When it comes to the industry, we always predict that there will be a massive change! And that seems to be on the cards again – new technologies, new generations of older tech, new laws, new liberalisations of laws… It’s all happening all the time. We love it! We hope you do too!
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