Many believe that the online casino software is the most important element

Computers have come a long way since we first started to install personal computers in our homes. In fact many of us no longer own a PC as such, preferring to access the internet through a lap top or a mobile phone wherever we happen to be. Thanks to the technical innovation and skill of the hardware designers all of these modern devices are now within the reach of most of the population in terms of cost, but we should not forget that none of them would be of any use whatsoever without the operating software which makes them work. Almost every internet web site also requires appropriate software if there is any intention to interact with visitors to the site, particularly if the objective of the site is to sell a product or service. Clearly that description applies to all of the thousands of online retail sites both large and small, but it also applies to every online gambling site including of course the online casinos. The first online casinos were all part of large online sports gambling sites operated by the leading bookmakers, but we now also have access to several new specialist online casinos dedicated entirely to providing us with the best range of casino games they can put together. The common factor for all of these online casino sites is however the need for good effective casino software, not only to ensure that the financial management of the site is efficient and secure but also to enable the casino games to be displayed in an attractive format. Unlike the online retail sector however in which displaying the product attractively is perhaps one of the most important functions of the software after the security of the financial systems, that is not the only important role for the online casino software. Almost all the casino games featured on our favourite online casino sites have also been designed and supplied by the casino software suppliers. The traditional casino games such as roulette and blackjack did not of course need any design input from the casino software companies, but when it comes to the hundreds of slots and video slots found on almost every online casino site the games themselves are almost always the brainchild of a team of casino software designers. Clearly the fact that casino software has such an important influence on the product featured on an online casino site as well as the management systems required to handle the financial transactions in a safe and secure way, is why the online casino software companies have become so crucial to the success of individual online casino sites. The choice of which casino software supplier to employ is perhaps the most important decision made by any online casino operator, and although that situation has changed a little over recent years due to the arrival of the smaller specialist online casinos it was certainly the case during the early years.

One of the first and now probably the dominant casino software company in the online casino sector is a company called Playtech. Founded in 1999 they started supplying online casino software in 2001. Playtech were undoubtedly the pioneers in a number areas of the online casino sector, including being the first to launch a live casino option using real dealers and video streaming. They were also the first casino software company to introduce a dedicated bingo platform, and then quickly followed that up with a similar site for online poker fans. Having established the company as the leading online casino software supplier in those early years, they became even more dominant when they were able to sign licensing agreements with two of the major media organisations which allowed them to base many of their slots games on famous cartoon characters and popular films. Playtech casino software is still used by William Hill, Betfred and more recently Ladbrokes, all of them featuring a whole range of casino games supplied by the company.

Here at onlinecasino.ie we are of course particularly interested in the online casinos accessible in Ireland, so let’s have a look at the online casino operated by our major bookmaker Paddy Power. The Paddy Power casino remains a significant part of the Paddy Power online sports gambling site of course, but their online casino games are hugely popular in Ireland and it is undoubtedly one of the most popular online casinos among Irish casino games enthusiasts. The casino software employed by the Paddy Power casino is supplied by a company called Wagerworks. Wagerworks was originally a subsidiary of the slot machine manufacturer Silicon Gaming, but it is now an independent company concentrating solely on supplying online casino software and of course a range of exciting casino games for us to enjoy. Paddy Power is not the only online casino operator to use Wagerworks software, but they do feature the biggest range of Wagerworks slots games. The other increasingly popular Irish online casino is the more recent All Irish casino. In this case almost all of the casino games are supplied by the Swedish online casino software supplier NetEntertainment, or NetEnt for short. Most observers tend to think that the NetEnt casino software provides the best graphics of any casino software company, and the decision by the All Irish casino operators to feature a range of casino games supplied by NetEnt also appears to be paying off.

There are of course a number of other important casino software suppliers in the online casino sector, Including among others Chartwell and Microgaming both of which supply casino games to online casinos which are featured on our recommended list. Chartwell is a Canadian casino software company which is listed on the Toronto stock exchange, but they currently also employ people in London, Singapore and Malta. The Betfair casino is the biggest user of Chartwell software among the online casinos on our recommended list, but Chartwell casino games can also be found on a number of other online casino sites. Many of the newer specialist online casinos now feature games supplied by a number of different casino software suppliers.