One of the Leading Casino Software Providers – Playtech

Playtech is one of the founding members of the casino games software industry and was originally founded more than 18 years ago, in 1999. Its area of expertise is fairly wide and includes software for casinos, bingo rooms, poker rooms and sports betting operators. It also includes scratch games, mobile gaming and arcade style games in its repertoire. It was formed by Teddy Sagi, in Tartu, Estonia and has since gained an enviable reputation around the world. Partners in the business included experts from the casino, software engineering and multimedia industries.

Its first casino product was launched in 2001 and from that moment it started growing into the leading and largest international designer, developer and licensor of web and mobile application software. Its customer base includes most of the blue chip companies in the digital gaming industry including William Hill, Bet365 and Mansion Casino in the UK, Snai and Sisal in Italy and a number of governments and regulated agencies.

What Playtech offers in the way of games

When it comes to offering games, Playtech is quite prolific. It’s able to offer more than 500 of the most innovative and entertaining casino, poker and sportsbook games. Following its recent acquisition of Ash Gaming it can also offer a complete portfolio of proven content from this provider. The Playtech website promises to release more than 50 new games every year so the library of content is just going to keep growing. The games provided include slot, table and card games along with fixed odds games and more.

Baccarat is only available in one variant, but rather than use the usual eight deck format the Playtech baccarat casino game uses six. Not that it makes much difference to the odds. However, it does mean that side bet players will have six different ones to choose from. These include the following:

• Either pair: when either the bankers or a players first two cards form a pair
• Perfect pair: when either the bankers of a players first two cards form a suited pair
• Small: when the total number of banker and player cards is four
• Big: when the total number of banker and player cards is five or six

Other games Playtech is able to offer include:

• Blackjack – including a progressive blackjack variant
• Casino Hold’Em
• Casino Reels
• Craps
• Genie’s Hi Lo
• Jackpot Darts
• Keno
• Mahjong
• Caribbean Poker
• Pai Gow Poker
• Pontoon
• Red Dog
• Roulette – including 3D, American, European, Video, Premium French and roulette Pro
• Sic Bo
• Slot machines – including Iron Man 2, Pink Panther, Rubik’s Riches, Great Blue, Esmeralda and Halloween Fortune
• Video Poker – including 10s or Better, Deuces Wild, Aces and Faces, Jacks or Better and Joker Poker

For all the games that Playtech offers, you can expect to find help files that explain all the rules. Simply click on the ‘wrench’ icon in the lower right corner of any game and you’ll soon learn all there is to know.

When it comes to playing the various games, there are three different ways you can do it. Play via a downloadable casino, Flash instant casino or its flagship live dealer casino. In the US, playing Playtech games is not an option. American players are forbidden from all Playtech casinos. The only way for players in the US to access the games is with a proxy server.

Playtech pushed the boundaries when it came to providing live action

Playtech was at the forefront of the live casino revolution and was the first to realize that players had become a little jaded and were longing for more interaction. When live dealer casinos were first introduced, Playtech was the only option. Of course this didn’t last long and very quickly a number of other developers brought out their own versions. Playtech, however, has managed to keep ahead of the competition and is still able to offer one of the best live casino experiences.

Playtech also led the way for mobile casinos

We’ve also got Playtech to thank for being one of the pioneers of mobile casinos and while they may not have been the very first they are considered to be the best. Thanks to something called its Mobile Hub system, Playtech mobile casinos benefit from the flexibility of an open platform that allows any mobile gaming software to be mixed and matched seamlessly. Because the mobile games are built using HTML5 they can be played on almost any device. Playtech is proud to be able to boast one of the widest selection of mobile games in the industry.

The rise of Playtech

Playtech was founded in 1999, with 2001 seeing the launch of its land-based casino, City Club Casino. In 2002, it was the first developer to see one of its land-based casinos go online. In the following year, its bingo network was launched, together with its live dealer gaming options that made use of real time video streaming.

2004, and Playtech launched its iPoker network and big guns bet365 and BetFred jumped on the bandwagon and started using Playtech software. In the same year, it received an official Certificate of Evaluation from BMM International (software auditors). And in 2006, the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange and became a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. In the very same year, it also became a member of the Remote Gambling Association(RGA) and received the Certificate of Prior Approval from the Alderney Gaming Control Commission (AGCC).

Things continued to snowball for Playtech and 2007 also saw its iPoker network becoming the largest poker network in the world, And 15 more operators signed on the dotted line and started using its casino software. 2008 saw the company striking a lucrative deal with Paramount Digital Entertainment who authorized Playtech to develop a series of games using its brand.

Playtech continued to go from strength to strength in 2009 when it entered a joint venture with bookmaking giant William Hill. Along with providing Betfair with its online casino. Slots lovers will be interested to learn that this was also the year it released its very popular Marvel Series slots. In 2010, it acquired Virtue Fusion and proceeded to consolidate its bingo network.

Subsequent years saw Playtech acquire more assets adding companies such as PokerStrategy.com, PT Turnkey Services, Aristrocat Lotteries, YoYo Games, Quickspin and even the online Forex trader Plus500. Playtech’s licensing contract with Marvel Comics ended in March of this year (2017). But it has since announced a new partnership with Warner Bros for the development of a series of slots based on DC Comic feature films such as Justice League, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the Suicide Squad.

One further development worth a mention was the opening of its casino studio based on Bucharest. Its aim being to provide live casino games to local online gambling operators.

Is Playtech software safe and secure?

Playtech and all of its subsidiaries are considered to be one of the safest and most secure. A gaming license issued by the UK Gambling Commission (Reference 38516) covers its operations. Being one of the most respected regulatory bodies in the industry it would not have issued a license if there was any doubt about the fairness of its games. The games are all regularly reviewed and tested and payout levels are audited on a monthly basis. Playtech takes licensing and regulation very seriously because it works with other local gaming authorities to ensure it is compliant in all areas. Another aspect that Playtech considers to be important is responsible gaming. Within its software there are measures that carefully monitor betting patterns. Such responsible gaming tools mean that an operator is able to track and monitor player behavior and underage usages. Which in turn means that the operators are able to prevent and control problems with problem gambling. Any casino brands who want to use Playtech software has to go through a vetting process. Which means you can be certain that any casino running Playtech games has been checked out before being allowed to offer them to players.

We feel we should mention, in the interests of writing an honest review, that we have heard tales of a few bad apples, when it comes to Playtech casinos. On the whole, you can expect a very professional experience at any baccarat casino that uses Playtechs software. But we did find details of complaints regarding regarding seizure of funds for reasons of ‘bonus abuse’, payment plans being forced on winners of large progressive jackpots and changes made in affiliate terms after the fact. However, these complaints are very much in the minority and the vast majority of Playtech casinos are reputable, honest and trustworthy.