Best Online Slot Software Providers at US Casinos

Top Software Providers in the US

But, despite the impressive number of providers, not all are available in legal US online casinos. The ones available in the legal gambling sites have a license issued by the official regulatory bodies in the various states, proving their legitimacy. For example, Play’n Go, Wazdan, and Novomatic are some providers that recently acquired a license to operate in Michigan. On the other hand, those not supported at the legal casino sites would have to check the legitimacy boxes by applying for state licenses and ceasing partnerships with offshore/illegal operators to be considered legal.

On the flip side, other companies are currently illegal in the US but have since been acquired by legal developers, which would probably have their products soon enter the US via the deal. A case in point is NoLimit City, a studio acquired by Evolution Gaming, a legal gaming software provider in the US.

A list of the best USA online casino licensed software providers and their features include:

IGT

International Game Technology (IGT) is a top British company founded in 1981 and headquartered in the UK, with offices spread all over the globe, including Las Vegas, Nevada. It is one of the oldest software providers and prides itself on the many milestones it has achieved along the way. They include the debut of the Wheel of Fortune progressive slot in 1996, acquisitions of other studios like Barcrest in 1998, and iSoftBet in 2022. Its reputation is down to delivering 130+ top-class products to legal and regulated online gaming operators in over 100 countries, including the US.

Moreover, the provider’s influence goes beyond online (iGaming and sports betting) to offline (land-based casinos), where some highly-rated slot machines up to 2010 have an IGT imprint. But while most IGT online slots have outdated graphics and limited features, unlike most studios with many modern slots, some of its selling points include the promotional tools employed to drive players’ revenue and the innovative jackpots in some games.

The top-rated titles from the software provider include:

• Cleopatra: The Egyptian-themed slot features five(5) reels and 20 paylines with a growing prize pool. The slot takes you on a trip down the Nile and is filled with features, including bonus rounds, bonus spins, and a jackpot.
• Siberian Storm: The snow-themed slot features five(5) reels and offers 720 ways to win. A lot is at stake for you, with the slot having bonus spins, multipliers, a bonus game, and a jackpot feature awaiting.
• Da Vinci Diamonds: The 5-reel, 20 payline slot is another popular slot from IGT, with recognizable characters like Da Vinci and his paintings. Top features like bonus rounds, tumbling reels, win multipliers, and a jackpot feature is on board.

These IGT titles can be found in top online casinos like Borgata Casino, BetMGM Casino, Mohegan Sun Casino, BetRivers Casino, DraftKings Casino, and Unibet Casino.

NetEnt

NetEnt is another giant software provider existing since 1996 and prides itself on a great portfolio of online casino games that keep updating monthly. The developer has kept growing since introducing its first online casino in 2000, all the way to acquiring other studios like Red Tiger Gaming in 2019. NetEnt is synonymous with quality and quantity gaming content, thanks to its premium solutions that ensure every title is uniquely thrilling. Currently, NetEnt partners with 200+ operators, including several US legal online casinos, to offer games in the range of 200+, including classic, video, and jackpot slot games and a touch of popular table games.

There is much to love about its products, including innovative storylines, unique game mechanics, outstanding graphics quality and audio tracks, special in-game features, and other aspects like high RTPs associated with many of its slots. This explains why NetEnt games stand out on each platform. Some of the headliners to look forward to in the impressive catalog include:

• Starburst: The 5-reel, 10-payline slot has remained a popular selection since its debut in 2012. The slot has low volatility and an RTP rate of 96.09%. Features to look forward to are respins, win-both-ways, and expanding wilds.
• Gonzo’s Quest: The 5-reel, 20-payline slot is another headliner with a mid/high volatility and RTP of 95.97%. Avalanche reels, multipliers, wilds, and bonus spins are some of its features.
• Dead or Alive 2: The 5-reel, 9-payline slot is a sequel to the earlier Dead or Alive slot. The slot is highly volatile, with RTP at 96.82%, and has unique features like Old Saloon, High Noon, and Train Heist.

Update: June 2020 saw NetEnt accept a $2.1 billion acquisition offer from Evolution Gaming. The merger opened a large US online casino market for Evolution Gaming, with New Jersey, Michigan, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania being states where NetEnt had a presence. FanDuel Casino, Golden Nugget Casino, Bally’s Online Casino, Stars Casino, and Caesars Casino are some of the best online casinos with NetEnt products.

Microgaming

Since 1994, Microgaming has been a leading casino software developer with 850+ premium online games on board and new additions done monthly. The software provider has hit some milestones along the way, like being the founding member of eCOGRA in 2003, the 2005 launching of the first online slot, MySlot, and the 2006 debut of the Mega Moolah progressive slot. The Quickfire platform also launched in 2010, with other top headliners like Thunderstruck II and Immortal Romance coming up the same year.

Microgaming products are unique in several aspects, like volatility, where most products have high variance, signifying huge returns albeit fewer times. Most of their online slots created after 2014 go beyond the traditional 10-15 paylines to incorporate up to 243 ways to win. Headliners from Microgaming include:

• 9 Masks of Fire: The 5-reel, 20-payline African-themed slot is a medium variance slot with its RTP set at 96.24%. Features on the slot include the Wheel of Fortune, bonus spins, multipliers, and a jackpot with a max win of 6,000x your bet.
• Thunderstruck II: The 5-reel slot features 243 ways to win and has a medium variance, with its RTP set at 96.60%. Special features you can trigger include the Wildstorm feature and the Great Hall of Spins feature. The max win sits at 8,000x your bet.
• Lara Croft Temples and Tombs: The 5-reel slot features 243 ways to win and has a high variance, with its RTP set at 96.06%. Among the features available include bonus spins, rising multipliers, and a jackpot feature with three prizes: Minor, Major, and Grand. The max win sits at 5,000x your bet.

Microgaming slots are really popular in the USA, but some changes have happened with this company. First, it was recently purchased by a privately owned company, Games Global. On top of this, it has been relying for new games on its sub studios, like Gameburger. At USA casinos, you will often spot Microgaming games under the DGC tag, a company licensed for operations in MI, NJ, PA, CT, and WV.

SG Digital

SG Digital operates as a division of the popular Scientific Games, a giant in the online gambling industry since 1973, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, and known for going beyond innovative games to provide technology in addition to retail and digital solutions. However, this year saw a major rebranding process that had the company trading under Light and Wonder (LNW). SG Digital is a combination of SG Interactive and NYX Interactive, with its debut dating back to 2018. Other Scientific Games subsidiary providers include NYX Gaming, NextGen, WMS, Barcrest (acquired later from IGT), and Bally Technologies.

Like the parent company, SG Digital has its headquarters in Las Vegas, but the online casino software company focuses purely on the sports betting, iGaming, and iLottery fields. The casino game portfolio at SG Digital stands at 2,000+, with products from the other in-house game development studios incorporated. All games are packed with high-quality graphics and stunning animations, different kinds of bonuses, and diverse themes. Other games provide increased paylines, thus increasing your chances of landing a winning combination. Among them include:

• Desert Cats: The 7-reel, 50-payline Egyptian-themed slot from WMS features bonus spins, bonus games, multipliers, and a fixed jackpot.
• Neptune’s Quest: The 11-reel, 100-payline slot from WMS features bonus spins, extended wilds, and scatter symbols.
• Elvis: The King Lives: The 11-reel, 80-payline slot from WMS is based on Elvis Presley and features bonus spins, a unique Jukebox feature, and a jackpot.

Top legal online casinos with SG Digital products include Golden Nugget Casino, SugarHouse Casino, BetMGM Casino, FanDuel Casino, and Resorts Casino.

NextGen

Founded in 1999, NextGen Gaming is another pioneer casino software provider in the online gaming world. In its case, it would take a little more than a decade before merging with NYX Interactive in 2011. Scientific Games would later acquire NYX Interactive and have it under SG Digital in 2018. Through their parent company and other divisions under Scientific Games, now Light and Wonder, you are presented with a portfolio featuring 2,000+ games available in Flash (requiring you to download software) and HTML5 versions. However, as a standalone company, NextGen has 120+ games.

NextGen is associated with several iconic games and lives by its motto, ‘Attract. Entertain. Retain.’ The company’s primary focus is online slots, where a blend of old, new, and branded slot games await you. They stand out for detailed graphics, diverse, fun themes, and unique features (Slide a Wild, DynaReel, Select a Play, etc.), with the best games boasting high RTP rates that signify huge returns. Top NextGen games include:

• King Kong Fury: The 5-reel, 50-payline slot bases its storyline on the 2017 King Kong blockbuster film and has a unique King of Skull Island Bonus Games feature. Others to expect include bonus spins and Raging re-spins.
• 300 Shields: The 5-reel, 25-payline slot features a battle theme with loads to offer, including bonus spins, multipliers up to 300x, and a unique Battle Feature Bonus Games feature.
• The 5 Knights: The 5-reel, 25-payline slot takes you back to medieval times. Spin the reels and activate bonus spins, and the unique Slide a Wild feature allows you to select a reel with enhanced wild payouts.

Find the above and more NextGen slots in New Jersey at online casinos like Borgata Casino, Unibet Casino, Golden Nugget Casino, and Hard Rock Casino.

Pragmatic Play

Since 2015, Pragmatic Play has been a famous online casino software developer, partnering with successful brands thanks to its vast portfolio featuring different games (250+). The award-winning software provider has accomplished huge milestones since its inception, including certification from Gaming Labs International in 2016 and gaining approval licenses in 20 different markets, including the UK, in 2017. Moreover, Pragmatic Play released its first branded slot, Peaky Blinders, in 2020. A highlight of this online casino software is that you can expect a range of products like bingo, live casino, virtual sports, and sports betting, besides real money slot games, all available via a single API. Other highlights are the 31+ languages and all currencies supported by the provider.

One unique aspect about the provider is the drops & wins promotion introduced to award you extra prizes as you play your favorite online casino games. The promotion is eligible on the best-performing slots and some of the live casino games and awards cash prizes daily and prizes from the weekly tournaments. Pragmatic Play headliners include:

• Mustang Gold: The 5-reel, 25-payline slot features a Wild West theme. Spin the reels to activate features, including bonus spins, a Money Collect feature, and Jackpot Reveal Bonus Game feature.
• Wolf Gold: The 5-reel, 25-payline slot features a Native American theme. Spin the reels and find combinations that activate bonus spins, a Money Respin feature, and a jackpot (mini, major, and mega).
• Sweet Bonanza: The 6-reel slot has an All Ways machine and has features on board you can activate, including bonus spins, multipliers (up to 100x), a Tumble feature, and an Ante Bet feature.

Pragmatic Play is available on pretty much all online US casino sites, although primarily through its slot machines. Sugar Rush, their latest hit, is making waves right now.

Novomatic

Founded in 1980, Novomatic is another pioneer in the gaming industry and is still a popular name in the 21st century. While it debuted focusing on the land-based gambling market, it took until 2010 to venture into the online gambling scene through the Greentube acquisition. Today, the company employs 21,200+ employees and has 430+ online games through Greentube. All games are accessible on multiple devices, including smartphones, thanks to the HTML5 format by the provider on its products. Despite the company offering sports betting solutions as part of its services, the main offerings are slot games in the range of 400+. Also on board are linked and standalone progressive jackpot games and several table games like Blackjack, Baccarat, and Sic Bo.

The standout features of Novomatic include the deluxe version added to some of their top slots, the decent range of free-download e-sport games and other skill games like mahjong and backgammon. Below is a list of the top Novomatic games:

• Book of Ra Deluxe: The 5-reel, 10-payline slot features an Ancient Egyptian theme and takes you on a journey of finding hidden wealth and treasures. However, the bonus games feature is the only bonus feature available.
• Lucky Lady’s Charm Deluxe: The 5-reel, 10-payline slot introduces you to a lucky lady with her lucky charms to win prizes. Features you can activate include multiplier wilds, bonus games, multipliers, and bonus spins.
• Sizzling Hot Deluxe: The 5-reel, 5-payline slot features a retro fruit machine theme and lets you on a journey ready to inflame your spirits. Unfortunately, this classic has limited features, with only a Gamble feature available.

You can find a collection of top Novomatic games in New Jersey and Michigan at Golden Nugget Casino and BetMGM Casino.

Big Time Gaming

Big Time Gaming (BTG) debuted in 2011 and has since been one of the highly reputable software companies producing premium high volatile online casino games and the popular Megaways engine. BTG is part of Evolution Gaming today after the €450m acquisition in 2021. But, even before the purchase, BTG has been associated with innovation, with the Megaways engine being the central pointer. This innovation gave players up to 117,649 ways to win, with the company’s success soaring since then.

In 2016, the company launched Bonanza, which defined BTG. The title remains a popular headliner in most online casinos with a BTG portfolio. Besides Bonanza Megaways, the provider will offer online games in the range of 48+, including a few card games, blackjack, and roulette games. However, the main focus remains on the video slots served with crisp graphics, special sound effects, and a great overall design. The selection entails names like:

• Diamond Fruits: The 5-reel slot uses a Megacluster game engine, meaning symbols pay in clusters. To activate a payout, you must land on a cluster of the same symbols (5+). The more symbols landed, the higher the payout. You will have four (4) bonus features, including the reactions feature, bonus spins, wild explosion bonus feature, and win multipliers.
• Wheel of Fortune Megaways: The 6-reel slot features up to 117,649 ways to win in its base game and loads of gameplay features. They include the wild megastacks feature and bonus spins. The max win stands at 80,150x your stake.
• Bonanza Megaways: The most popular BTG slot release.

BTG is legal in New Jersey, and you can find several Megaways slots in all legal gambling sites, with casinos like Golden Nugget providing a collection of its portfolio. Megaways is the most sought after engine, with several iGaming companies paying to employ it within their own games. Gonzo’s Quest Megaways, Madame Destiny Megaways, and Gold Digger Megaways are just a few of examples.

Playtech

Since debuting in 1999, Playtech has been an extensive online casino software supplier, with offices in 24 countries, 170 global licenses, and available in 30 regulated jurisdictions. The award-winning casino software has achieved several milestones along the way. They include opening the first online casino in 2001, acquiring Gaming Technology Solutions in 2008, acquiring Ash Gaming, Quickspin, and Eyecon in 2011, 2016, and 2017, respectively, and entering the US markets in 2020. Today, you can access Playtech products in New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. Playtech’s broad portfolio has a collection of 700+ online casino games, including slot games, bingo, poker, live casino games, and virtual sports. Also in their services are the sports betting solutions offered to some partner operators.

The online casino software title is also known for premium branded slots that attract massive traffic flow to many of its casino operators. Justice League, The Matrix, Superman, Robocop, and The Dark Knight are some of the top branded titles. Also offered by Playtech are retail services for land-based operators, thanks to the 40,000+ global gaming terminals they own in the different venues.

Top Playtech popular games to choose from include:

• Buffalo Blitz: The 6-reel slot features 4,096 ways to win and welcomes you to a trip across the North American plains. Unfortunately, there are few bonus features with only a bonus games feature available. However, the feature carries a high number of multipliers and bonus spins.
• Gladiator Jackpot: The 5-reel, 25-payline slot is based on the famous Gladiator movie with characters like Joaquin Phoenix and Russel Crowe on board as characters. The highlight is that the game has a progressive jackpot element besides a pick-me-up bonus feature.
• Age of the Gods: Most popular slot series by Playtech with a progressive jackpot, incorporating 20+ Greek and Nordic-themed slots and even live dealer roulette.

Among the best online casinos with a collection of Playtech titles include bet365 Casino, Betway Casino, and 888 Casino.

Yggdrasil

Although only recently, Yggdrasil has began its ventures into the USA. This company has a huge presence in Europe and Asian markets, thanks to its high-paying and high-risk slot machines. Exquisite graphics, brutal and adventurous themes, and multipliers are some of their distinctive features.

Although you won’t find every Yggdrasil game at our listed US casinos currently, you will find a solid few. The Vikings Go Wild series are the must-try games among them. If you see the tag Gigablox, then you can expect 10+ trademarked Yggdrasil slots in the lobby.

My personal favorites from Yggdrasil slot machines include.

• Cazino Zeppelin: A similar title to Dead or Alive 2, where you play with wild multipliers in the base and bonus spins game. In the latter, wilds stack, and the multiplier increases, with additional bonus spins up for grabs.
• Vikings Go Berzerk Reloaded: The follow-up to the initial Vikings Go Berzerk, where Yggdrasil rewards players who match the soldier figures with increasing multipliers and wilds that can payout over 30,000x.

What is a Casino Software Provider?

In simple terms, a casino software provider is responsible for building and designing a game in casinos. After creating games, the software providers partner with respective online casinos to provide their portfolio and other extras like promotional tools and back-end management. Today, it is evident that modern-age casinos are miles apart from those in the early days of online gambling, thanks to the introduction of online casino software providers. And besides building and designing games, they ensure you can have a great online gambling experience.

For example, some partner with music/TV celebrities and Hollywood studios to offer branded slots, with many others providing innovative and sophisticated features, great graphics, outstanding animations, and sound effects that make the gaming experience as exciting and immersive as possible. Also contributing to the experience are other aspects like the accessibility of game content via mobile devices, user-friendly interface, and payout speeds for the real-money games.

The providers are also responsible for ensuring the stable operation of the games. Besides the quality of games, they need to ensure excellent functionality and reliability to attract significant customer traffic in a gambling world with 200+ online casino software providers. An excellent hint of finding the best casino software providers will be to check those partnering with legal online casinos. As you may have noticed in our pages, no legal online casino would wish to soil its reputation, explaining why they work with highly-rated casino game providers with a proven track record. Such companies are licensed in numerous jurisdictions and regulated by independent bodies like eCogra, TST Labs, and BMM Labs. These companies ensure all games are fair and operate randomly.

Why Aren’t All Slots Available in the US?

While most providers have a slot selection in their portfolio, you will not find all these slots in the US. The simple explanation is that not all game providers partner with legal online casinos since they have no operating license issued by the legal gambling states. And despite working with many offshore casino sites, they remain a huge red flag you must avoid. Our call always remains that you should only play at legal online casinos, where every casino game in the portfolio is from a legal provider.

Casino Software Providers Tied to Illegal Casinos

The 200+ online casino software providers in the gambling world do not all have an excellent standing with the US online gambling laws. As such, we advise that you avoid any software provider tied to an offshore/illegal online casino. Legit casino software studios have to cease any partnership with offshore casino sites that remain questionable and apply for an operating license in the states that accept casino gambling online (NJ, PA, MI, WV, CT, and DE).

Some of these providers tied to illegal/offshore gambling sites include:

• Betsoft
• Vivo Gaming
• RealTime Gaming
• Rival Gaming
• Concept Gaming
• Dragon Gaming
• Amatic Industries
• Belatra Games
• Kalamba Games
• Booongo
• Spinomenal
• Qora
• Arrow’s Edge
• Fresh Deck Studios
• Felix Gaming
• Fantasma Gaming
• Saucify

Play Online Slots from these Top Software Companies!

Now that you know the gaming software developers to avoid in the US, we provide a list of the different software companies to try their slots in the legal, recommended casino sites. These companies have acquired licenses to operate in different states legalizing online casino gambling. They include:

• NetEnt
• IGT
• Play’n Go
• Wazdan
• Novomatic
• Scientific Games
• Playtech
• NextGen Gaming
• Pariplay
• High 5 Games
• Ainsworth
• Konami
• Lightning Box
• Bally
• Barcrest

Joining an online casino that we recommend will ensure you can play safe and licensed games that pay out based on their RTP and RNG. Nonetheless, legal software iGaming providers have higher costs, which is why they strive the hardest to produce the best games that will keep players coming back for another spin!