Games that are published on an online casino site come from developers that license out their creations. By doing so, leading game providers like NetEnt, Pragmatic Play and Microgaming can have their popular titles spread across hundreds of different gambling sites.
That can add to some of the confusion for players when it comes to picking a site to play at as many game portfolios can look similar, because they possess the same games. Players looking for online casino platforms, typically lean on casino reviews as part of an information-gathering quest to find the best ones.
These are extremely useful for insights because by looking at the list of casino providers by Legalcasino for example, a site that expertly rates gambling platforms, you can zone in on the best ones. But another way to gather some data that can provide feedback on choosing online casinos is to go and visit the official sites of game providers – here’s why.
By visiting the official site of a casino games provider, you can often get a look at their entire catalogue of games, old and new. When people find a game by a certain developer that they enjoy, it’s natural that they then look for further titles from that same game provider.
But it is feasible that a casino site you have an eye on doesn’t list all of a particular provider’s games. Expanding on that, many providers create a series of games too. If a previous title has been hugely popular, to capitalise on that, the developers will release newer versions based on the original title, but one casino site may not host them all, so you could potentially be missing out.
But by going to the game provider’s website and seeing their full range of titles, you can get a better, more complete picture of what they have available.
Online casino game providers are very different. Some focus on a particular style of slot machine, maybe classic fruit machine-style games or progressive jackpots, while others may be more heavily focused on producing live dealer games.
By visiting a provider’s site you will quickly be able to see their niche areas of casino games. That can even be something as narrow as the theme of games, with one perhaps having more licensed titles from movie franchises for example, than others.
Another big area of difference that players face at online casinos is an overwhelming amount of differences in game mechanics, volatility and Return To Player (RTP) percentages on the slot machines.
Casino review sites normally investigate this and publish the details, but there’s nothing quite like getting the information straight from the source. Updates to games can happen, so by visiting the creator site, then you can get a clear, direct and up-to-date picture of the RTP and volatility, two of the most important aspects of a slot.
Not only that, the developer’s site will most likely list other details about the game that may get overlooked in reviews. Excitingly as well, they can tease big new releases that are coming up and many will also allow you to play demos.
Demos of casino games are great and it’s worthwhile going to a game developer’s site just for this. By loading up a demo of a popular slot you can immediately get a feel for it and the mechanics, from the minimum and maximum bet amount, to a full examination of pay tables.
Testing a slot can also help you gain familiarity with in-game symbols and allow you to explore any mini bonus games as well. Because you will have all of that particular game developer’s titles in one place, you can cherry-pick your favourites, and then use that information to find online casino platforms that carry them.
It’s always nice to have a little more insight into a company and official websites will give you information about things like the company’s history and social responsibility. Most developer’s sites will also have a news section where readers can stay up to date with the latest innovations that they have come up with, new titles and bonus features.
Visiting official game developer sites can also help with forming a picture of the brand’s reputation. A lot can be gained about that by how professional the site is, their transparency with information and the levels of customer support that they have available.
Companies also like to brag when they win awards, so they will probably have a list of accolades on their site somewhere which can strengthen a view of a game provider.
