It’s hard to come up with the right words to properly describe Playtech’s impact on the online gambling world. Since the founding of the company almost 20 years ago, it has found a way to be a leader in almost every area into which it has ventured. And, while some of the company’s business tactics have been questioned along the way, there is no denying Playtech’s place as a leading provider of online games. While the company prepares its plan for future development, let’s take a short look back at how it got to become an industry giant.
A Brief History of PlayTech
Playtech was launched all the way back in 1999 and was the brainchild of Teddy Sagi, an Israeli businessman who had just completed a jail sentence for crimes in the financial world. While he had no formal casino background, he was a keen business mind and sensed the growth of the online gambling industry. He decided to bring together top minds form development and casino operations under one roof, and with that Playtech was born.
It was 2001 when Playtech found themselves ready to launch their platform into the market. However, rather than sell their casino software at a discount to anyone willing to use it, Sagoi decided to make Playtech the “Rolls Royce” of platforms, keeping the licensing terms high enough to only attract the top operators. This was a risky decision (the first of many by Sagi), but it paid off, as the quality of the Playtech software combined with its unavailability to the smaller operator meant that the games were very desirable.
While the company started as a casino provider, the key to Playtech’s success has always been the robust back office platform which gave operators more data than they had ever seen. These days, data drives almost every business decision in the industry, but back then that was not the case. Playtech moved from casino development to add poker to its platform, and then along the way has made some strategic acquisitions to add other products to their offering. Today, operators can license everything from bingo to slots to sports betting software from Playtech, all while the company has stayed focused on building some of the best casino content in-house. Playtech went public on the London Stock Exchange and is currently one of the most valuable gaming stocks in the world.
Recommended Playtech Casino Sites
Top Three Playtech Slots Games
Jackpot Giant
One of the top grossing slot machines from any software provider, Jackpot Giant is the leading progressive slot machine in the Playtech arsenal. This 5 reel, 50 pay line game features cartoonish graphics that are very animated and have a prehistoric look to them. The game has wild, scatter and bonus symbols, and the goal would be to unlock the Giant Bonus which gives you a chance to win the progressive, which is often well into the seven-figure range. Players love the gameplay almost as much as the chance to become an instant millionaire.
Avengers
This game is a perfect example of how Playtech uses its clout to create content partnerships with huge entertainment brands like Marvel. While the game itself isn’t as exciting as some of the other titles (5 reel, 20 paylines for this one), the characters and sounds associated with one of the world’s biggest movie franchises are exhibited throughout the game, which is very popular amongst fans of the comic book adaptation. The game features a multi-tiered Mystery Jackpot bonus level which keeps players active for a longer period of time, and this game also has a progressive jackpot engine built into it.
A Night Out
With a theme of being out on the town, featuring different cocktails and gorgeous ladies, the A Night Out slot machine may not be the favorite of a certain demographic of players, but there is one feature that cannot be denied. This slot machine features one of the highest Return to Player percentages of all of the Playtech games. With a payout of over 97%, it is easy to see why this game is so popular. The 5 reel, 20 pay line game is available in coin size of $.01 to $2.00, and is one of the titles Playtech offers with a side game built in – you can play a lottery-style game while spinning the reels to double your excitement.
Mobile Compatibility
Playtech’s games are all available in non-download format, which means that they are completely compatible with the majority of mobile devices via those devices’ browsers. Also, the games are available in native app for iOS and Android devices. However, the mobile platform operators have not approved real-money apps in every country so you may not see any Playtech licensees listed in your particular app store.
The company has also acquired other development companies with a focus on mobile gaming to expand its offering to licensees. This can only improve the overall experience for end-users of the Playtech platform.
Conclusion
Playtech has cemented itself as one of the best software options for operators around the globe. With the continued release of new in-house games like their Live Casino software and the acquisition of other companies in the industry, Playtech looks like they plan to stay a leader in the space for a long time to come.
