Published in February 2018, a study conducted by the UK Gambling Commission on the British population’s gaming habits showed that more and more players were using their smartphone to gamble online. The UKGC has in fact made it known that the number of casino players having used a smartphone or a tablet to play went up from 46% in 2016 to 51% the following year. It is estimated that with some excellent online casinos, over 70% of new signups are even completed on their mobile version or via their app.
The best online gambling site must be a mobile casino with great casino apps
Faced with the rapid growth of mobile gaming in the UK, it is crucial for the best online casino to be a mobile casino and offer casino apps in order to provide a gaming experience in the best possible conditions from a good smartphone or an excellent tablet. Here are some of the most important criteria to be taken into account when looking to find out which are the best online mobile casinos or the best casino apps.
- Mobile casinos and casino apps must be fast enough to prevent games from stopping or having bugs, since as we all know, there is nothing more infuriating than an online slot machine which starts to slow down, or which even stops while you are playing. Players must be able to benefit from a fluid mobile casino experience as intense as if they were playing from their desktop.
- The security and modernity of gambling apps must be assured by some native features of superior quality such as the finger login or push notifications which allow players to be kept informed in real time of the latest news from the operator. Some even offer special bonuses from which only players using the application may benefit from.
- The casino games selection offered by the app and the mobile version must be as important as that available on the desktop version of the casino, which is not always the case. Indeed, some casinos have a much smaller portfolio on mobile than on web version, which according to us is prohibitive in order to be listed in the TOP of the best casinos. As a matter of fact, when making our choice we usually go for brands which offer the largest offering of mobile slots and mobile casino games, all providers combined.
- A mobile casino or phone casino must be completely responsive, meaning that the format of the games and the functionalities must be perfectly adapted to a gaming experience from a mobile screen.
- Of course, the best casino apps must be available on both Android and Apple iOS. They should be free casino apps, and therefore be free. Downloading them must be simple, effortless and fast. We also privilege casino apps which are regularly updated in order for them to be improved and troubleshoot potential issues.
- In order to be included in the list of the best real casino apps, the latter must provide a complete experience to players by allowing them to carry out payments, withdraw winnings or even contact customer service just like they were connected via a computer.
The best online casino must offer the best product with the largest online slots and casino games portfolio
It is clear that with all the restrictions and demands for full transparency of the UK regulator towards operators as regards the conditions of their bonuses and promotions, bonuses on deposits offered by casinos have tended to disappear or at least diminish. Even if in the past, online casinos caught the eye of gamblers using alluring offers, today the best online casino stands out thanks to the quality of its product, of its platform but above all by offering an important portfolio packed with slot machines and table games.
One of the things we appreciate most on an online casino is having access to all types of casino games in just one click. Online video slots, jackpot slots, live casino, card games or table games, keno, bingo, scratch cards and even virtual sports, the best online casino must enable you to go from one vertical range to the next with just one account and a single balance. This way, you do not need to change website, to open different accounts or to make numerous deposits to go from one casino game to the next. To summarize, the best casino operator must be a mega brand.
What to expect from the best slot machines portfolio ?
In general, it is first and foremost according to the slot machine and provider portfolio it offers that we evaluate a casino.
- The amount of slot machines available is essential. The largest online casinos have clearly understood this, VideoSlots for example boasts over 3000 casino games, which include 2800 different online slots. There is plenty of choice!
- It is widely expected for all themes to be represented. Some players are particularly fond of jackpot slots, whilst others for example only swear by video slots with an Ancient Egyptian theme. Some are very attached to traditional slot machines (the classic) and to fruit games, while others are after novelty above all. They are attracted by new slots with rather innovative engines. Therefore, the portfolio of the casino must be diverse enough to satisfy all players.
- We also attach considerable importance to the slot providers available on a website. The best online casino must work with all the largest slot providers. Netent, Microgaming, Pragmatic Play, Playtech are must-have brands of the iGaming industry. We also enjoy finding slot machines we are used to playing in land-based casinos online, which is why we are very attached to slot providers such as Novomatic, IGT, EGT, Scientific Games, Bally and Aristocrat.
Who are the best slot providers dominating the market?
Created in 1996 by Pontus Lindwall, Netent is today a Nasdaq listed company which has developed some 200 casino games which can be found in over 200 online casinos. Gonzo’s Quest, Starburst and the pooled jackpot slots Mega Fortune and Mega Fortune Dreams are some of its biggest successes. It has diversified in recent years by developing live casino and mobile slots (Netent Touch). Netent is today considered to be the number 1 slot provider in Europe, particularly in Northern countries and Sweden.
Straight from the small Isle of Man, Microgaming was established in 1994. The provider is amongst the industry leaders and has notably gotten a lot of publicity in 2018 since the largest online progressive jackpot of the history of iGaming was won on one of its slot machines. As a matter of fact, on the 28th September 2018 a player won €18,915,721 on Mega Moolah. Microgaming is very popular in Australia and in the UK.
With over a hundred casino slots and a presence in close to 80 different countries, Pragmatic Play offers a large range of games which may be found in all the best online casinos like Casumo, LeoVegas, ComeOn or Slots Million for example. This is an incredible performance when one knows the latter was only launched in 2015. Pragmatic Play is part of the newest stakeholders to challenge the current leaders of the online gaming industry.
Since 1999, Playtech provides gaming software. Comprising more than 5000 employees, it has already developed over 600 casino games. It is also present in a variety of other branches (Poker, Bingo, Sports betting, Virtual Sports, Lottery). Playtech is one of the UK’s – but also the world’s – best casino platforms and slot providers. Let us not forget that Playtech has amongst its White Labels some of Britain’s biggest operators, such as Ladbrokes, Gala, William Hill… One can even find their games on Bet365 and Pokerstar! Playtech is very popular in the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain but also in Asia.
As the European leader in terms of gaming technology, Novomatic is present both in land-based casinos and on online casinos. It has already developed more than 340 slot machines including the famous Book of Ra which happens to be German and Austrian players’ favourite game, so much so that this game was copied by Play’n’Go to give the Book of Dead slot. For many players, Novomatic is the best land-based slot provider. The company responsible for Novomatic games online is Green Tube.
Listed on the New York Stock Exchange and with over 12000 employees, IGT is also a heavyweight of the industry. They may not be the most modern of all slots, however Pharaoh’s Fortune, Cleopatra and Lobster Mania have been great successes, whether it be online or in land-based casinos.
Top Casino Games, card games and live casino
The best online casino must possess the largest choice of casino card games and live casino. Of course, a player must be able to find all the most classic table games (Roulette, Blackjack, Poker, Texas Hold’em, Baccarat, Three card Poker) even though players nowadays mainly turn to live casino.
The arrival of live casino was a real innovation for players who can now play facing a real dealer from their PC as well as from their tablet or smartphone as if they were in a land-based casino! This amounts to a revolution in the sense that the player does not have the impression of playing against a software but against humans! In order to be listed in the TOP of the best online casinos, the operator must have a wide variety of live games available on desktop and on mobile: Poker, Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Casino Hold’em, Three card poker, Caribbean Stud Poker, Dragon Tiger….
- In terms of live casino, Evolution is the number one slot provider, however there are many more. Evolution Gaming is the leading slot provider in terms of live casino. It possesses recording studios in Latvia, Malta, Canada but also in Asia where some live dealers work 24/7/365. It also provides streaming via land-based casinos in order to enable players to really feel the special atmosphere of casino. Its live game portfolio is the most complete of all – it for example includes live Lightning Roulette.
Evolution live dealer games: Live Roulette, Live Lightning Roulette, Dream Catcher, Live Blackjack, Infinite Blackjack, Live Baccarat, Dragon Tiger, Live Football, Live Casino Hold’Em, Three Card Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker, Live Ultimate Texas Hold’Em, Texas Hold’Em Bonus Poker.
- Playtech, with its company Euro Live has also branched out into high-level standard live casino. Since February 2017, it owns a 8500 square meters studio in Latvia and is also present in Romania. To satisfy the preferences of Asian players, Playtech has also set up a live dealing studio in Manille, in the Philippines.
Playtech live games : Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Poker, Hi-Lo, Sic Bo, Side Bet, Grand Royal
- One can also find live casino in Netent’s offering, with their offer which is simply called Netent Live, of which the studios are found in Malta.
Netent live casino games : Roulette, Blackjack and Common Draw Blackjack. Their live dealer studio is found in Malta.
- It may not be the provider’s priority, however one may also find relatively good quality live dealing with Microgaming.
Microgaming live casino games : Baccarat, Roulette and Blackjack.
- Present on the market since 2012, Betgames specializes in live games. The company has over 60 dealers to conduct its live casino offer composed of 9 live games.
Betgames live casino portfolio: Live Lucky 5, Live Lucky 6, Live Lucky 7, Live Poker, Live Baccarat, War of Bets, Live Dice, Live Wheel of Fortune, Live Dice Duel.
- Lastly, it is impossible for us to conclude this part without mentioning Authentic Gaming which is none other than one of the best live casino providers. It has the particularity of streaming in land-based casinos, this includes some of the most prestigious facilities! It for example was the first and the only brand to record sessions at the Foxwoods Casino Resort which happens to be one of the largest casinos in the United States and the 5th largest in the world! In July 2018, its CEO, Jonas Delin, announced the opening of the Arena Studio dedicated to live auto roulette. Players can wager on the Classic Roulette, the VIP Roulette and even the Blaze Roulette.
An Excellent selection of Virtual sports or virtual games
Nowadays, an excellent online casino must diversify its offer as much as possible. It must not limit itself solely to casino games like slot machines, card games and table games, it must also offer its players new experiences thanks to virtual games.
Virtual games represent a new exciting way of betting online. They are about betting on virtual sports events: virtual football, virtual horse racing, virtual Greyhounds, virtual cycling, virtual motor racing… If you have never heard of virtual sports, they involve making a virtual bet on a match or a race based on an algorithm. These virtual games have the advantage of being available 24/7 and virtual football games are for example much shorter than real football matches. As regards the graphics, they are increasingly detailed and realistic, the gambler nearly has the impression of attending a real game or a real race. On the other hand, it is important to keep in mind that they represent an additional challenge since it is impossible to base oneself on statistics to make those bets. To try and win money thanks to virtual sports, on must rely on luck more than on strategy, this is why they are closer to casino games than sports betting. It should still be noted that the payout percentage of these virtual games is very low (RTP of approximately 91-93%).
Offering virtual games is surely an advantage for the best online casino since it allows players to vary their games and change up their gaming habits a bit. The operator can in this way extend its sphere of activities by adding virtual sport betting to its website.
The best online casinos may be supplied by different virtual games providers like Inspired, Betradar but they are not the only ones since some online casino providers like Everymatrix or Playtech also provide this type of games dedicated to virtual betting.
- Betradar is a brand of the Swiss company Sportrader. It has an excellent virtual sports betting offer on football, tennis, basketball, horse racing and dog racing, as well as esport betting.
- Inspired develops good slot machines, table games and offers virtual bets on football, tennis, greyhound races, golf, cricket, horse races, car races, cycling, darts and even offers a lotto and a virtual bingo. Inspired’s virtual products belong to the RUSH range.
Good side games offering such as Keno, Bingo and Scratch cards
Lastly, the final range of games it is ideal to find on the best online casino is one which includes Bingo, Scratchcards and Keno. These traditional games are classics and will never go out of style, which is why players enjoy finding them online in order to play from their PC or on mobile versions and casino apps for them to make their play from their smartphone or their tablet.
Through innovation and novelties, online casino providers have managed to dust-off scratch card games which still meet with great success in store regardless of the fact that they are not the most modern option. They offer a wide variety of casino themes: Ancient Egypt -Egyptian Oasis-, Fruits -Roll the dice, Slot777, Fruit basket-, Asia -Lucky Numbers, Dragon Scrolls-… The overall designed is improved and makes these games very attractive. In general, the RTP of Scratch Cards is close to 95%. Neogames, Microgaming, Playtech but also Pariplay and Netoplay are part of the best Scratch Cards providers. It is nowadays very difficult to differentiate a scratch card from a slot machine.
Fast withdrawal casino
The payment delay of winnings is also one of the main criteria one must take into account when looking for the best online casino. Players are in fact after mobile casinos and operators who offer the largest game portfolio one can find, but one of the main reasons which will determine why this choose one casino over another will usually be the payment period it displays.
Once the player has requested a withdrawal, the casino must verify and approve his request before the payment can be carried out. This process can take just a few hours with some brands, while with others it can take a few days.
A lot of online and mobile casinos pay under a maximum of 24 hours, this is for example the case with Viks, Dunder, Slotty Vegas and Hopa. Others stand out of the lot by promising almost immediate withdrawals. Guts for example became well-known by becoming the online casino to offer the fastest withdrawal since it pays in under a maximum of 2 hours. This is, of course, a powerful argument which has enabled it to break into the highly competitive iGaming industry and position itself as the great favourite online casino. As a matter of fact, many players are seduced by this fast withdrawal. For its part, Grosvenor relies mainly on the notoriety of its land-based casinos to impose itself in the TOP online casinos. Its reputation may be established, however it is clear it would seduce more online gamblers if it were to pay winnings faster. In fact, till this day, it takes between 1 and 5 days for a request to be processed by the casino’s services. On the other hand, it has yet more strings to its bow since it is one of the only operators to accept Paypal as a means of payment.
Finally, know that a revolutionary technology coming straight from Sweden promises to radically change the online gaming world. Pay N Play by Trustly allows players to deposit funds and to bet without having to open an account. On top of that, withdrawals are paid almost instantly, and the funds arrive on the player’s account immediately. Pay N Play by Trustly is available in Sweden, Finland, Germany and soon also in Denmark. In England, the most common online payment method is Paypal.
