12/10/2024

Things You Should Know About Gambling Software

3 min read

Much like many other things in life, gambling and sports betting also went digital, and this is not something that happened too recently. However, even before massive digitalization and online availability, casinos have relied on so-called gambling software. In other words, before eFortuna online was available, or other gambling platforms, land-based casinos also relied on software to make some games better. 

Slot machines for example used to be fully mechanical, but they were gradually shifted to slot computer games or arcades that players played on monitors. Here we will delve a bit deeper into the topic of gambling software, and share some interesting facts about them. 

What is Gambling Software

Term gambling software does not necessarily imply something we can download onto our computer in order to play casino games. That being said, there are many online casinos that rely on apps that players do need to download and install either on their PC or smartphone. Meaning, it is something optional, but it can also exist within a web browser.

The casino software is defined by the Gambling Act, as a program that is used for remote gambling and it can include RNG, virtual events, web pages, and bet matching. It also needs to be licensed by regulators to ensure that the software is created to be fair and in accordance with regulations. And anyone who wishes to run a remote casino, sportsbook, or even bingo, needs to have the gambling software that has received Gambling Commission approval.   

Purpose of Gambling Software

The gambling software does multiple things, but the main idea behind it is to allow remote play. The other main purpose of this software is to regulate how the game behaves, so it is responsible for regulating the win rate of a game, and for player experience. 

The software is widely used for online slot games to regulate their RTP rate and overall win chance. So if a slot game has a higher win rate it will have a lower return to player (RTP) percentage. This is something we can see in more skill-based casino games that were added recently like arcades.  

Considering how slots have a small chance to grant you a jackpot, but a much higher chance to grant you some sort of winnings, the software regulates the payouts for these different combinations, and how they are scored. 

License

In order to be a developer or supplier of gambling software you also need to have a gambling license. So a casino that wishes to use gambling software needs to find a developer that is licensed by the Commission that regulates gambling in that particular jurisdiction. 

It is also possible to purchase software from a third party that has obtained a software operating license. This is when a business wants to have custom made games, and needs more control over the design of the application, however, they still need to be approved by the commission before they are marketed to the users because the third party used for development does not necessarily have gambling software operating license.