Gaming Software Explained

When it comes to playing at your chosen online casino, there are basically three different ways in which you can access the casino. The two most common ways to play the casinos is via a download of the casino’s software or by playing the casino instantly through a compatible flash browser. These two types of gaming software are referred to as ‘download casino’ and ‘instant play’, also referred to as ‘flash casino’.

Over the last few years, online casinos have branched out to developing mobile casinos. This method of gambling is ever-increasing and has become extremely popular all over the world. Naturally, players can now gamble from their mobile and tablet devices wherever they are and more and more casinos now offer their players this option of gaming on the go.

Every player is different and each will have their own preferred method of play. In this guide, we will discuss these three different types of gaming software.

Download casino

A download version of a casino software basically means that you will be required to download the software first and install it on your computer, prior to you being able to play at the casino. Most casinos that require you to download their software will also offer an instant play version, too, but there are some rare instances of casinos that only allow the use of their games through you downloading their software. Once you have downloaded the software, the casino software then connects to the casino service provider. This handles contact without the need for any browser support.

In the past, download casinos were often considered superior to instant play casinos. In general download-based casinos run faster, as the graphics and sound programs are cached by the software client, as opposed to being loaded from the internet. Back in the day some of the most famous software giants in the industry, such as Microgaming and Playtech, which provided download-based casinos often offered better graphics, more realistic sounds and a more stable gaming experience via their download versions. The reason for that is because the games are stored on your computer, which allows better use of the major resources like sound and graphics. The system will respond very quickly to the games and it will make the experience feel a lot smoother. On the other hand, sometimes the initial download and the installation of the download software client can take some time. The software is usually safe to download, but as with any download from the casino, the risk of the program containing malware exists.

When you download the casino’s software, the download versions do tend to offer a lot more games than would be available in the instant play version. Let’s take Microgaming for example. Even though their instant play version offers an impressive selection of games, their true game portfolio is evident in their download version, which offers considerably more games and choice. Download casinos also tend to offer all the available features that the casinos have to offer, too. Players can manage their account better through the download casino and can generally access a lot more information. If you are a player that enjoys playing multiple games at the same time, a download casino offers you this facility and you can just jump from game to game.

We touched earlier on the safety of a download casino. Make sure that the software provider you are choosing to play with is reputable, so you can be assured that the download is secure and trustworthy. It would be ideal if you had a fast internet connection, as a slow internet connection could definitely interrupt not only the download itself but the use of the games too.

There is no doubt with a download casino you will be able to enjoy a full casino experience.

Instant play

Most online casinos nowadays offer their players a no download version of their casino, by having an instant play version. This will typically be powered by Flash technology and you can play it via your usual web browser. You will need to make sure that you have installed a flash plug-in to your computer; otherwise the games will not load and you will not be able to play them. Providing your computer has this, the casino and its games will instantly load in your browser and you will be able to play. This is an extremely easy, popular and fast way to start playing at an online casino and is very convenient. This also eliminates the hassle of having to download any software or check for any malware, which is a huge advantage of playing at a casino with instant play. Even though the hassle of downloading the casino’s software does not take a huge amount of time, skipping this step just makes it quicker and easier for you to start playing. Also, if you are unhappy with the casino with instant play, you can just close the tab and find another casino. However, if you were playing with a download casino, you would have to uninstall the software.

We mentioned earlier that instant play casinos may have a smaller amount of games available that download casinos. This would only be the case if the casino has both versions of their casinos available. So, if you were playing at a casino that only offers instant play, you need not to worry about the game availability because you will have full access to all of their games through your browser. We talked earlier about playing multiple games with the download version, some casinos also allow the use of multiple games now through instant play too.

Playing at a casino that provides instant play really does give you the freedom of being able to play wherever you like and whenever you like, regardless of what computer or laptop you are using. Let’s say for example you were at a friend’s house or on a business meeting and you did not have access to your own laptop, but to a different one. You could still log in to your favourite casino on that device simply by opening up the browser. You will be able to access the casino with no limits all you need to do is remember your username and password!

Choosing the right software is entirely up to you and your personal preferences. Each gambler has their own needs, so it’s all about picking that one that best suits your own needs. If you were to download every single casino you play in, it would take up a lot of space on your computer, so trying out an instant play casino now and again could really help you out there. If you are a player that looks for flexibility, then an instant play casino is probably more suited to you and there is certainly a whole host of online casinos that can cater to your needs there.

However, if you are a player that is looking for a more comprehensive gaming experience, then you may turn more towards download casinos. This, however, can also be dependent on the software itself, too. Both the instant play version and download version have their pros and cons and, where once the quality only lied in the download versions, as technology has advanced within the iGaming industry, instant play casinos are now able to offer that same quality. With the demand from players, casinos can now offer the same features as benefits as a download casino, so now, in fact, there are not that many differences between them. Take for example yet another giant in the gaming industry, NetEnt. They are award winners for their games and innovation all of which are offered via instant play.

Taking all of this into consideration, it’s really up to you and the depth in which you want to play to decide whether or not instant play or download is your preferred method of play.

Still, before you go off and try out these two types of gaming software, you should also consider mobile casinos, which allow you to access your favourite games no matter where you are. That said, let’s now discuss mobile casinos.

Mobile casinos

Many casinos now offer their games through their very own mobile casino, which gives players all over the world the ability to play at their favourite casinos via their mobile devices. Each mobile casino is different, but the vast majority of operators will make their games compatible on both the Android platform and iOS platform. In addition, other platforms can be included, such as Blackberry and Windows Mobile. Smartphone and tablet devices have become common practise and the mobile gaming industry is ever growing.

Mobile casinos are very convenient as players that want to play from their mobile devices are able to easily access the games through their mobile browser. Many mobile casinos do not require you to download an application from the app store; the games are directly accessible through the mobile’s browser. Certain mobile devices will allow you to save the casino to your device for even easier use, allowing you to simply click the shortcut saved without even having to load your mobile browser.

When mobile casinos first came onto the gambling scene, they were very few and far between. However, nowadays most casinos, especially the new ones just opening their doors, will have already developed a fully optimised mobile casino for their players. The games that are available have dramatically increased over the years as technology has grown. Mobile casinos have gone from having up to ten games to having over 200 games in some casinos and now players can even play progressive jackpot games from their mobile devices. Games come with excellent graphics and sound, the same as you would expect to find at an instant play casino. As casinos are releasing new games on their instant and download versions, they are also adding these games to their mobile casinos.

Each individual software provider have their own unique mobile casino but with most casinos now you can deposit, play and withdraw in the exact same way as you would in both instant and download casinos. They have also optimized their mobile casinos to adapt features such as auto play, checking transaction history, adding bonus codes, checking wagering and even live chat.

Mobile gambling is certainly not for everyone and most gamblers will use mobile games in addition to also using either download or instant play versions on their desktops and laptops. Mobile casinos are convenient as most people now carry some kind of mobile device with them wherever they go. This literally means they can play games on the go wherever and whenever they like. But, ultimately it all comes down to personal preferences. Even the mobile casinos that offer 200+ games only have a limited amount of games in comparison to their main casino’s site and for some gamblers this is the major flaw of mobile casinos. However, as technology keeps updating, you can rest assured that so will mobile casinos.

In conclusion to this guide, these are the three different types of gaming software available to you today. You can choose to play on all three different types of software or just stick to the one that is most suited to you. The great thing is the choice is yours and there for the taking.