Exploring Casino Game Options: A Guide for iGaming Operators

Few entertainment sectors have seen the recent rapid surge in growth experienced by the iGaming industry. But what online casinos exist, how many game options are available, and which games should every new operator offer their users? Join us as we explore everything that online casinos have to offer new iGaming operators.

Why Online Casinos are Integral to iGaming

Data from Statista shows the projected online gambling user base market is expected to reach 233.7 million users by 2027, with revenues anticipated to reach a staggering US$ 124 billion. For potential new operators, understanding the role of online casinos is paramount. Casinos are a foundation stone for successful iGaming businesses. Online casinos offer an array of games to attract a diverse audience, driving acquisition, engagement, retention, and revenue.

The Origins of iGaming

The Free Trade and Processing Act in Antigua and Barbuda, on 10 November 1994, set the stage for iGaming as we know it, with Microgaming launching the first online casino the same year. Land-based casinos expanded into a virtual environment that surged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Find out more about the origins of iGaming in part 3 of our blog series, An Evolutionary History of Gaming, Gambling & iGaming.

Types of Online Casinos & Their Services

B2B iGaming solutions providers create and establish iGaming operators’ brands with their chosen platform solution type. Depending on the operator’s chosen market, kind of casino, budget, and licence, providers will build a brand from the ground up and, if desired, oversee the day-to-day running via managed services. Solutions providers also partner with game providers to build catalogues of casino games that operators can offer their users.

What Types of Online Casinos Are There?

• App Casinos: Dedicated mobile apps that allow users to play games directly from their smartphones or tablets.
• Crypto Casinos: These casinos specialise in cryptocurrency transactions with faster transaction speeds.
• Instant Play Casinos: Instantly playable games that don’t require any downloaded software for quick access.
• Mobile Casinos: Mobile-first casinos optimised with interfaces for smaller screens.
• Virtual Casinos: A digital version of the casino experience using a VR headset.
• Web-Based Casinos: Casinos that operate directly in a web browser with no downloads and instant access.

What Types of Platform Solutions Are There?

• Omnichannel Solutions: Omnichannel solutions integrate online, mobile, and retail under a single user account.
• Turnkey Solutions: Turnkey solutions give operators more control, scalability, and customisation over their brands for truly bespoke brand creation, personalisation, localisation, and increased ROI.
• White Label Solutions: Basic, ready-to-launch platform solutions that come with prebuilt backend operations and licence.
• Integrated Solutions & Game Aggregation: Integrated solutions enable established operators, usually sportsbook operators, to incorporate a casino vertical into their existing platforms under one unified system. Game Aggregation is a software solution that consolidates an array of games from multiple developers into a single platform, often referred to as a ‘casino games hub’ or ‘game aggregation platform’.

Wagering Requirements, T&Cs, & Responsible Gaming

Wagering requirements, terms and conditions (T&Cs), and responsible gaming practices are at the core of iGaming.

• Wagering Requirements: Wagering requirements state how many times a player must bet the bonus amount before they can withdraw their winnings.
• Terms and Conditions (T&Cs): T&Cs govern online casinos, outlining the rights and responsibilities of the operator and the players.
• Responsible Gaming: Responsible gaming practices, like self-exclusion, deposit limits, and KYC identity checks, prevent gambling addiction and fraud.

Learn more about wagering requirements, T&Cs, and responsible gaming in our iGaming Casino & Live Casino Glossary.

Casino

Online casinos are split into two sections: casino and live casino. Casino games are usually digital versions of one-armed bandits/fruit machines. Live casino covers table games and live dealer games. An operator needs a catalogue of slots with varying styles and a range of table and live dealer games.

Casino Game Features & Jargon

• Bonus Games: Additional games within slots that offer further chances to win.
• Free Spins/Free Games: Bonus rounds that players can trigger, offering extra chances to win at no additional cost.
• Gamble Feature: Allows players to double their winnings or risk losing it all.
• Hit Frequency: A percentage typically from 20% to 40% indicating the likelihood of winning on a spin.
• Min/Max Bet: The lowest and highest amounts players can wager on a single spin.
• Max Probability: How often the maximum prize will be won, such as 1 in 300,000.
• Max Win: The amount the initial bet will be multiplied by for the user to win the biggest payout. A €1 wager that hits the jackpot of a slot with a 5,000x max win will get a prize of €5,000.
• Modifiers: Special features in slot games that alter the standard gameplay, such as transforming wilds, expanding symbols, multipliers, or mega symbols.
• Multipliers: Multiply a spin or symbol’s winnings by a specified factor, increasing the payout amount.
• Mystery Symbols/Transforming Symbols: Change into other symbols (except scatters) to create potential winning combos.
• Paylines: The active lines matching symbols must ‘hit’ or land on to win a prize.
• Paytable/Rules: A chart in slot games that shows the payout for each symbol combination, while the rules section explains how the game is played and what each feature does.
• Payout/Payout Odds: The amount paid to a player for each winning combination, while payout odds describe the likelihood of winning specific payouts.
• Random Number Generator (RNG): A computer algorithm that generates random outcomes for each spin, ensuring fair play.
• Reels, Rows, & Reel Sets: Reels are the segmented vertical sections of symbols that ‘spin’ on each game turn. Rows are the horizontal lineup of the reels. Reel sets refer to the pattern or shape of the reels and rows, like the classic 3×3 set-up. Some reel sets have horizontal and vertical reels; some have changing reels.
• Respins: A feature where some or all reels spin again for a second chance to hit a winning combination.
• Return to Player (RTP): A percentage that indicates the amount of all wagered money a slot will pay back to players over time.
• Scatters/Bonus Symbols: Trigger special features like bonus rounds, games, or payouts.
• Volatility: Measures the risk involved in playing a slot game. High volatility offers larger payouts less frequently; low volatility offers frequent wins of smaller amounts.
• Wilds (Expanding, Sticky, Stacked, Shifting, etc.): Symbols that substitute for other symbols to form winning combinations, with various types adding unique behaviours: expanding wilds grow to fill reels, sticky wilds remain in place for multiple spins, stacked wilds appear in clusters, and shifting wilds move across the reels.
• Win Both Ways: Allows combinations to be formed from left to right and right to left, increasing the chances of a win.

Casino Game Types

Operators starting their own online casino should familiarise themselves with the range of games available, what’s popular in their market, and the biggest sellers.

• Classic Slots: Traditional slot games with simple mechanics typically feature three reels and iconic symbols like fruits, bells, bars, and sevens.
• Video Slots: Slot games with advanced graphics, animations, modifiers, and multiple paylines, typically with a 5×3 reel set incorporating detailed themes and bonus features.
• Megaways™ Slots: A type of slot game that offers thousands of ways to win on each spin using a variable reel modifier technology that changes the number of symbols on each spin.
• Avalanche, Cascading, & Tumbling Reels Slots: Slot games where winning symbols disappear and new ones fall into place, potentially leading to multiple consecutive wins from a single spin.
• All-Ways/Anyways Slots: Slots that pay out winnings based on matching symbols on adjacent reels, regardless of their position, across all possible lines.
• Cluster Wins Slots: Slots where wins are awarded when clusters of the same symbol appear on the grid rather than traditional paylines.
• Expanding Reels Slots: Slots with reels that expand to add more rows or columns for increased ways to win.
• Jackpot Slots: Slot games that offer a fixed large payout or jackpot.
• Progressive Jackpot Slots: Slots on a game provider network where the jackpot increases each time the game is played at different casinos.
• Themed Slots: Slots designed around specific themes. Popular themes include ancient Egypt, Greece, and China, Irish slots, Vikings and Nordic gods, outer space, movies, and the Wild West.
• Crash Games: A relatively new style of fast-paced game where players bet on an increasing multiplier, aiming to cash out before the game ‘crashes’ or ends.
• Scratchcards: A simple instant-win game where players scratch off a covering to reveal symbols or numbers for potential prizes.
• Bonus Buy Slots: Slots that allow players to pay a premium to bypass standard play and directly access bonus features.
• Scatter Pays Slots: Slots where wins are determined by the number of scatter symbols landing anywhere on the reels, not necessarily in a line.
• Fishing Games: Interactive fishing-themed games, a popular genre, have exploded in popularity in Asia and Latam.
• Gaming-Style Games: Casino games with video game elements, such as scoring a goal or shooting flying saucers to complete tasks for rewards.
• Free-to-Play: Free-to-play (Play for Fun/Play/Free 2 Play/Play for Fun/ FTP/F2P) games can be played without real money stakes.
• Live Casino: Live casino games refer to video and live dealer table games being played in real-time, immersing the player in a realistic experience blending traditional casino elements with the comfort of online gaming. Players interact with croupiers (dealers) via live-stream and live chat. Players can play multiple games simultaneously and enter tournaments.
• Video Table Games: Video table games – like video poker – are digital versions of popular table games without a live dealer. This setup allows players to enjoy multiple tables at their own pace with instant access.
• Live Dealer Table Games: Live dealer table games are traditional casino games, like blackjack and roulette, live-streamed with a real croupier. Players can discover themed, multi-table, and exclusive versions. See below for some of the most common live casino games.

Common Live Casino Games

• Andar Bahar: A traditional Indian game where the dealer places a card face-up and players bet on whether a card with the same face value will appear on the Andar (inside) or Bahar (outside) side of the deck.
• Baccarat (Punto Banco): A card game where players bet on which of two hands, the ‘player’ or the ‘banker’ (punto or banco), will achieve a total closest to nine, with Punto Banco being the most common version played worldwide.
• Blackjack: A popular card game aimed at achieving a hand total closer to 21 than the dealer without exceeding 21. Variations include Pontoon (the British version with different terminology and rules), Spanish 21 (played without 10s in the deck and offering more liberal playing rules), and 21 (the standard form known in many casinos).
• Craps: A dice game where players wager on the outcomes of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice, with various betting options based on the numbers rolled.
• Poker: The king of casino games. Poker is a card game with many variations, including Texas Hold ‘Em (players receive two personal cards and use up to five community cards to form a hand), Five Card Stud and Seven Card Stud (where players receive a mix of face-up and face-down cards over multiple rounds), Draw Poker (players attempt to improve their hand by discarding cards and receiving replacements), Community Card Poker (players build their hand from a mixture of personal and shared community cards), Caribbean Stud (played against the house rather than other players), and Viking Poker (a less common variant with unique rules).
• Roulette: A game where players bet on where a ball will land on a spinning wheel, American Roulette includes a wheel with an extra ‘00’ slot, increasing the house edge. In comparison, European Roulette has a single ‘0’ slot, offering better odds to the player.
• Sic Bo (Tai Sai): An ancient Chinese dice game where players bet on the possible outcomes of three dice, with several betting options and high payout odds.
• Teen Patti: Often referred to as Indian Poker, Teen Patti involves players betting based on the strength of their three-card hand, with rules and ranking similar to traditional poker but simplified for quicker gameplay.
• Live Casino Gameshows: Live casino gameshows are relatively new, offering an interactive experience blending elements of TV game shows with modern live casino technology. The games are hosted by live presenters and streamed in real time. The format is designed to be engaging and social.

Other Casino Verticals

Operators might consider extra verticals like fantasy sports, eSports, virtual sports, lottery, keno, and bingo to cater to a broader audience for increased acquisition and engagement.

• Fantasy Sports: Fantasy sports let players assemble virtual teams that compete based on the statistical performance of those players in real life or by RNG.
• eSports: ESports is competitive professional gaming in a tournament or league.
• Virtual Sports: Virtual sports are simulated sporting events driven by RNG.
• Lottery: Lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize, and various local and global lottery options are available.
• Keno: Keno is a lottery-like game using numbers ranging from 1 to 80.
• Bingo: Bingo is a game of chance where players match numbers printed in different arrangements on cards the bingo caller draws at random.

Want a Sportsbook?

Now that you have time to explore the benefits of the casino, consider adding a sportsbook. Sports betting is worth around 30-40% of the iGaming market, with year-on-year growth at around 10%. Learn more about starting your own sportsbook in our six-step guide, and read Choosing a Sportsbook Provider for tips on selecting the best sportsbook provider.

Ready to Launch Your New iGaming Casino?

Starting a brand with a rich mix of casino and live casino betting options can provide the ultimate iGaming experience for new operators. For established sportsbooks, casinos offer a fresh element that can re-energise and boost profitability, broaden their appeal, and extend the reach of iGaming brands.

Looking for Inspiration?

Read our article How to Start Your Online Casino with a Turnkey Solution for more tips on getting your iGaming brand started and learn more about the Latest Trends in the Online Casino Industry in our blog.