Updated: January 18, 2021

Game Providers [2023 List]

Evolution Gaming

Novomatic

NetEnt

Microgaming

If you are a New Zealand online casino player, then you will likely already know about the huge range of games that are available on the market. Of course, these include slots, table games, sportsbooks, live casino and several other niche varieties too, such as virtual sports or instant win games.

What you might not be so aware of though is the team behind these games – the game providers – work tirelessly in order to provide you with innovative gameplay experiences that break the mould in terms of what is available for online casino players in New Zealand. It is thanks to these teams that you can always find new and exciting games popping up at your favourite casino or online betting site.

This page is dedicated to these game providers so next time you log on to your favourite casino and play a new game you will have a better idea about the companies behind the features, design and gameplay it offers.

NetEnt

The biggest and best-known company in the world of online casino gaming is NetEnt. These casino providers have been in the game for over 20 years and their profile just keeps on rising and expanding as they provide more and more top-games. They are perhaps best known for their wide selection of top games, which have pioneered the slot gaming industry and brought a whole range of innovations to the dynamic of a slot game.

Whether that be through their unique designs or features, the modern casino slot game has basically been spearheaded by NetEnt’s experienced team. With this considered, it is no surprise that some of the most recognisable slots on the market, such Starburst and Gonzo’s Quest both came out of the NetEnt studio. However, they are not content with their current situation and on a monthly basis new games come out of their studio too.

However, they are not a one-trick pony and their gaming solution go much deeper than that. Another area they have targeted is table games to very good effect, with their own roulette, blackjack, poker and other classic game designs.

Meanwhile, their most recent expansion over the last 5 to 10 years has been a focus on one of most popular ways to play online, Live Casino. In this field, they also excelled quickly and they are considered to be one of the industry leaders when it comes to this area of casino gaming also, bettered only by live casino specialists, Evolution.

What does this all mean for players? Well, quite simply that if you are attending online casinos you can enjoy a full experience with this provider alone. It is likely due to this that you will find Netent games at practically every New Zealand casino, with their logo on the casino confirming that your gaming experience will always be complete and well-rounded.

Learn more about Netent

Microgaming

Microgaming first began life as a casino themselves with their first intention to start launching casino games coming as a direct result of wanting to provide their own exclusive games to their wanting audience. This was way back in 1994 with them being credited as creating the world’s first true online casino software.

Both of these elements combined mean that they have both the experience providing games and the experience of knowing what casinos want. It is with this considered also that they are considered pioneers of the online casino gaming industry and are probably second only to Netent in their prowess as a gaming entity.

They too have a complete selection of gaming options with they being a provider offering plenty of slots, tables games – most notably roulette and poker- as well as other games such as scratch cards or bingo. What they are slightly lesser known for is their live casino games, although these do exist, and in fact, over 100 casino brands use the Microgaming Live Dealer software.

These live dealer games from Microgaming will be immediately recognisable as they implement Playboy Live Dealer games, where scantily dressed females deal the cards sporting bunny ears. As well as all this, Microgaming are also well-known for their Jackpot slots, including the world record holder for a one-off payout, Mega Moolah, being their brainchild. The team are another game provider who are dropping games on a monthly basis and keeping their games library fresh and full of innovation.

Learn more about Microgaming

Pragmatic Play

While Pragmatic Play might not have the same profile as either Netent or Microgaming, but as the name suggests, providing games that work sensibly and realistically in a practical way is something that they have got down to a tee. They have also proved themselves to have been a firm to last the test of time also, with they too being around since the dawn of the online casino gaming revolution.

Through their reputation and consistency in providing great games to their audiences over the course of their history, they too have become a game provider whose presence can be felt across the casino industry and their games will also be found on a large majority of online casino available to New Zealand players.

You don’t have to believe on their integrity and performance as a game provider as this year they also picked up the Best Gaming Company 2019 at Migea Malta i-Gaming, Excellence Awards, which was just the latest in a long line of awards that have been consistently won since 2016 year after year from various awards such as the EGR, the Starlet Awards and the Malta Gaming Awards, which includes best slot game and innovation in slot gaming awards.

This gives you a taste of the quality that comes from this firm, but also tells you what their speciality is, which is definitely slot games. They are experts in all formats of slots whether that be video, classic or jackpot slots, they have made a wave in the world of slots for years now and some great titles have come from them.

They also provide other great gaming options including some top-quality table games, scratch cards and video poker options, plus an “other game” section too. The only downside is the lack of live casino options.

Learn more about Pragmatic Play

Evolution Gaming

By far the leaders in terms of live casino games are Evolution Gaming. If you attend a New Zealand casino that offers live casino games then you can pretty much guarantee that these games would have at least been partially provided by the guys at Evolution Gaming. This is a very good thing as the game provided by them is certainly the best and most diverse of all the live casino providers out there, so if your New Zealand casino doesn’t offer them, you may be lacking in this department. This will be a shame if your preference is to play live casino games.

Now in the casino game for coming up to 14 years, they have had a one-track mind since their foundation and so while you can’t not play Evolution Gaming virtual games this isn’t their intention. They found their niche and perfected so much so that they are now the quintessential live casino provider. Due to this, they too have been consistently winning awards year after year since their formation, which include winning the Live Casino Supplier of the Year 10 years in a row at the EGR gaming awards earlier this year. While their individual games have also won numerous awards.

Part of the reason for this is they have thought outside of the box about what a casino can and will provide to their users. Of course, they have high-quality classic casino games like roulette, blackjack, baccarat and plenty more to play, but also live casino games that would never exist if it weren’t their existence as a company. While this includes interesting variations on these games, such as lightning roulette, the real feather in their cap is a whole new concept brought to casino gameplay.

Their football studio game for example, incorporates a card game with live football, while other games such as Monopoly Live combined a board game with casino gameplay, and Deal or No Deal, the world’s first 24/7 game show, showcases a marriage between tv and casinos. These last two were just the latest additions in 2019 and who knows what is to come next year from the innovative minds at Evolution Gaming.

While we may not have any specifics, you guarantee there will be more games and more expansions as they continue to retain their title as the go-to live casino provider.

Learn more about Evolution Gaming

Novomatic

In 2008, Novomatic secured a $5.0 billion turnover, this instilled them as one of the largest high-tech gaming technology companies in the world financially. In 2019 Novomatic surpassed €5.1 billion as the group continues to expand. In terms of presence in the i-gaming scene though, Novomatic was long a household name in the industry and so have long been considered as such by casino fans.

These fit a similar industry role to Pragmatic Play, whereby while they do not have the same wide range of expanding services and repertoire of games, consistency is their key. With this being proven by the fact they have been operating since as far back as 1980. Naturally, this precedes even the concept of the internet, let alone i-gaming, but that is because they first made their name in providing real-world gaming options to venues across the globe.

Then when the i-gaming wave came about they were able to quickly adapt and move into these new pastures. With an established presence across the world in over 40 countries, they quickly became a fixture in online casino worldwide, New Zealand included, and have maintained that position with a flurry of new games being regularly released ever since.

Their focus is very much on slots and they have 372 slots on their books, plus a handful of table games that have been provided at countless online casinos, but more are always in the works. With what the game provider not having in quantity make up for with an abundance of quality.

Learn more about Novomatic

FAQ

Which is the best slots providers?

This is of course, not easy to answer and they all have their areas of expertise. Evolution, for example, are definitely the best for live casinos, while Pragmatic Play has a strong slot selection. This said, if you have to go for the best all-rounder, it would be between Microgaming and Netent, with the latter likely to edge it based on their far greater use of innovation in the recent years.

Are these the only game providers in the business?

Across the world, there are loads of game providers than this, but unfortunately, many do not offer their games and services in New Zealand. Of course, there are more than just these game providers in New Zealand also, but these are by far the best, most reputable and most reliable out of them all.

Are virtual or live games better?

Ultimately, this is a matter of preference and depending on what you want from your casino gaming will determine the answer to this. However, live casino games are better for a more authentic experience, but virtual games often offer a more diverse selection and can also provide more efficient gameplay.