Microgaming – a major casino game provider

Microgaming…The basics

Since 1994, when its base was located in the Isle of Man, Microgaming went on to provide games to more than 150 of the most well-known gaming brands in the world. It should go without saying that Mr Green is included in that list.

The company has a history of impressive firsts. As well as releasing the very first Progressive Jackpot slot (Cash Splash), it also developed the first mobile casino in 2004.

Microgaming’s games are typically provided in two versions: a downloadable version and Flash. However, it’s recently been working more with HTML5 to accommodate additional platforms. Microgaming develops the majority of their games themselves, but it also works with a number of other companies, such as Slingshot Studios, Neon Valley, and Derivco.

As well as being a software provider with countless awards to its name over the years, Microgaming has made significant moves in the industry. For example, in 2003, it helped to establish COGRA (eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance). COGRA is a global agency that was founded with the purpose of maintaining the industry’s standards and to protect its players. In addition, the agency is an independent testing laboratory, which gives it the right to test casinos and individual games, and ensure that they’re being run both fairly and ethically.

Despite all of Microgaming’s achievements, it’s the state-of-the-art, award-winning games that the company focuses most of its efforts on.

Microgaming Products

Poker

In 2003, Microgaming launched Prima Poker, now known as MPN (Microgaming Poker Network). Successful from day one, it remains popular today. Among its product features and accomplishments are having established the Blazing Cannon mini-game, offering CIP (Casino in Poker) games (where games can be played in between or during hands), games being made available in multiple languages, being among the first to provide an integrated achievement system, and being the first provider to offer Anonymous Tables.

The provider also gave a makeover to Bad Beat Jackpot, which rewards players with very high hands that are defeated by an even better one. The tables operate 24/7, games are played on a widescreen Fun View table, and it provides numerous different types of tournaments- heads-up, bounty, and freeroll among them. It was also a pioneer of Blaze Poker, a game which is all about high-speed hands and fast folding.

The MPN even has its very own Poker Tour.

Microgaming, however, revealed that, in 2020, it will close the door on MPN. It has yet to announce an exact date. While this will mean the end of Microgaming’s poker network, it will still be providing poker products to customers and clients. Until MPN is officially closed, you can still claims your bonuses, take part in tournaments, and withdraw your winnings.

Sportsbook

This is another area that has seen Micogaming enjoy a long-term relationship with betting operators, having being a provider to sportsbooks since 2006. It’s not only focused on every major sport you can think of, including football, golf, tennis, cricket, and darts, butt also niche sports like futsal, beach volleyball, and floorball.

There’s also an impressive offering on both in-play and pre-match betting in multiple languages. It enables customers to play with various currencies. It’s also compatible with the major operating systems and devices, with additional features like statistics, real-time scores, head-to-head stats (that applies to both teams and players), and cash-out, so you get the full betting experience.

If sports is something that’s close to your heart, take a look at Mr Green’s sportsbook.

Live Casino

The high-definition pictures in Microgaming’s live casino enhance the entrainment value, and the friendly and engaging dealers make the table a joy to be at. There’s also a number of different versions of baccarat, blackjack, and roulette to play. Equally as strong on both mobile and desktop, you have the option of using auto-bet functionality for multi-table play.

If you have an existing account with Mr Green and live casino is your thing, there’s nothing stopping you from trying out our live casino games right away.

Slots

Here’s where Microgaming really comes into its own. The provider has a wealth of experience in creating some of the most respected and played slots in the industry. We’ll discuss its best of the best slots shortly- the ones that pay out big and those that are just downright quirky- but first it’s important to mention that the act of complimenting individual slots should take a back seat to the quality that exists in their entire library of slots. After all, this is what has made them the most respected slots provider in the world.

Let’s look at how Microgaming first achieved this reputation so long ago and how it’s managed to maintain its status over and above all competition.

Microgaming slots

Securing your devices

As well as the ability to play your favourite Microgaming slots on your laptop or desktop computer, you can also access them on tablet and mobile devices, whether on Android, Apple, Blackberry, or Java-powered devices.

Independent agencies have checked each of the slots to confirm that there are no errors or bugs, that they live up to their promises, and their promoted RTP (Return to Player) is accurate.

Free-to-play games

Practice may not always make perfect, but it gets you a lot closer. Microgaming understands this and has, therefore, made each slot available to play for free. So if you want to try out a few before committing to playing for real money, you have the opportunity to do so. There’s no shortage of slots for you to try your hand at.

500+ slots with more to come

At the time of writing, Microgaming has launched close to 500 slots, with an average of four new releases a month.

Slot themes and types

When a company has released such a staggering number of slots, we can safely assume that it’s incorporated almost every theme known to man.

While we, of course, can’t list every topic, the following is a selection of categories: animals, circus, mermaids, legends and myths, dragons, Oriental-inspired, cars, retro one-arm bandit games, and Vegas-inspired. We’re going to give you a taste of the kind of slots they’ve released over the years but bear in mind that this list barely scratches the surface of Microgaming’s entire back catalogue.

RTP

RTP is one of those terms that can confuse new players, so let’s go over what it actually means. It stands for Return to Player and can be any number from 90-100 that indicates the amount of money that would be paid out to the player if they continued to play until the end of time. The higher that number is, the better paying the slot.

RTP is one of the features that regular players look at when sizing up which slot to play next. Among the many reasons that could help to explain Microgaming’s enormous popularity is that its slots have, at bare minimum, an average RTP when compared to the industry norm. Other slots from Microgaming offer very generous payouts indeed. Without assessing every slot they’ve put out, they have an average RTP of around 96%, which, in general, is slightly above the average.

If numbers are important to you, then the following slots will be of interest, as they each pay out very nicely indeed: Beautiful Bones, Cricket Star, Jurassic World, and Jurassic Park. Each offers a 97% RTP and are available to play right now at Mr Green.

Special Features

Microgaming was among the very first slot providers to offer slots with multiple ways to win in the base game. In fact, by “multiple”, we mean 243 ways to win. Unfortunately, this doesn’t increase the odds of you winning overall. What it does mean, however, is that when you’re racking up any kind of wins in the base game, they can come in numerous different forms. That helps to make these slots unpredictable and always fun to play.

One particular slot- Immortal Romance (of which we talk about below)- was among Microgaming’s first slots offering 243 different ways to win when it was released in 2011, Since then, games such as Jurassic Park, Game of Thrones, Terminator, and the more recent Exotic Cats, have each offered the feature.

The Best Slots Microgaming has to Offer

The ultimate slot: Immortal Romance

This one wasn’t easy as there was a lot of competition, especially from another old favourite: Mega Moolah. If you’re a fan of MM, be patient, we’re coming to you shortly.

We chose to take this approach because we understand that not everyone favours Jackpot Slots and that many people prefer slots without Progressive Jackpots but with higher RTPs. So, anyway, back to Immortal Romance.

The slot was released in 2011, a time when the world was obsessed with dangerous and yet fascinating mythical creatures, such as werewolves and vampires. It’s stood the test of time better than most, and in spite of the recent technological advancements applied to slot-development, it doesn’t appear at all outdated.

The game revolves around a four-person love story, with the four main characters being Amber, Michael, Sarah, and Troy. It’s one of the slots that features 243 ways to win, so you’d be wise not to expect to win with the same combination on too many occasions.

In keeping with the game’s theme, the Wild Desire, which is randomly-triggered, sees between one and five reels turning entirely Wild. If you’re an experienced slot player, you’ll know exactly what that means: you can expect some big wins to come your way.

This is one slot that really lives up to its name as it feels like it’s been around forever.

Any great slot features a free spins round. Immortal Romance knows that only too well, with not just an extra one or two for good measure, but a total of four free spins rounds. The reason for this is that when you get three Scatters, you have the option of choosing which of these four rounds you want to play. Each of these rounds is named after one of the four protagonists. They also range from 10-25 free spins per round, have varying multipliers, and have slight differences with regards to how you win.

Best high-paying Slot: Mega Moolah

At first, you may struggle to understand why a Savannah-themed slot with lions, giraffes, and other strange-looking animals, would be one that pays out record-breaking amounts of money.

Having said that, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t and, as it happens, the name “Mega Moolah” is a game that comes to mind when we think of the world’s biggest Progressive Jackpot slots.

It largely plays like the majority of other slots. Some of the symbols hold more value than others, you’re looking for Scatters to take you to a free spins round with a minimum of 15 free spins, and each win during that round is automatically tripled. Should you manage to see five Scatters on the reels, you’ll automatically be paid 100x your total bet.

Of course, when it comes to Mega Moolah, what you really care about are the Progressive Jackpots.

The Wheel of Fortune round features random triggers, and on those occasions, you’ll have an opportunity to take the eponymous wheel for a spin. As previously mentioned, there’s a total of four jackpots, and you’ll be rewarded with one once the wheel has stopped spinning. Whichever jackpot it lands on is the one you’ll win. In the Mega Jackpot, the minimum amount that you can win is €1,000,000. The greater number of players around the world playing Mega Moolah at different casinos, the greater the value of the four Jackpots.

Here’s the entire catalogue of Progressiven Jackpot slots available at Mr Green, and here’s where to go straight to Mega Moolah.

Mr Green’s No.1 slot: Bridesmaids

When Paul Feig’s Bridesmaids was released to cinemas in 2011, it made more money at the box office than any R-rated comedy with an all-female cast in movie history. With its quirky characters trying to get one over the other, emotional scenes, and, slapstick comedy, it quickly won over audiences.

While Bridesmaids slot might not have enjoyed the same level of success as it did on the big screen, it ranks among the most popular branded slot games ever produced.

There’s a Flying High Free Spins round, in addition to a Friendship Free Spins round, that are among the game’s highlights, and a Wheel Bonus with extremely high multipliers. There’s also an opportunity to win the jackpot, and then there’s also a Boutique Bonus. That would already make a great bonus slot, but there’s also the chance to activate the Magic Moments Bonus.

Each of the main characters from the movie is involved in the slot, delivering their most famous lines you just might remember from the movie, and if you’re a particularly big fan, you’ll enjoy the HD clips.

The perfect slot for any fan of Bridesmaids.

A few facts about Microgaming

According to the Guinness Book of Records, Mega Moolah delivered the biggest payout in the history of online slots. An online casino player and soldier from Britain, Jon Heywood, won a staggering £13.2 million GBP (close to 18 million Euros) after winning the Mega Jackpot. So if you thought that the slot’s cute little animals were there only to make you say “ahh”, think again.
There are a number of other cool stats about the slot. Mega Jackpot winners have come from a total of eight countries – five winners were in the UK ,and New Zealand was the lone non-European country. The winningest month is May if you were wondering; it’s the one month which has produced two winners of the Mega Jackpot.
Microgaming has a number of other Progressive Jackpot slots. Firstly, there’s a Mega Moolah slot called Mega Moolah Isis. The other slots in Microgaming’s Progressive Jackpot library are are Fruit Fiesta, King Cashalot, Major Millions, and Treasure Nile. The slot provider is unique in one particular aspect: it’s the only provider that pays out such wins as one lump sum. Every other provider pays in instalments.
Microgaming has released more than 800 casinos games since 1994, including bingo, video poker, table games, and, of course, slots.
Microgaming has won one award after another. They include RNG Casino Supplier (2012), Innovation in Bingo (2013), EGR Awards for Poker Software (2013-2016), Digital Product (2014-16), Digital Gaming Innovation (2015), and Poker Network (2018). It’s also picked up numerous awards from the NTA, ReB, and Women in Gaming. That’s some serious validation by the industry.
Microgaming’s Lost Vegas slot, which is themed around, and set in, Las vegas after the apocalypse, enables you to play in one of two different modes: survivor or zombie. Both the characters and bonus features are very different in each.

Conclusion

Just like in a number of Microgaming’s slots, where there are many ways to win, there are also many ways in which the provider stands out from its competition. It’s often the case in any industry that its pioneers dominate it for a few years before falling short of its rivals due to outdated products, or they join forces with another company to protect its share of the market. Microgaming had other ideas.

The provider is as big now as it was when it was first established in the ’90s, thanks to adapting and evolving to such an extent that it remains the No.1 player in the industry. It has teamed up with well-known gaming studios that resulted in collaborative efforts to enable it to continue to release the best casinos games, and yet it remains a stand-alone business.

Of course, there are other great slot providers out there that we should validate. For instance, Microgaming isn’t the best when it comes to aesthetic quality. So if its stunning graphics you’re looking for, other providers like Elk Studios, NetEnt, and Quickspin excel in that area. That’s not to minimise Microgaming, however. It’s among the most prolific slot providers, releasing new titles into the market on a monthly basis. It’s also responsible for the largest Progressive slot ever, in Mega Moolah, and it released one of the most complex slots ever when it made Castle Builder 2 available to online casinos.

Also impressive is the fact that it’s expanded in the way that it has, in operating casinos, producing slots, providing table games, managing sportsbooks and live casinos, and it hasn’t sacrificed the quality of its offerings in the process. It also seems to know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em, as it demonstrated by deciding against continuing with the Poker Network, realising that its relevance has subsided in an ever-evolving environment.

There may be yet more changes afoot in the online gaming industry, but Microgaming is one constant that we can depend on.