AustraliaOnlineCasino.com.auThe phenomenal growth of the online casino industry and its expansion into the mobile casino gambling space has meant a proportionate rise in the number of casino software providers. While there are quite a few newcomers who have made a significant impact in the gambling software industry with their high quality game offerings, there are a few who are considered among the old hands and yet have retained their status as members of the casino software elite. One such online casino software provider is Real Time Gaming (RTG).
RTG Casinos and Bonuses for UK Players
I have always had a high regard for Real Time Gaming for its range of exciting online casino games, available in both download and instant play mode. At a time when not many software providers were catering to the US market, RTG actually stood out with its commitment to provide online gambling to US players. The tagline on each RTG casino – US Players Accepted – was something that won the admiration of countless US casino fans who were rejected at casinos powered by most other software providers.
That was not the only thing that made RTG popular globally. The games were great and had the right balance between look and feel, aesthetics, design, features, speed, and player-friendly rewards. Its entry into the mobile casino domain is only logical given that RTG has always been a company that has adapted to the latest trends – be it in technology, markets, or safety. You will always find at least a few RTG casinos in the list of top online casinos for players.
I have listed here for you the top RTG casinos for UK casino fans. All these casinos are safe and offer a fantastic online casino experience to their players.
Real Time Gaming History
Real Time Gaming was founded in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1998. Right since the early days it has been known for providing games of excellent quality. The company was acquired in 2007 by Hastings International, a company based out of Curacao that is managed by the HBM Group, a corporate services provider. One of the reasons it is well-known is the fact that despite the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006 – a move that led to many prominent online casino software providers moving out of the US market – RTG continued to offer its games to US players.
Real Time Gaming first set up offices in the USA – Atlanta, Georgia, actually – in 1998. This software provider made quite a splash with its superb range of games. Initially available only in download mode, the company made the required adjustment in technology and approach to provide players with games in the instant play Flash mode as well. This ability to understand and adjust to market needs has been a hallmark of RTG and was again on display when it started offering games for the mobile casino industry.
In 2007-2008, the company moved operations to Costa Rica and remains there even today. The company has not been without its share of controversy, though. These include accusations of players cheating, casinos defaulting on payments and being declared rogue by watchdogs like Casinomeister, and more.
Controversies Dogging Real Time Gaming
After a great time since its launch in 1998, controversy struck the company in 2004 when a player, who won £1.3 million with a deposit of £1000 at Hampton casino and also won £96,000 at Delano casino, was accused of cheating. This huge controversy had a good side too; RTG later amended its rules to limit the size of the bet to a maximum of £5 and then updated it later.
There are other things that have not worked for RTG as well. One thing that went really against RTG was its decision to pass over control of elements crucial to ensuring fair gaming to casino operators. These included crucial issues like allowing operators to configure:
- The pay tables settings in video poker
- Settings to do with the RTP
- The Surrender feature and also the number of decks per game
While this was done probably to create an environment of trust with the operators, in the hands of the wrong operators it had disastrous consequences. There was a steady stream of complaints against RTG casinos relating to cheating and inordinate delays in payment. A number of these casinos were put on the blacklist by reputed independent watchdogs like Casinomeister. In fact at one time a large number of casinos RTG casinos had the dubious distinction of being featured on Casinomeister’s rogues’ gallery.
To its credit, the company has bounced back from these controversies and is still respected by many for what it has always been: a top notch provider of exciting casino games.
About Real Time Gaming’s Games
I have always maintained that the real strength of RTG is in its game offering. Real Time Gaming has a nice collection of games in both download and instant play mode. This works wonderfully for the company as it allows players from either mindset – some like me love to download the entire game portfolio to be able to access all the games, while others may just want a quick shot at a few exciting RTG games – to be part of an online casino experience that is exciting and also rewarding.
RTG provides operators with a selection of over 130 exciting games. These games include, among others:
- Slots: Classic slots, video slots, and also the unique Real Series slots that you get only at RTG-powered casinos worldwide.
- Table and card games: A good selection of high quality table games and card games.
- Video poker: A range of exciting video poker games
- Specialty games: Superb range of specialty games
- Progressive jackpots: Amazing progressive jackpots – local as well as pooled
Unlike many of the other software providers, RTG offers almost the same range of games in both instant play and download modes.
One thing you may notice instantly about RTG games – the graphics may not be of the outstanding quality as you see in some of the other majors. However that does not take away from the overall quality of gaming: the games come with rich features, exciting bonuses, and good jackpot rounds.
RTG was one of the first to jump into the mobile casino market when the market first came into prominence. The first RTG mobile casino application was available at WinPalace casino and many others have followed suit in recent years. The games are available in no download mode and the range was small initially – a batch of 5 games to start with:
- Coyote Cash
- Goldbeard
- Cleopatra’s Gold
- Caesar’s Empire
- Builder Beaver
Today this number has increased and will continue to do so as it picks up more and more games from its download and instant play offerings and converts them for mobile casino gaming. Games available include:
- Mobile blackjack
- Mobile slots
- Mobile roulette
Legal and Licensing
RTG offers casino products that are completely safe and reliable. The licensing is done by the casino operators using the RTG software. You will find a large number of RTG casinos being licensed in Costa Rica, which is where RTG has its offices as well.
Third Party Auditing
Real Time Gaming offers an online casino experience that is completely secure and games that are completely fair. It uses a random number generator that has been tested and certified for fairness – it has a Certificate of Integrity – by