Game provider
A game provider is the studio that designs and runs a casino game, which the casino then offers to players on its own site.
Also called game studio, software provider, game supplier, game developer
Most games at a casino are not made by the casino. Slots, live dealer tables and many table games come from outside studios, also called suppliers. The game normally runs on the provider's servers, and the casino plugs it into its lobby and wallet. The provider sets the maths: the RTP, the volatility and the top win. The exception is a casino's own in-house games, often called originals. At crypto casinos these are usually the provably fair ones.
Example. The same slot appears at two casinos. Some studios supply a slot in more than one RTP version, and each casino chooses which to run. So the slot can cost you more at one site than at the other. The version in use is usually shown in the game's own info or help screen.
What people get wrong. People assume a well-known game is the same everywhere, or that the casino can change results spin by spin. Neither is quite right. With a genuine provider game, the casino does not control single results, but it may be able to pick a lower RTP version.
A long list of well-known providers is a good sign. It is not a guarantee.
Related terms
- Return to player (RTP)
RTP (return to player) is the share of all money bet on a game that it is built to pay back to players over a very large number of bets, shown as a percentage.
- Random number generator (RNG)
A random number generator (RNG) is the software that produces the unpredictable numbers a casino game turns into spins, cards and dice rolls.
- Volatility
Volatility is how much a game's results swing around its average, from small frequent wins at the low end to rare large wins at the high end.