It is probably fair to assume that most people when they start to play casino games online will take a look at more than one online casino site. Many will then be surprised to discover that some of the online casino sites look remarkably similar, both in terms of the layout and graphics of the site and the casino games that are featured. This is because several online casino operators use the same casino software company to design the site and put in the essential operating systems needed ensure that the site runs smoothly and that customers’ details are safe and secure. It doesn’t matter whether you are gambling online or shopping online, the software is probably the most important element of any web site. There are currently four major casino software companies operating in the online casino sector, plus one or two smaller organisations who tend to design for individual online casinos. The major players are Microgaming, Wagerworks, Chartwell and Playtech, which is currently part owned by William Hill and the subject of a potential full take-over fairly soon. Betfred and Bet365 also use Playtech software for their online casino sites and all three are very similar. The casino software suppliers are responsible for almost every aspect of an online casino site which is important to the customer. The casino games, particularly the slots are designed by the software supplier and any copyright issues associated with using famous cartoon characters for example are also negotiated by the software companies. The payment systems and customer security are also the primary responsibility of the casino software suppliers, making these relatively unknown companies probably the most important organisations in the online casino business. As long as we are enjoying playing casino games at our favourite online casino it really doesn’t matter which casino software has been used, but we like to keep in touch and you may find it interesting.