History
Net Entertainment was formed in 1996 by one of Scandinavia’s leading offline casino operators. The success of the company is partly due to the focus on real life casino play. Their vision is to push “the limits in gaming entertainment” and as a result to provide “leading edge solutions enabling the ultimate gaming experience”. Licensed in Malta, Net Ent (as they are better known), are a publicly traded company as they are listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm.
Since their IPO in April 2007, their share price has grown steadily despite regulation. Their strategy is to focus solely on the games as they don’t operate a casino operation of their own (unlike most of the other software providers). They are fully transparent and you will find details of their CEO and board members online without a problem.
They have their main office in Sweden and also offices in Malta, Gibraltar and Alderney. The main product is known as CasinoModule which is the online side of things. They also offer CasinoCafe which is a unique product targeted at small businesses (like internet cafes) wishing to start their own casinos using computer terminals.
About NetEnt
NetEnt has been around since 1996 so this makes them very experienced in offering quality casino software. If you compare their solutions to competitors, their casino package generates more revenues due to a high payout strategy as their games typically return 95% to the players using the software. They believe this is their unique selling point and are confident as a result in the software retention and average revenue per user.
Furthermore, NetEnt games are well known for being of a very high quality. The graphics are very rich and detailed as well as clever bonus rounds, realistic animations and innovative features. NetEnt is not as popular as Playtech or Microgaming for example in terms of market reach, but players that play on NetEnt powered casinos, swear by the games as they are so crisp, realistic and entertaining.
The software has a good presence in the gaming market with about 80 operators using the software. Some of their clients include Mr Green Casino, Comeon Casino and Paddy Power Games. The software package includes both front end and back support for the operator and is easy to integrate into their current infrastructure. The software offers all the regular games such as blackjack, roulette and video poker but they offer mini-blackjack and superb slots.
What is good about NetEnt is that they haven’t tried to imitate or copy any of their competitors. One feature that we really like is how easy it is to play for free on the software. You won’t even need to download, register or deposit. Other software providers also offer this but NetEnt casino are upfront about this and promote this feature alongside the ‘play for real’ version. This is crucial in our opinion to get to know the games before spending your money.
The software by NetEnt is available in a huge variety of languages which is important but CasinoManual.co.uk believes that their approach to responsible gaming is what sets them in very high regard. Players are allowed to set their own gaming limits, budgets and boundaries. Not every NetEnt casino offers this but it’s pretty common. For example, they have a feature called “Don’t allow me to login for the next 7 days” which is exactly that. You can choose a 7 day cooling period but will still receive emails/promotions from the chosen casino. Once the cooling period is over, you will be notified by email. Secondly, they have a feature called “Don’t allow me to login for the next 6 months”. You won’t be able to login for 6 whole months and you won’t receive any newsletters at all.
Games
CasinoManual.co.uk is a big fan of their games – especially their video slots. Their first platinum video slot was the cult classic, Gonzo’s Quest. The game is a 5 reel 20 line multiple coin video slot game with fantastic 3D animations. In our opinion, this game is incredible and very entertaining. The game feels like a video game and you’ll be pleasantly surprised when watching the introduction.
The game is based on the historical conquistador, Gonzalo Pizarro (or Gonzo as more affectionately known) and is set in 1541. The game is set on his journey through the Amazon jungle in search of the lost city of Gold – Eldorado. The game doesn’t use the traditional spinning reels – the game uses the Avalanche™ Reels feature which is refreshing. This rewards you for having winning spins as the multiplier increases as winning symbols are replaced with new ones! There is also a superb Free Falls feature (free spins) where the Avalanche Reels really comes into its own.
NetEnt have produced other great slots too – some of their big branded games include Scarface and Frankenstein – soon they will be releasing the South Park slot game (we will add it as soon as it does!). I really like the Piggy Riches slot as the potential for big wins is too much for to resist. However, wins are few and far between though – you just need to be patient.
I should mention that Net Entertainment has become famous for their jackpot slots. They have Mega Fortune which has paid out some huge amounts. More significantly, it is responsible for the world’s largest ever online jackpot at €17.8 million. This was won by a Finnish customer in January 2013.
Casinos
As you’ve read, NetEnt power some great online casinos. We haven’t had time to review all of them and we only recommend a few of them due to their distinct service and philosophy. At CasinoManual.co.uk, we highly recommend Comeon Casino and Mr Green. If you want more information on these online casinos, please click on the relevant links below: