History
Cryptologic was founded in 1995 by the Rivkin brothers from the basement of their parents’ house. Their aim was to develop an application for secure online financial transactions. Via a subsidiary company called WagerLogic, the company licenses its gaming software, customer support services and own payment processing system, ECash.
Cryptologic is regarded as one of the top software providers in the industry as they have positioned themselves as trustworthy, reputable and secure. They offer top quality casino games which have been firm favourites with casino enthusiasts for years.
About Cryptologic
Cryptologic is regarded as one of the old guard and therefore the software is very well received with many players. The first ever online casino to use the software was InterCasino in 1996. Since then, the company has licensed its games and software to various online casinos and poker rooms operators including William Hill (William Hill then merged with Playtech). There was also a deal with Littlewoods Gaming as well as Ritz Club in 2004. Further to casino and poker products, Cryptologic also offers online bingo software.
Initially, CryptoLogic were listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange in 1998 and on the NASDAQ in 2000. The in 2003 the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange as their software was certified in Alderney. Up until 2007, CryptoLogic revenues grew to over $400 million (from $90 million in five years earlier) and there were listed as a result. They provided games to big operators such as Betfair and opened offices in Singapore to target South East Asia.
The main casino that uses their software is the reputable InterCasino. A major brand to use their software was William Hill but Cryptologic lost them when they merged with Playtech back in October 2009. Their software was probably the preferred choice when it came to video slots but Playtech signed a licensing agreement with Marvel Entertainment Inc to offer games that rivalled Cryptologic’s popular games.
Cryptologic has been a little quiet in terms of development and new casinos but what they offer is a great product and they still offer some of the most played games around.
Games
As mentioned above, Playtech now offer Marvel themed slots but Cryptologic were the first to offer these branded video slots. This was way back in 2005 and they since then, they have developed 17 Marvel comic games which are widely played by many casino players.
Our personal favourites are The Hulk and X-Men slot games. Starting with The Hulk, the character was hugely popular in the comic strip and then in the TV series. Subsequently, it became a Hollywood blockbuster movie which achieved international success. The character is very well known for turning green and people associate getting angry with the Hulk. The story behind it is that the physicist Dr. Bruce Banner is exposed to gamma rays radiation and a result turns into the giant green raging Hulk when he is angry, scared and aggrieved.
The game is a 5 reel, 9 line progressive slot as there are 4 jackpot levels. In order to hit the jackpot, you’ll need to see 5 Hulk symbols on a payline. However, Incredible Hulk acts as the wild symbol which can double your rewards if you are lucky. More importantly, the jackpot can be won randomly at any time – not playing at the maximum stake like other progressive games. However, the size of the bet does determine how big your jackpot win is.
The bonus feature, Hulk Smash, is great and you need to get 3 or more of the radiation symbols on any particular reel. If you manage to play the bonus round, you will be playing the Hulk who will try and save the lab whilst battling tanks and helicopters. The more he battles, the bigger your bonus win becomes including destroying the secret lab.
Moving on to X-Men, the hugely successful comic book became a blockbuster movie as a result. The game includes all the characters like Xavier, Wolverine, Rogue, Jean Grey, Storm, Gambit, Nightcrawler, Cyclops, Magneto, Sabretooth and Mystique.
The game is a 9 line 5 reel video slot game and to get to the bonus round, you will need to see 3 X logos on any given payline. You will then choose a hero to battle the bad guys with in each of the 4 cities. Like The Hulk, the progressive jackpot is a central theme and is achieved randomly.
The graphics and animation is second to none and the game is our personal favourite here at Casino Manual. They have many more Marvel Comic video slots on offer to be sure to check them out at the recommended Cryptologic powered casino outlined below.
Casinos
As you’ve read, Cryptologic has been a pioneer when it comes to their video slots, especially the Marvel Comic series. The only casino we can recommend (and the only one worth mentioning) is InterCasino. InterCasino provides a good service to their players and they are well respected in the UK. For more information on InterCasino, please click on the following links: