Blackjack Software

Amaya is one of the most important and largest software providers in the online casino industry. They also have a hand in the land-based casino industry. To many industry insiders, they're best known for buying Chartwell Technology in 2011. They also acquired Cryptologic, which they subsequently sold to the previous owners of that software group.

Some of the casinos powered by Amaya software include Betsafe, Betsson, and Cherry Casino.

Amaya offers 8 variations of blackjack. The game with the lowest house edge is their version of "single deck blackjack", which has a 0.26% house edge.

Amigotechs is a smaller provider of casino games to sportsbooks. They're headquartered in Panama.

They offer 7 different blackjack games, the best of which is their single deck game that pays 3 to 2 on a natural. Under no circumstances should you ever play the 6 to 5 blackjack games there. It's a wonder to use that they even offer this game, but we're sure some suckers somewhere play it. The house edge for the single deck blackjack game with the traditional payout is only 0.38%, but the single deck 6 to 5 payout has a house edge over well over 1.2%.

Amuzi Gaming is a new-ish software provider founded in 2011. They only offer one blackjack game (their focus is mostly on slot machine games), and the house edge on that game is 0.38%.

Arrows Edge is probably the newest software company on this list, having been founded in 2014. The house edge for that blackjack game is 0.72%. You can find better rules options at most other software providers' casinos.

Betsoft is a software provider that's best known for their incredible selection of video slots, most of which feature astounding 3D graphics. They also offer table games, including 6 variations of blackjack. As with most software providers, their best game is the traditional single deck blackjack game, which has a house edge of 0.38%.

Some of the most well known names in the online gambling industry use Betsoft, including Bodog, Bovada, and Slots.lv.

Boss Media is one of the older names on this list. Their company is based in Sweden. They only offer a couple of different blackjack games—the one with the lower house edge is the single deck game, which has a house edge of only 0.11%, making it one of the best online games available. Blackjack players in the United States are out of luck, though, as none of the casinos using Boss Media software accept real money players from the USA.

Cryptologic is based in Canada and has been in business for over 20 years. Some of the better known casinos using their software include Betsafe Casino, Cherry Casino, and InterCasino.

They offer 7 different blackjack variations, the best of which is their single deck game. The house edge for that version is 0.21%.

Cryptologic powered casinos do not accept real money players from the United States.

One of the best known and most aggressively marketed casinos on the Internet is 888 Casino, which used what we in the business call "proprietary" software. In 2007, they decided to offer their software license to other operators under the name Dragonfish. Only a couple of Internet casinos use this software, but it's possible that their client base could grow.

Their "classic blackjack" has the best house edge, but even that is a relatively high 0.44%. They offer 4 other variations, but each of those games have a higher edge for the house.

Dragonfish used to be known as "Random Logic".

Gamesys is one of the more interesting online casino software companies, because they operate a little differently than most. Their games predetermine their results before a wager is made. This might seem like it would interfere with fairness, but it's actually the opposite—it makes it impossible for them to cheat. They present the outcome in a foreign language.

Another interesting aspect of Gamesys's software is their "0 house edge" option. They create games which have no house edge, but in exchange for the privilege of playing them, you have to pay a 10% commission on any of your winnings. In fact, this is the best option for most players, especially blackjack players.

If you opt out of the 0 house edge game, the best blackjack option at casinos using Gamesys software is the "American blackjack" game, which has a house edge of 0.29%.

Habanero Systems hasn't exactly set the world on fire (see what we did there?). They've been around since 2010, though, and they offer a full assortment of casino games, including blackjack. The house edge for their single blackjack game is 0.55%.

Microgaming has the distinction of powering the first online casino, making them the oldest and one of the most respected providers in the business. They offer a bewildering number of blackjack variations, though. They cater mostly to a European market, and they no longer accept real money players from the United States at all.

The game to seek out at Microgaming powered casinos is Vegas single deck blackjack. The house edge for this variation is 0.31%.

Some of the better known casinos powered by Microgaming include 32Red, Blackjack Ballroom, and Crazy Vegas.

You'll see Net Entertainment occasionally referred to as "NetEnt". It's a publicly traded company based in Sweden. They only offer "no download" or "instant play" games.

Some of the better known casinos using their software include Betsson Casino and Cherry Casino.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of their software is the low limit blackjack available. You can play for 10 cents per hand, which is the lowest limit we've seen anywhere. With most software, the minimum bet size is $1 or $5.

Their best blackjack variation is called Pontoon, which has a house edge of only 0.38%. Their standard blackjack game has a house edge of 0.44%.

Novomatic is based in Austria. It's a large company that keeps a hand in both the traditional land-based casino industry and the online gambling niche. Their software powers sites like Ladbrokes and BetVictor.

It's unclear how many decks their blackjack game uses, but the house edge under the rules would vary from 0.26% to 0.49% depending on the number of decks. (The fewer decks, the lower the house edge.)

This software, as of this writing, only powers one casino, Pala, which is a Native American casino in California. Their Internet casino powers the Borgata Casino website in New Jersey.

Their best blackjack game is "side bet blackjack", which has a house edge of only 0.46%. Of course, that's the house edge for the game itself—the house edge on all side bets is huge. Never make side bets in blackjack, unless you just enjoy losing your money at a faster rate than other players.

Besides Microgaming, Playtech is probably the largest and best known provider of casino games to Internet gambling sites. They've been around since 1999 and are publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange.

Dozens of casinos use Playteh software, including Betsafe, Ladbrokes, and Paddy Power. Blackjack Switch is the best game for players, with a house edge of just 0.14%. They also offer a live dealer version of blackjack. The house edge on that version of the game is 0.5%.

Playtech, like Microgaming, has a strict "no real money players from the United States" policy.

Realtime Gaming is the most popular software for online casinos offering real money games to United States players. Casinos using their software include Club World, Ignition Casino, and Bovada, among others.

Their best game is their standard blackjack game using 6 decks. The house edge on that game is 0.54%. They're known for having some of the fastest blackjack games online, so if your goal is to get in a lot of hands per hour, this is an excellent choice. On the other hand, their lack of information about how many decks are in play at any given time—the casinos can choose this setting in the backend—is decidedly player-unfriendly.

Rival was launched in 2006 to focus on the United States market, which has seen an exodus of software companies and casinos after the passage of UIGEA. Bovada, Ignition, and Slots.lv all use Rival games.

Like RTG, Rival doesn't disclose how many decks are being used in their blackjack games. We don't know if they are configurable by the casino owners on the back end or not. The house edge on their standard blackjack game is 0.66%. It's higher on their other version, the multi-hand blackjack, which has a 0.9% edge.

Saucify used to be called BetOnSoft, but that sounded too much like their competitor's name (Betsoft), so they changed their name. Like Realtime Gaming and Rival, Saucify caters to the United States market. Casinos powered by Saucify include SlotsMillion, Tropezia Palace, and Vegas Crest.

Their single deck blackjack game is the best of the 4 games available there. It has a house edge of 0.23%.

Soft Magic Dice is a relatively new online casino games provider. Their Royal Blackjack and Blackjack Pro games both have the same house edge, 0.25%. They're one of the few Internet casino softwares to include a "seven card Charlie" rule in their games.

SoftSwiss is another relatively new software company. They specialize in BitCoin gambling, but they also offer traditional games for other players using standard banking options.

They offer 5 different blackjack games, but 2 of them have the same house edge of 0.56%:

The house edge goes up to 0.62% on their Blackjack Surrender game and gets worse on the other 2 games. They offer optional side bets, but you should avoid these, as the house edge is almost 5%.

Top Game offers USA friendly games, but many of the casinos powered by their software are considered "rogue" operators by most people in the industry. Black Diamond Casino and Spartan Slots both use Top Game software, though, and they both have reasonably good reputations among players.

They only have a couple of blackjack games available, and the house edge on both is about 0.5%.

Visionary Gaming specializes in live dealer games, which are games played via Webcam. They're based in Costa Rica. The house edge on their blackjack game is 0.79%, which is relatively high when compared to other software.

Vista Gaming specializes in providing traditional casino games to online bingo sites. They've been in business since 1996. Their blackjack game has a house edge of 0.78%.

WagerWorks could be considered the online branch of the best known slot machine manufacturer in the world, IGT (International Game Technology). Their best known for their licensed slot machine games, like Wheel of Fortune, which has become ubiquitous on casino floors throughout the world.

United States players are only allowed at WagerWorks casinos in regulated markets like Delaware, New Jersey, and Nevada. Most casinos using their software cater to an international clientele. If the legal situation in the United States ever becomes less draconian, you can bet that WagerWorks will offer action to United States players.

Some online casinos using their software include Jackpot Joy, Ladbrokes, and Mr. Green. The house edge on their blackjack game is 0.45%.

There used to be a software provider named Odds On, but it went out of business, only to be replaced by a new company named Vegas Technology. That subsequent company eventually went out of business and was replaced by WGS Technology, which powers casinos like Cherry Casino and Red Stag Casino.

Their best blackjack game is "perfect pairs", although you should avoid the side bet, which has an exponentially higher house edge. The house edge for this version of the game is 0.36%.