Playtech

The casino software design company Playtech opened for business in the year 2000. Online gaming was starting to boom, and Playtech was one of a large number of companies trying to get a piece of the action.

Playtech outlasted much of their competition and became one of the best-known names in online casino software. Playtech casinos get high marks for being user-friendly and get high marks for their slot games, poker options, and bingo titles. Playtech is excellent at keeping up with the latest trends in online gaming, including live dealer games and 3D graphics. Playtech is even moving back into traditional gambling, releasing kiosk-style gambling titles for play at land-based casinos.

Unfortunately for this company, their online casinos took a hit when the US government passed the UIGEA bill in 2006, forcing the designer’s affiliated casinos to stop doing business with American customers. It was an especially dark time for Playtech because the company had just released an IPO in 2005 on the London exchange.

This untimely IPO release was meant to give the company even more clout in the industry and to raise cash for their new ideas for online and kiosk-based gambling. Playtech then went on a spree of acquiring smaller design companies, raising their profile even further.

When the American government passed the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act in 2006, Playtech lost their access to the American gambling market. Playtech was not asked by the US government to stop doing business there, but the company chose to exit to protect against future legal troubles. They stopped accepting US wagers and started concentrating on the European and Asian online casino markets.