Browsing through any online casino lobby in regulated markets will almost certainly unveil games
from NetEntertainment, better known as NetEnt. The Swedish gaming giant is a permanent fixture in
online gaming with a catalogue of 200+ slots, table games and live dealer games that covers a wide
audience from recreational players to hardcore gaming nerds. Legendary slots such as Dead or Alive
I & II, Starburst or Gonzo’s Quest are at the core of their rise to one of most popular brands in
iGaming.
Strangely, most of the iGaming suppliers had their beginnings in Sweden, a country known for its
gambling affinity. It is no different for NetEnt, which was founded in the scenic capital Stockholm by
Pontus Lindwall, a member of the family that founded gaming operator Cherry. In 1996, He
assembled a team of developers, software coders, graphic designers and gaming nerds to create real
money games for the emerging online casino market.
With internet connections still via phone lines, it represented a challenge to develop gaming content
to fit the available data speed. The team around Pontus decided to base their software on Java
which turned out to become the standard in the industry until 2013, when it was replaced by the
mobile-friendly HTML5 protocol. In its early years, NetEnt built and supplied complete casino
platforms and even had a brief spell of operating their own casinos. The segment was divested in
2007, just before the company went public on the Nordic Growth Market. Only two years later,
NetEnt moved to the main list of the Stockholm Stock Exchange where it is today valued at over €1.5
billion.
NetEnt has come a long way since their humble beginnings and currently employs 1,000+ people
with offices located in Malta, Sweden, Gibraltar, Poland, Ukraine, the UK and USA. They are best
known for high-quality games that excel with bold HD visuals, stunning animations, innovative pay
mechanics and exciting features. Their catalogue covers the entire volatility spectrum from low to
extreme that ensures NetEnt reaches out to all types of players. In 2013, NetEnt complemented its
portfolio with live casino games such as Roulette, Blackjack and Baccarat streamed directly from
their own studios.
While their complete portfolio exceeds 200 titles, much if the success is down to a handful of epic
slots such as Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest and Dead or Alive. These have featured in the top charts for years
and still show no sign of disappearing any time soon. Branded slots represent a good chunk of their
creations including the Rock Slot trilogy – Guns N Roses, Jimmy Hendrix and Motorhead, Street
Fighter II: The World Warrior, Vikings and Planet of the Apes. Fans of progressive jackpot slots are
well catered for by Mega Fortune, Hall of Gods and Divine Fortune.
In June 2020, news transpired that Live Casino specialist Evolution Gaming made a bid to acquire
NetEnt for a sizeable €1,86 billion. The board recommended to shareholders to accept the offer and
with that the transaction should be finalized within the coming months. It will create a global gaming
giant that combines all main forms of casino gambling under one roof.